Irish Week has officially kicked off with a new event giving a nod to the literary contributions of those with roots on the Emerald Isle.
“Anticipate a lot of spirit, music, and most of all, literature – the pulse that makes the Irish heart beat,” says Kevin Dooley, host of the first annual Irish Voices event taking place Wednesday, March 16 at the Ottawa Public Library’s main branch.
“We have pulled together a lot of acclaimed authors and musicians to show the passion that lives within each Irish soul,” says Dooley.
The event will feature readings by Irish-Canadian author and Centretown resident Mike Heenan, along with other Ottawa writers such as Darren Jerome, Joan Mckay, and Caroline Pigant.
For Dooley, the free event will highlight Irish history, especially the historic legacies left behind by the Irish community in Ottawa.
“We are very proud to be part of history. Ninety per cent of the workers that built the Rideau Canal were Irish,” says Dooley. “During the festival, we have the parade, our Irish pubs celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and now we have a literature event to tie it all together.”
Fundraising is also at the heart of this year’s festival, explains Sean Kealy, chairman of the parade, which will be collecting donations for the Ottawa Food Bank.
The parade will accept canned foods and other donations along its route, which will start at city hall on Laurier Avenue and turn down Bank Street, ending at Lansdowne Park.
However, according to Kealy, the parade that has followed the same route for 27 years will likely have to change next year due to planned redevelopment of Lansdowne Park.
“We hope to keep it in Centretown,” says Kealy. “Centretown is a very central point and the more people that come out to enjoy the parade, the better it is.”
Last year, owners of some Irish pubs in the Byward Market proposed changing the route to have it start in front of the Parliament Buildings and end in the Market.
“The challenge is finding a venue for the parade party. The salons of the Civic Centre is one of the few affordable venues that can hold the approximately 1,500-plus people that attend the post-parade party,” says Kealy.
For Centretown business owners, the parade is a tradition.
“We will be really sad to see the route change,” says Carm Wright, manager of Connor’s Gaelic Pub on Bank Street.
“It definitely makes a difference every year for us, because it increases a lot of foot traffic and we see a lot of new faces walking in.”
The parade will also display many businesses’ Irish spirit.
“We couldn’t build a float in time for the parade this year, but we are definitely eager to still participate in it,” says Regan Irvine, manager of the Royal Oak at 318 Bank St.
“Our staff will be walking in the parade. In the end, it’s all about happiness,” says Dooley.
“That’s what we the Irish are all about. If people can attend the events during the Irish festival and be happy, then we have done our jobs.”