January - Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everybody.

I have not had much response as to a meeting for this month. I think the holidays and the number of our members going on the Brigid trip at the end of the month have us all flummoxed.

I have talked to a couple of the members and we agree that we will just skip the January meeting.

For February, the five Sheboygan Branch members who are going on the Brigid trip, would like to gather with you to share our experiences and pictures. Would you all like that? As this is a tour/pilgrimage, so we do expect to have a lot to share. The five of us will pick a day that all of us can be with all of you. We will let you know before we leave for Ireland.

I will now list the events that ARE scheduled for the rest of the year.

March 17 is the annual Irishman's Walk in Plymouth and is our official March meeting. We will again meet at the Exchange Bank at the corner of Mill Street and Stafford and carpool up to the meeting place for the parade. We will proudly carry our banner and then decide what we want to do for lunch and/or entertainment.

Rosalie Hartman has also offered information for a Day Trip to Chicago through Alverno College. It is on Friday, March 4, a tribute to both St. Patrick and St. Joseph, whose feast days are in March, The tour will leave from Alverno College at 8:30AM drive to Old St. Patrick's Church for a tour. Then they willgo to Galway Arms Irish Pub for an included lunch followed by a stop at Gaelic Imports for a shopping spree before heading back to Milwaukee. The cost is $89. Contact me or Rosalie if you are interested. It sounds great.

The last weekend in April, April 29 to May 1, is the annual Celtic Women International Spring Gathering and Annual meeting. More will follow on this as it is firmed up but mark the dates. The Gathering will be in Galena this year, an area full of Irish traditions and history.

May - Joan Kramer will be setting a date for an annual book review/discussion meeting where we can gather to share our favorite books and perhaps do some trading etc. I will have her do a write up on what she is thinking and include it in the next update.

June 16th is Bloomsday. Last year a reporter asked me if I knew of any Bloomsday celebrations in the county. (I am deliberately trying to get you interested.) Bloomsday is a celebration of Robert Burns writings held worldwide, including readings from Ulyssis. We can do what we want but there are a couple of ideas. Debbie O Grady and I have a book of Celtic Teas that we could adapt OR we could team up with perhaps 52 Stafford to celebrated it in a more traditional Bloomsday style. Please give me feedback.

July -How about the tea IF we team up with 52 Stafford for Bloomsday. The teas in that book sound like such fun and have such fun sounding recipes and games.

August is Milwaukee Irish Fest. August 18 - 21. Celtic Women International will probably be marching the parade on Sunday. Lets work on carpooling.

A Maybe - If Beth decides to organize another Reunion of the Clans at St. Michael's in Parnell, we
are always welcome.

September 2 - 4 is the weekend of the Highland Games in Waukesha. I am also presenting this information to Celtic Women International. CWI has been invited to set up a table in the cultural area free of charge during the games. The table would have to be manned and this can be quite a challenge for our group so that is still really not certain. However, I would like to attend the event in any case. Check out last years event at http://www.wisconsinscottish.org/.

I would also like us to have a meeting this month on our normal date, September 17, to bake scones and to be sure we are on track for our club.

October 30 (or 23rd) the annual Samhain Dinner potluck. It is a special event for us. The sharing of food, our culture, our significant others and the inviting of our ancestors makes it really unique. Everybody mark their calendars and prepare that place setting for YOUR ancestors.

December - date not yet determined. - the Annual Christmas Tea. We will join with the Plymouth Historical Museum and the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center for this event that we open to the public. We gained two new members this year at the event so it is really successful in SO many ways.

So a full slate. Keep warm in this winter time.

And God Love You all

Slainte

Mary Kunert
920-893-5139