By: Denise Foley

There’s so much going on in the Philly region during the month of March that we’ve had to call the building trades people in to shore up the sides of our calendar. Lucky for us, most of them are Irish, so we got a deal.

Here’s what’s happening just this week:

The first parade of the season steps off the curb on Saturday, March 1 at 1 PM in Burlington County, NJ, starting off at the Fair Grounds in Mount Holly.

Saturday night is Irish night at Queen of Peace Parish in Ardsley, with the Timoney Dancers and the Celtic-rock group Jamison and Peter Casey, and loads of Irish vendors. All proceeds benefit the parish.  If you’re in Jersey, St. Patrick’s Parish Center in Woodbury is holding its 9th annual concert of Irish music the same night with Bob Michel, Rich Dodson, Laura Murphy and Mike Plunkett. Special guests: harpist Kathy DeAngelo and step dancers from the Dave Gibson School of Irish Dancers. It's billed as a session, so if you play, bring your instrument.

If you’re able to split yourself into lots of little “mini-me’s,” you might want to take in Lunasa at Penn, Colcannon at Montgomery County Community College, and Causeway (featuring the lovely and talented Karen Boyce) at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill—also on Saturday night, March 1.

On Sunday, March 2, the group The Boys of County Bucks will provide the entertainment at “An Irish Afternoon at GlenFoerd on the Delaware. “ There’ll also be food, drink and fun at this lovely mansion on Grant Avenue (and the Delaware River) from 2 PM till 5 PM.

On Sunday evening, Father John McNamee, poet and pastor of St. Malachy’s Parish in North Philadelphia (and a Philly parade Ring of Honor member this year) will be reading his poetry at Archmere Academy in Claymont, DE, near Chester, PA. There’ll be a free dessert buffet and a “meet-the-author” reception afterwards, with books offered for purchase.

That same evening, you can catch the incredible Celtic duo, songwriters Andy M. Stewart and Gerry O’Beirne, at the McNeil Science and Technology Center at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. This is another event sponsored by Crossroads Concerts, which brings diverse musical groups to the Delaware Valley.

Okay folks, that was just the weekend.

This week: The Barley Boys are still keeping them in stitches down in Atlantic City as part of the second run of Finnigan’s Wake, which you can see Thursday through Sunday.

On Thursday, March 6, local Celtic expert and storyteller Tom Slattery will be spinning tales of adventure, myth, humor, and folklore at the Margaret Grundy Memorial Library in Bristol Borough, PA.

And on Friday, March 7, the Washington House Restaurant in Sellersville is holding a Celtic beer tasting (they’re including Scottish and English beers in the mix).

And for the following week, we’ve got the Hothouse Flowers, Phil Coulter, The Chieftains, the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade, harpists Grainne Hambley and William Jackson, the amazing Mick Moloney, the Irish Rovers, Dervish, Irish coffee contests, and much, much more. But that's another story.

So head on over to the St. Patrick’s Day calendar and get your schedule organized. Don’t be discouraged. You can do it! You’re Irish. Or trying to be.