A POLITICAL LILT TO ST. PATRICK’S FESTIVITIES
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in America typically involve Guinness, kelly green and rousing choruses of “Irish Rover.”
But during this year’s S.F. celebration of Ireland’s patron saint on March 3, Mayor Ed Lee and local Irish leaders also underscored another facet of the Irish diaspora: immigration.
That political hot potato was also echoed rather boldly at the White House March 16, where Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny, while standing next to the president, reminded Trump that 35 million Americans claim Irish heritage. Yet some 50,000 undocumented Irish live and work amid the legal shadows of America.
“Ireland came to America, because deprived of liberty, opportunity, safety and even food itself, the Irish believed. Four decades before Lady Liberty lifted her lamp, we were the wretched refuse on the teeming shore,” Kenny declared, in a video that’s gone viral with 30 million views. “We believed in America, in the compassion of America, in the opportunity of America. We came and became America.”
That theme continued during the 53rd Hibernian Newman Club St. Patrick’s Day Lunch on St. Patrick’s Day, benefiting the S.F. Archdiocese’s campus ministry at the Westin St. Francis hotel, where an 820-strong crowd honored EssEff native Jack Fitzpatrick, the son of Irish immigrants. The former accountant and community leader, now executive director of the Gellert Foundation, recognized the importance of the Catholic school education (St. Monica’s, St. Ignatius, USF) his parents strived to provide him — an education that remains unaffordable for many families.
“We see children whose immigrant parents work multiple jobs to send them to Catholic schools. Their surnames may no longer be Sweeney, Collins, Brady, Murphy or Healy. They are often Sanchez, Hernandez, Garcia and Lopez,” said Fitzpatrick. “But their parents face the same economic challenges that Irish immigrants of the past faced.”
The Celtic celebrations included the annual Irish flag raising at City Hall, led by Mayor Lee, Protocol Chief Charlotte Shultz and Supervisor Mark Farrell, who emceed the lively program. The fete honored retired SFPD Deputy Chief
Diarmuid Philpott, co-founder of the S.F.-Cork Sister City committee and a beloved community leader, who served as grand marshal for the city’s 167th St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
And Irish Consul General Philip Grant, who later received the Distinguished Leadership award at the Ireland Funds’ annual gala, was also heralded.
Grant soon decamps to Ireland for a new government post. But his work in the Western states increasing economic links between Ireland and America, as well as providing compassionate support to families affected by the deadly 2015 Berkeley balcony collapse, was roundly praised.
“San Francisco, way back when, was a real sanctuary city for our people. And I hope the city always remains so. We were lucky to land in the West and not end up in the slums or ghettos of the East Coast,” said Grant. “We were the pioneers here: We helped build this city; we learned values of diversity here. I know one thing about the Irish here: They love Ireland. But, my god, they love San Francisco even more.”
Spring fling: A gazillion blooms (billy balls, palm fronds, anthurium, succulents, hydrangea, hyacinth and forget-me-nots) were bursting at the de Young Museum during the recent Bouquets to Art, the Fine Arts Museums’ largest fundraiser for its exhibition and education programs.
Led by Bouquets chairwoman Claudia Feury, with assists from honorary chair Lorna Meyer Calas, grand patron Dede Wilsey and FAM Auxiliary President Kate Sullivan, the opening night featured glorious floral homages by local designers paired with artworks in the de Young’s permanent collection.
Other attractions included fantastical fashion created by floristry students at City College of San Francisco, and the spring season’s most anticipated cocktail buffets with McCalls’ mini-lamb chops and other delicacies.
“Years ago, City College was going to cut back the program,” said student Armando de Loera Mejia, an eco-friendly designer who created a knockout floral gown. “So it’s great we’re here to showcase the skills we learn at City College.”
While this was “Bouquets” 33rd edition, it was the first for FAM Director Max Hollein.
“It was fun to be here as the designers arrived to install their creations. Their energy, dedication and sheer joy was a pleasure to see,” he enthused. “The art provides a resonance that works like a yin-yang, inspiring different levels of creativity among the designers. It also helps if they land a prime location.”
Roxie rising: Though modest in size, the recent Roxie fundraiser at Mission Bowling Club featured one of the best film-centric online auctions in town. Lots included a meal with director Eleanor Coppola, a Sausalito bike tour with filmmaker Christopher Upham, and pizza with musician Boots Riley, actor Gregg Turkington and producer George Rush. Rebranding itself as a nonprofit, the Roxie, the nation’s oldest art-film house, now thrives as a sustainable center showcasing independent, emerging and Spanish-language films as well as film education and technology, thanks to the vision of Roxie board president Diana Fuller and trustee Owsley Brown.
Their bowling fundraiser, a down-home fete for film devotees, raised a healthy $35K to keep the Roxie’s reels rolling.
“A year and a half ago, I was pretty depressed, as it felt like a lot of things in San Francisco were sort of falling away,” explained Roxie executive director
Dave Cowen, a former tech IT guru. “While it’s been a real wild road, the Roxie is solvent with a $1 million dollar budget.”