The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Event aims to take back Irish culture
Sober Seventeenth is alcohol-free celebration of St. Patrick’s Day
Sober Seventeenth Inc. held its fourth annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Ahern’s Banquet Center at 726 Avon Belden Road in Avon Lake.
In a celebration that included everything Irish, Sober Seventeenth Inc. brought out food and Irish culture in a family friendly environment for all to enjoy. Guests were treated to traditional Irish music, step-dancing and food at the March
17 event.
Sober Seventeenth president and chairman Jack Kilroy said the event is an effort to take back Irish culture and fight back against anti-Irish stereotypes.
“The liquor industry hijacked a day that started in Ireland as a religious feast and what developed with the early parades in America, as a repudiation of antiIrish bigotry. They turned it into an excuse of binge drinking, which only brings back anti-Irish stereotypes. We’re taking it back and reclaiming the day for families and our Irish culture,” Kilroy wrote.
The event was sponsored by Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services and the Cuyahoga County Alcohol, Drug, Addiction and Mental Health Services.
Kilroy is an Avon Lake attorney who in his many trips to Ireland saw the opportunity to make a difference locally in Northeast Ohio.
“We offer a chance for parents to expose their kids to Irish culture in a safe, fun and enriching setting. Those in recovery or who just don’t want to be around binge drinking are no longer doomed to sit at home as we offer a great alcoholfree party, Kilroy added.
Entertainment was provided direct from Ireland by The James Kilbane Band of and Eimear Reynolds. The Brady-Campbell School of Irish Dance provided a demonstration of traditional Irish step-dancing that includes dancers who were featured in Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance.”
Also on hand were The St. Ignatius Circus with a number of activities for children in attendance, including at St. Patrick’s themed coloring contest with prizes donated by Pat Catan’s.
“It’s all fun,” Kilroy said in a release. “But seriously, we help people in recovery prevent relapse, we provide a counterpoint to the pervasive
“We offer a chance for parents to expose their kids to Irish culture in a safe, fun and enriching setting.”
— Jack Kilroy, Sober Seventeenth president and chairman
drunken Irish stereotype and we give families a chance to show their children authentic Irish culture away from the sea of alcohol that has flooded the day meant to honor the patron saint of Ireland.”