News about the Irish & Irish American culture, music, news, sports. This is hosted by the Irish Aires radio show on KPFT-FM 90.1 in Houston, Texas (a Pacifica community radio station)

September 14, 2005

Loyalists Continue to Riot At Reduced Level

To Index of Monthly Archives
To September 2005 Index
To receive this news via email, click HERE.
No Message is necessary.
----

News about Ireland & the Irish

BB 09/14/05 Quieter Night After Days Of Riots
BB 09/14/05 Order Is 'Blameless' Over Rioting
UN 09/14/05 Orangeman Fears Protest Walk-Outs
IO 09/14/05 Durkan Attacks Brits Attitude To Loyalist
BB 09/14/05 Protestant Fears And Loyalist Anger
BB 09/14/05 What Is The UVF?
LA 09/14/05 Opin: Marching Away From Trouble
SF 09/14/05 Short Strand Incident Wrong
NH 09/14/05 IRA Arms Move May Take Weeks
IO 09/14/05 UN Investigating Use Of Shannon By CIA
ZW 09/14/05 Dining: Wee Bit 'O Ireland Comes To Delco

******************************************

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4244158.stm

Quieter Night After Days Of Riots

There have been a number of attacks on the police, but not
on the scale of the previous three nights.

The trouble, mainly in loyalist areas, was sparked by the
re-routing of an Orange Order parade on Saturday.

On Tuesday night, a police officer was slightly burned when
a petrol bomb was thrown at a Land Rover on Longstone
Street in Lisburn, County Antrim.

Petrol bombs and two blast bombs were also thrown at New
Barnsley police station in west Belfast.

A petrol bomb was also thrown at Mountpottinger police
station in east Belfast.

Earlier, the outlawed loyalist paramilitary Ulster Defence
Association (UDA) said the violence should stop.

Two 20-year-old men are due in court in Belfast charged in
connection with the rioting in the city over the weekend.

They are both accused of riotous assembly and having petrol
bombs.

Rush-hour traffic leaving Belfast was disrupted for a
second day on Tuesday by loyalist protests, while a number
of evening bus services from the city were cancelled.

Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde has blamed the UDA and UVF
for being behind the trouble.

The statement, issued by the UDA in north Belfast, came as
police said 63 people were arrested over three nights of
rioting which left 60 officers hurt.

Tuesday's UDA statement urged its members to remain calm,
"no matter what the provocation".

"No longer can we or will we let these types of situations
destroy our own communities as it seems the community is
the only sufferer in this conflict," it added.

During violence in Belfast and other parts of Northern
Ireland on Monday, 10 police officers were injured.

HAVE YOUR SAY

These events show that political documentation such as the
Good Friday Agreement bear little impact on deep-rooted
problems

William Phipps, London, UK

Sixty people have been arrested for public order offences
and three in connection with serious terrorist offences.
Police said that more arrests would be made.

Unionists said there had been a build-up of resentment
within their community because of the government's handling
of the peace process.

Trouble began in the city on Saturday after the Parades
Commission refused to change their decision to allow the
Orange Order's Whiterock parade to pass through a
nationalist section of Springfield Road.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/09/14 09:03:56 GMT
© BBC MMV

******************************************

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4243684.stm

Order Is 'Blameless' Over Rioting

There is no evidence that Orangemen were involved in
weekend rioting following a contentious parade in west
Belfast, the Orange Order has said.

Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde had said Orangemen joined in
attacks on police.

Grand Master Robert Saulters said the Order regarded itself
as blameless. He condemned the riots, but accused police of
being "aggressive and arrogant".

He said violence after the Whiterock march was a "cry of
desperation" from the Protestant community.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Mr Saulters
blamed the police, the Parades Commission and the
government for causing the trouble.

Rioting

When asked about the events of the last few days the
Belfast County Grand Master Dawson Bailie said he would "do
nothing different".

Sixty-three people were arrested and 60 police officers
hurt during three nights of rioting which started after the
re-routed march on Saturday.

The chief constable said the Order was substantially
responsible for the disturbances which followed the parade.

Sir Hugh said Saturday's parade had "become illegal" and
"fundamentally breached" the Parades Commission's
determination on several counts.

In the ensuing violence, police officers and soldiers were
shot at, attacked with petrol bombs, blast bombs and other
missiles during three nights of what police described as
"orchestrated violence".

Hijacked vehicles were also set on fire at a number of
locations across Northern Ireland.

The North and West Belfast Parades and Cultural Forum, a
loyalist umbrella group, blamed the trouble on the
government and the Parades Commission and said further
actions "are being planned by our community".

In a statement the forum said: "The continuing demonising
of the unionist family by the secretary of state and others
does nothing to indicate that we are being heard and
understood.

"The prime minister must not continue to ignore the deep
sense of alienation being expressed by our people."

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/09/14 09:17:21 GMT
© BBC MMV

******************************************

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1467379&issue_id=12992

Orangeman Fears Protest Walk-Outs

A SENIOR Orangeman fears many members will resign because
of the widespread violence that followed the re-routing of
a march away from a nationalist area in Belfast.

Reverend Brian Kenaway, a Presbyterian minister and former
Orange Order education officer, said such violence could
only hasten the demise of the organisation.

He described as "diabolical" the refusal of the Belfast
Orange Order leader Dawson Bailie to condemn the
disturbances.

Ulster Unionist Assembly member and Orange historian David
McNarry described the outburst of violence as ugly,
unseemly and unacceptable.

The Orange Order in Belfast is due to publish its
considered response to the violence today.

Also today, Northern Secretary Peter Hain will formally
announce the British government no longer legally
recognises the ceasefire of the UVF. The loyalist
paramilitary group has been associated with four murders
over the summer months. Its rival, the UDA, last night
ordered its members to take no further part in the rioting.
Last night was relatively quiet in Belfast - some roads
were blocked, some bus services cancelled and many
businesses closed early for fear of violence.

Dominic Cunningham

******************************************

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=128005420&p=yz8xx6xxx

Durkan Attacks British Govt Attitude To Loyalist Violence

14/09/2005 - 08:25:03

SDLP leader Mark Durkan has launched a blistering attack on
Northern Secretary Peter Hain and the leaders of the two
main unionist parties over their attitude to loyalist
violence.

The SDLP has accused Mr Hain and the leaders of the DUP and
UUP of turning a blind eye to a massive upsurge in loyalist
attacks in recent months.

The UDA has been accused of orchestrating a sectarian
campaign against Catholic properties in north Antri, while
the UVF and LVF have been involved in a vicious feud in
Belfast that has left four people dead.

The British Government announced last night that it no
longer recognises the UVF ceasefire as a result of the
organisation's involvement in the four feud-related murders
and the rioting that has gripped Belfast over the past few
days.

However, Mr Durkan said he had been calling for this move
for months and could not understand why Mr Hain was failing
to act until now.

He said it appeared Britain did not care about the four UVF
murders and was only acting because police officers and
British soldiers had come under attack during the recent
riots.

The SDLP leader also said it was lamentable that the
leaders of the DUP and the UUP had not sought any meeting
with Mr Hain in relation to the loyalist violence, but had
demanded one in relation to Saturday's re-routed Orange
Order parade in Belfast.

******************************************

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4240398.stm

Protestant Fears And Loyalist Anger

By Dominic Casciani
BBC News in Belfast

What's behind the surge in loyalist violence in Northern
Ireland - and what does it say for the peace process?

If you want to know what's going on in Belfast, start with
the murals.

Amid the blast bombs, petrol bombs and barricades of this
sudden surge of loyalist violence, fresh graffiti appeared
near the Albert Bridge Road.

A mural claiming double standards - namely that the Orange
Order is banned from marching, while the IRA can - had been
defaced. A local hand accused the Orangemen of cowardice,
duplicity and of failing the community.

Across the road, more graffiti revealed divisions among
loyalist paramilitary groups, street corners marking
invisible boundaries of influence.

The world has largely focused on the future of the IRA. But
there are real fears of fragmentation in the poorest
Protestant communities - a fear that support for the peace
process will ebb away in areas where it is most needed.

Protestant Belfast's problems appear a simple story: High
unemployment and communities talking openly of a lack of
confidence amid the rise of nationalist self esteem.

The community's decline is there for all to see - poor
neighbourhoods in the shadow of Harland and Wolff's
historic shipyard cranes, the heavy industries that once
employed entire generations.

Into this mix goes the strength of paramilitaries,
sectarianism, political divisions within unionism and,
crucially, a belief among many that London capitulated to
the IRA.

Teenagers near the smouldering remains of barricades
smirked that the riots had been "great" - but the police
had prevented them taking on a nearby Catholic area. They
didn't use the word Catholic to describe their neighbours.

One woman in her 50s said she had walked through the riot's
embers with holiday suitcases after her taxi driver refused
to drive to her front door, fearing losing his car to
teenage hoods.

"What could I do? I had to get home," she said. "But this
is just wicked and I cannot understand where this came from
and what they are trying to achieve."

'Cauldron overflows'

But David Ervine of the Progessive Unionist Party, aligned
to the Ulster Volunteer Force, said the warning signs had
been there - Protestant discontent was a "cauldron that
overflowed".

Raymond Laverty was counting the cost of that over-flowing
cauldron.

His youth organisation, "The Base", targets teenagers
likely to fall into paramilitarism. This week it's playing
host to a group of teenagers from Burnley, scene of race-
related riots in 2001.

They have come to learn about where sectarianism leads -
but the first major event was cancelled because of safety
fears.

"We're trying to educate the young that there's more to
life than paramilitaries. But it's very difficult when
these kids look around and see that the only successful
people are those who follow that route.

"We're having a tug of war every day.

"There is only so much you can do when parents bring their
small children out at night to see this violence. There's
no logic to it."

Raymond says that the chronic lack of opportunities is the
breeding ground for resentment which feeds the
paramilitaries with willing helpers.

The difference now, he believes, is that the Catholic areas
are going places in the peace process. They've grasped the
benefits of the IRA ceasefire to rebuild and invest in
their own areas. The opposite is true in many poor
Protestant areas, he argues, partly because of a lack of
local leadership.

"Things have been building up since 1998 [the Good Friday
Agreement]," he says. "I think the biggest is this sense
that people think the government has let them down while
the middle class of unionism has effectively pulled up the
ladder behind them and ignored what is happening here.

"It's almost as if we've gone full circle since 1969."

Who's doing best?

What he means by this is that some poor Protestants are
comparing their situation today with that of Catholics at
the start of The Troubles: that they are at the bottom -
and some appear to believe the government wants it that
way.

Ask many Protestants in poor areas whether they or their
Catholic neighbours are getting regeneration funding and
the answer is "them".

Money is however going into east Belfast. The so-called
Peace II initiative has put £14m into 72 projects in east
Belfast, projects like a major community centre, job
development schemes and subtle programmes to break down
barriers.

Today, a mammoth regeneration of what's now dubbed the
"Titanic Quarter" is underway - a scheme to rebuild
opportunities in predominantly Protestant areas now that
much of the heavy industry has gone.

But Sammy Douglas of the East Belfast Partnership says
there is a long way to go - not least when the violence
damages opportunities aimed directly at Protestant
communities.

His organisation is currently overseeing a major commercial
development - a digger was stolen from the site during the
riots to smash into a bank cash machine.

"The tradition in Protestant areas has tended to be of
self-reliance, individualism and jobs in heavy industry -
jobs that are now gone," he says.

"In contrast, there has been a stronger tradition among
Catholic or nationalist families to send their children to
university and they are benefiting because of it.

"All of these things have a role to play in the
disenfranchisement that many Protestant people feel."

Sammy says that Protestant people see Sinn Fein doing an
"excellent job" at pushing their community's agenda - but
amid a fragmented unionist response, this only adds to a
sense that the peace process has become a "one-way street
of concessions".

"There's a growing confidence in the Catholic communities.
They are streets ahead of a Protestant community that sees
its identity being eroded. When people think they are on
the losing side, then the community fragments.

"These people [behind the violence] have no vision and
people without vision perish as they're only wrecking their
own communities.

"We have to pick ourselves up and start all over again."

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/09/13 08:22:34 GMT
© BBC MMV

******************************************

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4244082.stm

What Is The UVF?

The Northern Ireland Secretary, Peter Hain, has announced
that the government no longer recognises the Ulster
Volunteer Force (UVF) as being on ceasefire. But what
exactly is the UVF?

The Ulster Volunteer Force was formed in 1966 to combat
what it saw as a rise in Irish nationalism centred on the
50th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

It adopted the name and symbols of the original UVF, the
movement founded in 1912 by Sir Edward Carson to fight
against Home Rule. Many UVF men joined the 36th Ulster
Division of the British Army and died in large numbers
during the Battle of the Somme in July 1916.

Fifty years later, the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland,
Captain Terence O'Neill, would rush back from a
commemorative service at the Somme to ban the UVF.

It had been formed a few months earlier with the express
intention of executing "mercilessly and without hesitation"
known IRA men.

Their first three victims, a Protestant woman and two
Catholic men, had no connections with the IRA.

It was the murder of barman Peter Ward, the third victim,
which brought the UVF and its leader Gusty Spence to public
attention. Spence was convicted of Ward's murder and
sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The new UVF opposed the liberal reforms being introduced by
PM O'Neill. In March and April 1969 they bombed water and
electricity installations as part of a broader political
campaign to force O'Neill to resign.

The bombings were blamed on the IRA. O'Neill resigned at
the end of April.

According to the book Lost Lives, between 1966 and 1999 the
UVF and an affiliate group, the Red Hand Commando, killed
547 people.

Many were killed in high profile attacks. In December 1971
they planted a bomb at McGurk's bar in Belfast killing 15.
By the mid-70s a vicious UVF unit known as the Shankill
Butchers was engaged in horrific sectarian killings.

In May 1974 the UVF was suspected of planting bombs in
Dublin and Monaghan killing 33 people and in 1975 they shot
dead three members of the Miami Show Band.

In October 1975 the UVF was undermined when soldiers and
police swooped on houses in Belfast and East Antrim and
arrested 26 men. The following March they were sentenced to
a total of 700 years in prison. The police got more
evidence in 1983 when a UVF commander turned informer.

In October 1994, the Combined Loyalist Military Command,
which included the UVF, called a ceasefire. Gusty Spence
made the announcement, expressing "abject and true remorse"
to all innocent victims of loyalist violence.

The UVF's political wing, the Progressive Unionist Party,
played a prominent role in the peace process and supported
the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

Since 1996, the UVF has been embroiled in a feud with the
Loyalist Volunteer Force. In August 2000 a murderous feud
broke out between the UVF and the UDA's C Company, led by
Johnny Adair, on Belfast's lower Shankill Road.

By the time a truce was negotiated in December 2000, seven
men had died as a result of the feud and hundreds of
families were displaced.

In recent months the simmering feud between the UVF and the
LVF has boiled over again with several murders in and
around Belfast.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/09/14 04:21:34 GMT
© BBC MMV

******************************************

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-nireland14sep14,0,7767867.story?coll=la-home-oped

Opin: Marching Away From Trouble

SOMETHING HAS GONE TERRIBLY AWRY when a 5-year-old joins a
riot started by a paramilitary army. Yet last weekend in
Belfast, a child just that age was seized for throwing
stones at the police and returned to his parents.

Violence erupted in Northern Ireland once again as
authorities prevented the Orange Order, the largest
Protestant organization in the province, from parading past
a Catholic neighborhood. From Saturday to Tuesday morning,
furious battles between young Protestant men and the police
took place on the streets of Belfast. According to police
reports, two paramilitary groups, the Ulster Defense Assn.
and the Ulster Volunteer Force, have fired shots at the
more than 1,000 police officers and 1,000 soldiers deployed
in the area.

Nobody ever said it would be easy to make peace in Northern
Ireland. But nearly a month ago, the democratic process in
that troubled region got a boost when the Irish Republican
Army ordered its troops to surrender their arms through a
verifiable process. The British government began scaling
back its military presence in Northern Ireland immediately
after the IRA statement.

Although blame for the present violence rests mainly with
the leadership of the Orange Order, the silence of at least
two key Protestant political leaders who could have helped
head off the clashes gives them a share of the
responsibility. The Rev. Ian Paisley, head of the
Democratic Unionist Party, and Reg Empey, the leader of the
Ulster Unionist Party, should immediately denounce
sectarian violence as unacceptable.

Every year, starting in April and finishing around
September, hundreds of parades take place throughout
Northern Ireland, mostly meant to celebrate centuries-old
Protestant victories over Catholics. When these parades go
past Catholic neighborhoods, they often amount to little
more than open and pointless provocations.

To avoid the anger and resentment that have resulted in the
past, a commission was granted legal authority in 1998 to
set the rules and change the routes of the parades. This
has produced some minor skirmishes in the intervening years
but nothing like the recent riots.

Even acknowledging that most of these parades serve no good
purpose, forbidding them seems to be unenforceable — such
is the power of tradition, especially on a proud old island
like Ireland. The only viable solution is to get political
leaders to recognize equal rights for both communities, and
to get Orange Order leaders to the table, negotiating
directly with representatives of the communities through
which it intends to march.

******************************************

http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/11070

Short Strand Incident Wrong

Published: 14 September, 2005

Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly commenting on incidents in the
Short Strand including one in which a man was injured on
Monday night said:

"I am aware of incidents in the Short Strand on Monday
night including one in which one man received a head wound.
These incidents benefit no one in the Short Strand. Sinn
Féin was in no way involved but is encouraging mediation to
deal with these disputes.

"Sinn Féin is totally opposed to intimidation of any type
no matter where it comes from or who it is aimed at.
Intimidation is wrong and should not be happening." ENDS

******************************************

http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/irish_news/arts2005/sep13_IRA_arms_move_may_take_weeks.php

IRA Arms Move May Take Weeks

(William Graham, Irish News)

The IRA has now started the process of putting weapons
beyond use but it could be several weeks yet before it is
completed and a statement is produced by the
Decommissioning Commission.

There are reports that IRA members are at an advanced stage
in the collection and centralised storing of weapons and
explosives on both sides of the border.

Because of the amount of weapons and the quantities of
explosives the process could take some time.

Some sources believe it could be the beginning of or mid-
October before completion is reached and the commission is
in a position to explain to the public what has taken
place.

It is also clear that the decommissioning process is going
ahead despite what has been taking place in Belfast and
other areas over the weekend with loyalists engaged in
rioting.

Northern Ireland's politicians were told yesterday (Monday)
by the British government not to squander the opportunity
to restore devolution if the IRA lived up to its promise to
fully disarm and commit to peace.

Also yesterday Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said it was
his view that the IRA would honour its commitments (on
decommissioning).

Mr Adams leaves mid-week for a four-day visit to the United
States where he will engage in a series of meetings with
congress members in Washington.

He will travel on to New York on Thursday to take part in
the inaugural meeting of the Clinton global initiative
which will bring together a diverse group of current and
past heads of state, party leaders, business leaders and
academics as well as key NGO representatives.

The focus will be on how to reduce poverty and use religion
as a force for reconciliation. Climate change will also be
discussed.

Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern are
also due to attend and they may take the opportunity for a
meeting with Mr Adams on the fringe of the global
initiative summit.

September 14, 2005

******************************************

http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=66652306&p=6665z6x8&n=66652686

UN Investigating Use Of Shannon By CIA 'Torture Plane'

14/09/2005 - 08:30:07

The United Nations is reportedly planning to investigate
the use of Shannon Airport by the US military as part of
the Bush administration's "war on terrorism".

Reports this morning said the Government's decision to
allow the US to use the airport would be scrutinised as
part of an inquiry into the alleged torture of suspected
Islamic militants.

The inquiry centres on an aircraft allegedly used by the
CIA to transport detainees to countries where they can be
tortured on behalf of the US without any legal
ramifications.

Irish peace activists have claimed that the aircraft
frequently lands at Shannon, but complaints to Gardaí have
failed to lead to any inspections of the plane.

This morning's reports said Ireland could be found in
breach of international law if it were found to have failed
to act to prevent torture.

******************************************

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15206552&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18179&rfi=6

Dining Around: Wee Bit 'O Ireland Comes To Delco

BETTE ALBURGER, Times Correspondent09/14/2005

MIDDLETOWN -- The Irish are coming! The Irish are coming!
An authentic taste of the Emerald Isle comes to Delaware
County when Kildare's Irish Pub celebrates its grand
opening 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, at 1145 W. Baltimore Pike,
where the Newport Grille used to be.

And with the opening of the fourth Kildare's authentic
Irish pub/restaurant in the region, founder/president/CEO
Dr. Dave Magrogan-- a former practicing chiropractor and
third generation Irishman -- comes home to his roots.

He grew up in Brookhaven, graduated in 1990 from Sun Valley
High School and is on the Penn-Delco School District
superintendent advisory board. He received a degree in pre-
med from West Chester University and a doctorate in
chiropractic from Life University in Atlanta.

He owned both the Media and Brookhaven Discover
Chiropractic centers, and was at the Brookhaven center from
its beginning in 1996 through 2002. That was when he sold
both practices to concentrate on creating Kildare's Irish
Pub.

The newest pub/eatery, in a strip of shops fronting the AMC
movie theater at Granite Run Mall, joins Kildare's in West
Chester, King of Prussia and Manayunk. A fifth facility is
coming this fall to Head House Square in Philadelphia.

The chiropractor-turned-restaurateur has had more than 17
years of restaurant experience, starting in his youth as a
dishwasher at the now-abandoned Lobster Pot on West
Baltimore Pike. Kildare's is the realization of his long-
held dream. He opened his first authentic Irish pub/eatery
in West Chester in 2003.

He said he's always wanted to expand to Delaware County.
His three-year search for a site ended when he found the
Newport Grille and owners Dave and Hillary McGuinn. He
noted the McGuinns will be joining the Kildare's team and
will assist with the future growth of the brand across the
country.

Noting the abundance of Irish-American pubs that were
springing up all around, Magrogan said he wanted to show
Americans what a true Irish pub is all about. With this in
mind, he contracted a design company in the heart of Dublin
that's regarded as the very best in its field. He spared no
expense in creating his first establishment, the theme of
which has been duplicated in each subsequent facility.

Everything is imported directly from Ireland. With Irish
designers creating the authentic look, Irish painters
painting and a wealth of decorative items imported from
Ireland, gradually a bit of the Ol' Sod has been
transplanted to the area.

Now, Irish beer is poured, Irish food is served, Irish
musicians perform and people are transported over the ocean
for a genuine Irish experience -- whether it's for a pint
after work, a quick lunch, a night out with friends or a
hearty meal with the family.

To create a menu as authentic as the atmosphere, Magrogan
sent his executive chef, Stephanie Goldberg, to Ireland to
study with renowned five-star master chef Kevin Dundon. Not
confined to Irish stew or ham 'n' cabbage, Kildare's
cuisine includes the country's culinary traditions like
beer-battered fish & chips, bangers & mash, Irish potato
cakes and soda break, plus chicken, steaks and the freshest
seafood, along with burgers and other traditional pub fare.

Main dishes are priced from $10.95-$16.95. There's also a
Sunday brunch with live Irish music.

To celebrate the newest grand opening, the 50th person
seated on Sunday at the West Baltimore Pike restaurant
receives his or her dinner on the house. And what a
spectacular "house" the new Kildare's has.

Its new home bears no resemblance to its previous life. In
fact, Magrogan had the Newport Grille stripped down and
totally redesigned with four separate bar/dining rooms.
Each has its own distinctive Irish ambiance.

There's a replica of a typical shop area, complete with
Irish mercantile memorabilia and other bric-a-brac,
including old whiskey bottles. Beyond is the elegant
Victorian room with its handsome fireplace and stunning
ceiling, which Magrogan noted "has the feel of a wealthy
Dublin home or pub."

Next is the Brewery section, with a staging area for live
performances. The backdrop shows St. James Gate, the
entrance to the Guinness brewery that dates to 1759.

The Gaelic area is a tribute to some of the world's oldest
cultures and features unique tree-trunk tables and the
Magrogan family crest. The cozy Cottage section, with its
homey hearth, represents Ireland's first pubs or "public
houses."

"Originally, people would gather in the largest house in
the village and that became the pub," explained Magrogan.

In addition, there are two smaller dining spaces, called
"snugs," for more intimate gatherings. The 250-seat
establishment also includes patio dining under umbrella
tables.

Magrogan pointed out that although a comfortable setting
and good hearty food are important, it's the beer that's
the test of a true Irish pub. That's why he sent his
manager to Dublin to learn all about Guinness and how to
serve "the perfect pint." A large draft and bottle list
also includes a selection of classic Irish whiskeys.

McGonigle & Co. building contractors handled the seven-week
renovation project. Of 72 employees at the newest
Kildare's, 90 percent are Delaware Countians. Magrogan, who
lives in Berwyn, said he's happy to be opening in the
county where he grew up. He intends to continue the
McGuinns' practice of "giving back."

A private preview party Saturday will benefit the
Middletown Township Parks and Recreation Department. Also,
the four current Kildare's are among area restaurants
raising funds to aid New Orleans restaurant workers and
their families in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

©The Daily Times 2005

----
To receive this news via email, click HERE.
No Message is necessary.
To September 2005 Index
To Index of Monthly Archives
Posted by: Unknown / 5:59 AM
Comments: Post a Comment

<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?