* FIRST FRIDAY IS APRIL 6TH
* ANNUAL EASTER RISING REMEMBRANCE SATURDAY APRIL 7TH
* ACADEMY OF IRISH & CELTIC STUDIES TERM 2 STARTS APRIL 9TH
* CHAR & JIM MARQUARDT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
* SECOND & THIRD FRIDAY CEILIS WITH SET DANCING ON THIRD FRIDAYS
* Calling all Friends of the Irish!
* WANT TO WIN $1000.00?!
* THE CELTIC CRAFTERS AT THE ICC
* SAVE THE DATE JUNE 16TH ANNUAL BLOOMSDAY CELEBRATION
* IRISH FOUNDATION OF ARIZONA NEWS
* The 2nd Annual Rim Country Celtic Festival April 14 & 15
* DAUGHTERS OF SCOTIA "SPRING HAS SPRUNG" TEA
* Irish Network Phoenix is 1 Year Old AND YOU'RE INVITED
* The 8th Annual Prescott Highland Games May 12, 2012
* Arizona Emerald Society Pipes and Drums
* PHOENIX GAELS NEWS
* CONTRA DANCE MOVES TO FOURTH FRIDAY OF THE MONTH
* CHANDLER TULLAMORE DESERT FARE COOKBOOK ON SALE
* ICC DOCENTS NEEDED BY GLENDA WALKER
* ICLF BOARD MEETING MINUTES

Our artist for April will be Daniel Torrez.  A few words from Daniel about himself and his art.  I was born in 1988 in Phoenix, Arizona. My earliest contact with the arts was finding my deceased grandfather’s Gardner’s Art History at the age of 6. Pulling it from a library shelf that hadn’t been upset for years, I remember cracking open the book and finding enigmatic color plates of DaVinci, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. That was it for me. I remember feeling a deep ebb of energy when I looked at these paintings, they were divine initiations, mystic secrets and forces of nature onto themselves.   After dabbling in painting during a frustrating High School stint, I returned to serious and disciplined self-training in oils during the summer of 2010. My work thus far is the product of an intense and enjoyable two-year binge of self development.   In November 2011 I was approved to paint the “Founding of Mission San Xavier del Bac”, the only painting commissioned in celebration of Arizona’s 2012 centennial. The completed painting will be the largest figurative oil painting in the state, and hang in ASU’s Downtown Campus Library.
Artist Statement
There’s no ulterior motive for my art. I want it to simply connect people, to incite empathy in the viewer for the experience of others. The figures in my paintings are meant to move one by their narrative meaning just as much as through the way they were painted. On the whole, I think quiet contemplation is more meaningful, more insightful and more growth-spurning than being shocked.   I have a deep love for the oils themselves: their smell, the way they can go from still water smoothness to rocky, earthy impasto. My passion is to take that sheer love of the working material and use it to express the emotional tenor of intellectually provocative subject matter.
Daniel Torrez  (602) 327-3185  plantagent_9@yahoo.com  www.wix.com/plantagenet_9/art

Our $10.00 dinner of the month by Chef Donna Donahue of Celtic Bella Catering will be a Baked Potato and Fresh Salad Bar.  We will have our cash bar open as well as our Gift Shop.

Ireland: The 1916 Easter Monday Rising, A Historical Perspective.: Causes and Outcomes.
An annual work of love Presented by Jane Hilton, Shay Veno, Celtica!  and Jim Daugherty
Easter Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 1:30—3:30 pm.
Admission: Free, donations of course accepted.
A moving multi-media journey featuring live ballads, music, readings and poetry presented in historical context . Part 1 starts in ancient Ireland and is focused on the causes and events leading up to the 1916 Easter Monday Rising/Rebellion. Part 2 begins with a reading of Poblacht na H Eireann, the proclamation of the Irish Republic, follows the rising through Dublin and the rest of Ireland as it unfolded, and ends by examining the legacy of the Rising.

The Academy of Irish & Celtic Studies begins its second term of 2012 on April 9th  The cost for music, dance and language classes is $125.00 for the 10 week term.  (Minimum 3 person class).  Private lessons are available in 30 or 60 minute time slots. Private classes may be adjusted to fit your schedule. The cost for private lessons is $20.00 per 30 minute class and $40.00 per 60 minute class. For further information, please call Pat McCrossan at (602) 254-6094.  Tuition is pro-rated for late start.
The 3rd Saturday of most months, we offer Ceili dance lessons. This is a 2 hour dance-intensive workshop, geared towards both beginning and advanced dancers of all ages. Cost is $16.00 for adults and $2.00 for children under 12.  Call Mary at 602-258-0109. RSVP requested.

Mission Statement
The Char and Jim Marquardt scholarship has been established to acknowledge their significant contribution to the Valley Irish Music community. The mission of the Char and Jim Marquardt Scholarship is to continue Char and Jim’s tradition of nurturing local Irish music by assisting qualifying students of the art and tradition.

The Center will be presenting Ceilis on the second and third Friday of the month. Enjoy Irish social dancing in a relaxed atmosphere with live music and dance lessons.  We will be learning set dancing at our third Friday Ceilis.  Dates for the 2012 Ceilis will be:April 13 & 20, May 11 & 18, June 8 & 15, July 13 & 20, August 10 & 17, September 14 & 21, October 12 & 19, November 9 & 16, December 14.  No Third Friday Ceili on December 21 due to the Winter Solstice Celebration.
Admission is $6.00 with children under 12 Free (2 with each paid admission) Ceilis start at 7:00 pm.  Ceili dance workshops at the Center are on the third Saturday of most months from 1:00-3:00 PM. These are two hour dance intensive for beginning and advanced dancers. Beginners will focus on basic footwork and simpler Ceili dances (Fairy Reel, Siege of Ennis, etc). Advanced dancers will learn more difficult figure dances (Cross Reel, Trip To The Cottage, etc). If you are an experienced Ceili go-er or if you have never danced before, this is the class for you! Make new friends and learn how to dazzle the spectators at the next ICC Ceili. Admission is $16.00 for adults and kids under 12 $2.00 RSVP required (602) 258-0109.

Stepping Stone Campaign to pave the way to the new ICLF Library

Nearly 200 stones will be sold to those interested in supporting the library with their own personally engraved pavers. The stones are available, for a limited time only, for just $500 each. To purchase a stone and make your mark on the library go to www.azirishlibrary.com and look under “ways to help.”  Or, download the attached form and return the form and payment to the address indicated on the form.  

The library was funded through private donations. Nearly $8 million is still needed. In addition to the stones, there are other naming opportunities available throughout the library. Construction of the Irish Cultural Center Library, the only one of its kind in the Western United States, began in February. When completed in 2012, the 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art library will feature more than 6,000 books including masterpieces by the great Irish writers.  For further information or to purchase an engraved stone contact Bridget Costello at 480-634-4001. 

WANT TO WIN $1000.00?!
THE IRISH CULTURAL CENTER, PHOENIX, ARIZONA
ICC RAFFLE 2010 – 2011
Do you need a great gift idea ?
Buy a raffle ticket for $20.00 and have a chance to win
$1000.00!
The ICC is sponsoring a raffle that will sell only 200 tickets.
There will be only 13 prizes awarded,
so your chance of winning back your donation is 13 out of 200 !!!!!!!
The following prizes will be awarded :
$1000.00 (1),
$500.00 (2),
$100.00 (3),
$50.00 (2),
$20.00 (5).

The drawing will be held at the opening of the new
IRISH CULTURAL CENTER LIBRARY to be announced.
Scheduled to occur approximately May 2012
For further information, please contact the ICC at 602-258-0109 or info@azirish.org
OR BETTER YET BUY EARLY AND BUY OFTEN !

The Celtic Crafters at the ICC will meet  Saturday, April 21st at 10:00 am at the Irish Cultural Center.   No meeting on March 17th but we will be having a booth at the St. Patrick's Day Faire so please stop by to see some wonderful Celtic Crafts.. For further information call Patricia Prior at 480-242-3500 or priorhomes@cox.net

Details to follow