New Vision and Passion at the Irish Cultural Society of Calgary
 |
|
COLETTE SMITHERS
|
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
On a recent visit to Calgary I met with Colette Smithers the new president of the Irish Cultural Society of Calgary (ICS).
Dublin-born, Colette speaks with great enthusiasm about Irish culture in Calgary and was very clear during our discussion about the level of commitment that she intends to put forward during her tenure as president of the Irish Cultural Society.
The ICS has one the most beautiful Irish cultural centres in western Canada, located in the Bowness area of Calgary. The facility includes a concert hall, a pub, and a commercial kitchen where they not only host their own events, but also rent to other communities.
"I'm absolutely passionate about Irish culture," said Colette. "I love everything about it... whether it's theatre, literature, food, drink or sports. I absolutely love it.
"I'm really happy to be the president of the Irish Cultural Society of Calgary. I'm actually a founding member from when we started the society back in 1986.
"Part of the drive to start the society was because there was such an influx of Irish people into Calgary during the late Seventies and early Eighties. We discovered that we all really wanted to maintain a connection with home and the way to do that was to establish something like the Irish Cultural Society.
"If you speed forward 20 years...because we've been in existence that long, I've been on the board of directors for the last three years and have just been elected president.
"What has happened in the past few years is that there is no longer the influx of Irish coming to Canada, because, of course, Ireland's economy is absolutely booming. There's tremendous opportunities at home now, so there is no reason for people to leave, and that's a marvelous thing.
"As a result, our society has maintained the same kind of membership over the past 20 years. So, our members know one another very well and we have become more of a social society rather than a cultural focus. My focus as a president is to put more emphasis on celebrating and promoting Irish culture."
Some of the ways in which Colette envisions this happening would be through arts and culture such as theatre productions.
She said, "we have just recently hosted the Irish Ambassador to Canada, and he just re-energized that interest in theatre and literature. Every year we have a Bloomsday celebration that we have changed a bit to incorporate not only Joyce but other individuals from all aspects of Irish literature. It's been an eye opener to discover the talented authors and poets coming out of Ireland.
"When Declan Kelly the Irish Ambassador visited our cultural centre, our reception was set-up around the idea of a Canadian wine and Irish whiskey tasting. That is the kind of event that brings our Canadian home and Irish heritage together and celebrates the success of the ICS for the past 20 years - the union of those two cultures."
Throughout the year the ICS presents a series of pub nights where up and coming Celtic artists can showcase their talents at the centre.
Colette also mentioned that the ICS enjoys a special connection with east coast Canadians living in Calgary because of the commonality of cultures. CKUA radio in Calgary has also been very supportive of ICS events and in expanding the ICS profile.
Speaking about some of the events held throughout the year, Colette said that every St. Patrick's the ICS presents a Green Tie Affair, which a formal dinner dance celebration.
"Ten years ago, the Care Committee of the ICS started celebrating St. Patrick's Day by singing at a mass at St. Mary's Cathedral," said Colette. "Over the years it has grown enormously, and now all the dignitaries with the City of Calgary are invited to attend. Of course, the Irish Cultural Centre is packed to the rafters on St. Patrick's Day."
Another arm of the ICS is Irish Concerts Presents which provides entertainment through bringing out some of the well-known artists from Ireland. These events are always a sell-out.
The ICS is primarily an umbrella organization, which makes it possible for the various individual groups supporting and promoting Irish culture to bring their events to the community at large. These groups include: The Liffey Players, the Calgary Chieftains GAA Club, and the various Irish dance schools. Irish language lessons are also taught at the centre.
For more information about the Irish Cultural Society of Calgary, visit their website at: www.calgaryics.org.
|
