The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin - Wisconsin Irish Pride

WELCOME TO THE HOME OF THE
SHAMROCK CLUB OF WISCONSIN

The Shamrock Club is the oldest and largest Irish American membership organization in the State of Wisconsin. It was founded on March 17, 1960, in Milwaukee. Currently, there are chapters in Milwaukee, South Central, Dane County, New London, and Lafayette County. Statewide chapters hold monthly meetings, organize St. Patrick's Day parades, change the city of New London to New Dublin for the week, raise the flag over the State Capitol, as well as other Irish related activities. All of our chapters are involved in fund-raising and have donated thousands of dollars to numerous causes in the past four decades.

Membership includes the printed version of our monthly publication, the Emerald Reflections. The June 2009 issue features a lead story entitled "Bridget Dowling's Family". It highlights an interesting connection between an Irish and German family.

JULY 9 INSTALLATION DINNER AT KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

The July 9 installation dinner takes place at the Knights of Columbus, 1800 S. 92nd Street, at 6 pm. Call 414-384-4119 for reservations.

SHAMROCK CLUB ANNUAL PICNIC JULY 26

The Shamrock Club’s annual picnic will take place at Sacred Heart Church grounds: 49th and Wells Streets, on Sunday, July 26. It will run from noon until 4 pm. We will provide the Beverages, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Veggie Burgers and Sausages. Please bring a dessert or vegetable tray to pass. Piping will be by the Shamrock Club Color Guard Pipes and Drums. There will be dancing by the Glencastle Irish Dancers. For more information, please call (414) 837-6790 Or e-mail Allan Lacosse at [allan66@allanlacosse.com] Or Heather Majusiak at [heather@kilterheather.com]

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR MILWAUKEE IRISH FEST

We will need people to staff the sales booth, as well as the Cultural Tent infor-mation booth at the 2009 Milwaukee Irish Fest. If you would like to work at the festival in the retail area, please con-tact Linda Tuescher at [ltuescher@yahoo.com], or (262) 549-7739. If you want to work in the Cultural area, please con-tact Heather Majusiak at (414) 837-6790 or [heather@kilterheather.com]. We offer four hour shifts.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS

We awarded a number of $500 scholarships for college level students who qualified. The 2009 winners are:: Marisa Rondinelli of Whitefish Bay; Corinne Conley of Cary, IL; Kathleen Burns of Milwaukee; and Stacy Cannon of Sheboygan. Congratulations to these women. In addition, the Shamrock Club and the AOH Milwaukee chapter awarded a $500 scholarship to Sean Cavanaugh, of Milwaukee.

There were also four Ted Nestor Druming and Piping Scholarships awarded. They went to Kylie Mervin, Noel Tylla, Dave Culver and Matt Waters. The Nestor Scholarships are used at the annual Midwest Piping and Druming School at St John’s Northwestern Academy in Delafield.

Each year the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin's Milwaukee chapter has a raffle to raise funds for its Scholarship Raffle. We have given away over $25,000 since 1972. The scholarships are for Irish studies related programs, and are open to all college level students. We also have a scholarship for pipers and drummers to attend the yearly Piping and Drumming School in Milwaukee, (the Ted Nestor Scholarship, open only to Shamrock Club members). Many students have used the money to study in Glencolmcille, County Donegal. Others have attended school at Trinity College, or many of the UC Colleges or the NUI schools in Ireland. In additon, students have used the money to attended the annual Irish language immersion weekends in Milwaukee or Madison, WI.

The Shamrock Club also administers the Milwaukee Chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians scholarship.

SHAMROCK CLUB GOLF OUTING AUGUST 23

The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin Annual Family Best Ball Golf and Dinner Outing will take place on Sunday August 23, 2009, at the Edgewater Golf Club, Grafton,1762 W. Cedar Creek Road. There will be Door Prizes, a Putting Contest, and other events too numerous to mention. Golf will begin at 1 P.M. – Carts Included

Cocktail Hour: 4:30–5:30. Buffet Dinner: 5:30–7:00. AWARDS to be presented during dinner.

For information contact Ken Tehan: Home (414) 762-2723 or Cell (414) 530-4692

50th ANNIVERSARY NEWS

The 50th Anniversary Committee has some exciting news. Our dinner-dance in September 2010 will be at the Humphrey Scottish Rite, Van Buren and Wells. We are currently selling our 50th anniversary pins for $5 each. We will also have a raffle to support the anniversary. The grand prize is two round trip tickets on Midwest Airlines. The drawing is in September.

We are also planning a trip to Ireland in October, 2010. More details will be released as we firm them up. We will continue to scan your old photos for the 50th anniversary book. Also, we are asking our past Irish honorees, (Marshals, Irishman and Irish Roses), to have your photos taken. Allan Lacosse will be available before and during the general meetings to take your photo. If you do not have one included, we will have a gap in our book.

Our initial run of 50th anniversary pins are about half sold. Stop down to buy one, or call Heather Majusiak at (414) 837-6790 to buy one.

Our next meeting is July 6 at Josh Walton’s home. If you have any suggestions, or wish to join the committee, please contact Josh Walton at (414) 443-0446 or [joshwalton1@yahoo.com].

50TH ANNIVERSARY RAFFLE

The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin, Inc. 50th Anniversary Raffle will be held in September. Grand Prize:2 Round Trip Tickets on Midwest Airlines, (some restrictions apply).

Other Prizes Include:2 Tickets to a Milwaukee Bucks Game,(some restrictions apply),$100 Cash, and Fado Silver Earrings, (courtesy of Blarney Imports). The Drawing will be September 3, 2009 at 7:30 P.M. 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53233. Tickets are $2 each, 3 for $5, 6 for $10 You need not be present to win. Call 414-384-4119 for tickets.

State of Wisconsin License # R0000744A-03517

SHAMROCK CLUB 2009 HONOREES ANNOUNCED

The Shamrock Club is proud to announce our 2009 Irish honorees. They are Chuck Ward, Irishman of the Year; Kathy Donovan, Irish Rose; and Bill Sherry, Parade Marshal. Congratulations to all three. Selection is done on the basis of service to the Shamrock Club, the Irish community in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, and service to the community. All three embody those qualities.

MILWAUKEE PARADE DAY -
SATURDAY MARCH 14, 2009

The Shamrock Club's 2009 St Patrick's Events took place on Saturday, March 14, 2009. They included our Mass in Honor of St. Patrick, our Parade, and our Post Parade Party.

43rd Annual Parade - Downtown Milwaukee

We had the greatest parade in Wisconsin. With 150 units stepping off, with the most floats ever, and with an estimated 140,000 people watching, the 2009 St Patrick's Day Parade was the best the Shamrock Club has ever produced. The entire event took about one hour and fifteen minutes, with brisk marching the course of the day.

The downtown parade has been the largest parade of any type in Wisconsin for the past five years, and this year we stayed true to that history. Since its return to downtown Milwaukee, the Shamrock Club and Westown have produced the greatest family friendly event of the season. We had five Irish dance schools, pipe bands, clowns, drill teams, marching bands, and the most Irish organizations in the greater Milwaukee area. It was a spectacle to behold, and a very Irish display of our honor to St. Patrick. It was a wonderful display of our Irish pride.

Thank you to all who came out for the parade. It made us all proud to be Irish. And remember - Everyone is Irish for St. Patrick's Day!!!

Check our parade site at Saint Patrick's Parade. The Shamrock Club, and our partners, Westown, and Miller Lite, thank you for joining us in what has become one of the largest St Patrick's Day Parades in North America.

PARADE IMAGES 2009

MKE Images has provided us with photos for the 2009 parade. For images of the Shamrock Club's 2009 Parade, please click here: Milwaukee Parade 2009. Thank you to MKE Images for the use of the photos.

Our 2010 Parade Day will be Saturday, March 13. Join us for our 44th annual parade during our 50th anniversary.

SHAMROCK CLUB GIFT CENTER NOW ONLINE

Looking for that hard to come by gift for that oh so special Irish person in your life? Then shop at the Shamrock Club's online Gift Center. You can get some wonderful Shamrock Club apparel. Just click GIFT CENTER to see what is available.

More items will be available in the future, but why wait? Shop today.

STATEWIDE NEWS

Please go to our State chapters news page at State News.

SHAMROCK CLUB
COLOR GUARD PIPES AND DRUMS

The award winning SCCGPD is the honor, color guard and pipe band for the Shamrock Club. The unit has marched ove the past decades in Dublin, Ireland, (for the city's Millenium Parade), New York City, San Antonio, Savannah, and New Orleans.

We can always use people to carry the banners, so join us for our march across Wisconsin. And we offer bagpipe lessons. Go to our website, The Shamrock Club Color Guard Pipes and Drums, and find out more details.

Stop by and visit our web page. It is at http://www.sccgpd.com. There you can find our entire schedule, and much more.

Upcoming Parades

Sunday - July 5 - East Troy 4th of July
Saturday - July 11 - South Shore Water Frolics - Bay View, WI
Saturday - July 25 - South Milwaukee, WI, Heritage Days
Saturday - August 1 – Sheboygan, WI, Brat Days
August 13 - 16 - Milwaukee Irish Fest
Sunday - September 6 - St. Francis Labor Day Parade
Monday - September 7 - Highland Games - Waukesha
Sunday - October - AOH Mass and Spagetti Dinner - St. Rose Church
October 16 - 18 - Sister Bay Fall Festival

Do you need a piper?

If you are in need of a piper for special occasions, such as funerals, weddings, or other events, please contact Richard Pfeiffer at 1-414-759-9562, or email him at Color Guard Booking and Info Or go to our booking site at Color Guard Booking

The Shamrock Club
Milwaukee Chapter is a Proud Sponsor of
MILWAUKEE CELTIC SOCCER CLUB

The Shamrock Club is a proud sponsor of the Milwaukee Celtic Soccer Club. The Celtics play under the Shamrock Club's green and white logo and colors. They play in WASA First Division.

SPRING SEASON IS ON

The Celtics Spring League play started on May 10, with Milwaukee Celtic playing United Serbian at Grant Park. The match starts at 12:30 pm

The Celtics are proud to be be playing in the Shamrock Club colors under the sponsorship of the Milwaukee chapter, and are proud to be Shamrock Club members. We are having a jersey sale. They will be about $50 each. Contact Mike Simons at [mav2101@hotmail.com] or [m.simons@dercoaerospace.com] to order.

The Shamrock Club
Milwaukee Chapter is a Proud 2009 Sponsor of
THE MILWAUKEE HURLING CLUB

The Shamrock Club was proud to sponsor the Shamrock Club Griffins for the 7th season. The team is headed up by Dan McAullife and Dave Voelz.

WIKIPEDIA LISTING

The Shamrock Club is listed in the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. Our listing is at Shamrock Club Wikipedia Listing.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO START
A CHAPTER OF THE SHAMROCK CLUB?

If you don't live near any of the listed chapters, you can start your own. We will help you in your desire to join in the celebration of Irish American Life that the Shamrock Club offers.

MILWAUKEE'S IRISH ACTIVITY LINE: 414-77-IRISH

This number has now gone out of use. Thank you for calling for the past 20 years.

WHAT TO DO IN IRISH MILWAUKEE AND WISCONSIN ANY DAY OR WEEKEND OF THE YEAR

For the most complete listing of Irish events for both Milwaukee and Wisconsin, visit our events calendars at Milwaukee Irish Events Calendar or Wisconsin Irish Events Calendar . Need a place to go on St Patrick's Day? You can find them here.

IRISH MUSIC IN WISCONSIN FOR THE GREEN SEASON OR ANYTIME

Need to find where your favorite Irish band in Wisconsin is playing this or any other weekend? Need to book some Irish music? Go to Wisconsin Irish Bands for the most complete listing of groups in the state.

WHY ARE WE THE SHAMROCK CLUB?

The shamrock is a three leafed plant used by St. Patrick to explain the Trinity. It has been found by Irish botanists to be a clover, oxalis, or any other trefoil. We chose the shamrock because it best symbolized the work of St. Patrick, and as a emblem of being Irish. Irish patriots wore sprigs of the plants in their hats during the 1798 Rebellion. It has been a sign that people are united as Irishmen and Irishwomen, in a non-sectarian sense, beginning in the 1600s. Remember, too, a shamrock only has three leaves. The lucky four leaf clover is not a shamrock, nor is it s a sign of being Irish.

WHY IS IT THE GREEN SEASON?

The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin coined the phrase the "Green Season" in 1989, at the suggestion of Shamrock Club member, Dublin native, and UW Milwaukee lecturer and historian John Gleeson. Mr. Gleeson said that St Patrick's Day had grown from just a one day celebration to over a month. And in the following years, it has only grown larger and longer. Now, it runs from February to the beginning of April. Long live the Green Season.

SHOP IRISH WISCONSIN FOR ST PATRICK'S DAY

Looking for the best in Irish gifts in Wisconsin? Where to go for those perfect St. Patrick's Day gifts? There are many places to get Aran knit sweaters, Irish china, and chrystal in Wisconsin. Go to Wisconsin Shops Irish for a listing of places to go statewide.