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.

SHAMROCK CLUB GENERAL MEETING
MAY 1 AT ICHC

Our May 1 meeting will be our annual elections. Elections start at 5:30 pm. Entertainment that night will be provided by the Rince Nia Dance School, headed by Sean Beglan, and Jillian Winke Beglan, former lead dancers from Riverdance. They also appeared on ABC television's Dancing With the Stars on April 22. The meeting is free and open to the public. Call 414-345-8800 for more information.

MILWAUKEE PARADE DAY 2008

Thanks to all who attended and marched on Saturday, March 8, 2008, for our 42nd annual St Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Milwaukee. In spite of the cold and snow, it was a success.

We had the largest parade of any kind in the State of Wisconsin. It was a day of family fun. The 42nd annual parade was the largest ever in Shamrock Club history. With 180 units, utterly misereable weather, and the most floats ever, it was a colorful, exciting, and very Irish event. Check our parade site at Saint Patrick's Parade.

Thank you for joining us on Saturday, March 8, 2008, as we celebrated with our 42nd annual St Patrick's Parade. Our 2008 Irish honorees, Irishman of the Year, Joseph Hughes, Irish Rose, Linda Tuescher, and Parade Marshal, Del Canon, were present. Archbishop Timothy Dolan was one of our specially honored invited. Representatives from the New York City Police Departmentand New York City Fire Department march.

PARADE WINNERS

Awards were given to the following units in the 42nd Annual St Patrick's Parade.

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

• The State Advisory Board will meet in New London's Shamrock Links Golf course at noon on Saturday, May 3.

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• Dane County

  The annual Shamrock Club picnic is scheduled for June 10th. It will be held at Lakeview Park, Allen Blvd, Middleton. Social hour begins at 5:00 pm and dinner at 6:00 pm. The shelter has been reserved so the picnic will take place regardless of the weather. This is a family event so all are welcome. The Club will provide meat (hamburgers, brats and hot dogs), plates and silverware. Please see the reservation form in this month’s newsletter. Members are asked to bring a dish to pass. I will contact those planning to attend to coordinate the shared dishes. If you have a favorite dish you would like to make, please indicate it on the reservation form.

  We are looking for volunteers for Fitchburg Days which takes place May 16-18. They do not have a Volunteer Coordinator this year. You may sign up to volunteer at the website: www.fitchburgdays.com/contact/. When signing up, please indicate under “Your Comments/Inquiries” that you are a member of the Shamrock Club. Please let me know what hours you prefer to volunteer as I will keep track so that we don’t have too many people signed up for the same hours. You may call me at 608 845-9519.

  The MadCeltFest will in held on June 21, 2008. Again volunteers are appreciated. I will coordinate those who would like to volunteer. The June newsletter will provide further details or check the website at www.madceltfest.org. The Madison Feis (Irish dance competition) is scheduled for June 7 at the Alliant Energy Center. To volunteer, sign up at their website http://www.madisonfeis.com.

  I want to remind members of the upcoming election of officers and board members. Any interest in a position should be conveyed to Bob Kerans at 444-7256 as soon as possible. Thank you. Jim Bennet, President, Dance County Chapter

• The Shamrock Club of Green Bay and NE Wisconsin The next meeting is Monday, April 21st at the Holiday Inn Downtown; The club will welcome the Wisconsin Public Service choir - Directed by Jonathon Kent. Business Meeting at 7:00 pm, Presentation at 7:45

  Elections will be held in May for vice-president, treasurer, sgt.-at-arms, parliamentarian and one trustee. Nominated at the February meeting were Sue Whitney for Treasurer and Kay Danen for Trustee. The club still needs candidates for vice-president, sgt.-at-arms and parliamentarian. If you would like to serve in any of these positions, please nominate yourself or nominate a person you think will do well in a club leadership position. New ideas are always welcome and your participation is appreciated.

  International Fest - June 13, 14 and 15th -- Kay Danen and Mary Morgan will be co-chairs. Volunteers are needed. Call Kay or Mary to volunteer and to offer ideas on what can be done with the booth. The booth will not sell anything, but will promote the Shamrock club, Irish Culture and Ireland in general. Over 60,000 people are expected to attend.

  The Shamrock Club Library is located at Trulley's Irish Gifts, 124 N. Broadway (2nd floor), DePere (920) 330-0103). If you are seeing the collection for the first time, you will be surprised at the extent of it. Also available at Trulley's are copies of club member Mick Gleason's novel, The Lord be with You, for a reasonable price.

• The Shamrock Club of La Crosse -- Congratulations to our Irish Rose, Kathy Lucey and and Irishman, Rod Smith, our Irish Rose and IrishMan for 2008. Our next meeting is May 21. We will have a General Meeting and election of Officers. Our entertainment will be announced. It will be held at the Cedar Creek Country Club , at 7:00 p.m. On May 24, join us as we march in the Onalaska Sunfish Days Parade.
  

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• LaFayette County held its annual St Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 15 in Darlington, at 3 pm. We also had a pub crawl on March 14, starting at the Pump House.

• The Shamrock Club of New Dublin meets each month on the 1st Monday. Our next meeting is Monday, May 5, at the at the Midtown Restaurant, downtown at 7:30 pm. We meet the first Monday of each month, upstairs at the Midtown Restaurant.

  The 2008 parade award winners are: Best Commercial Entry - The Tanning Supply Shop - Best Non-Commercial Entry - Finnegan's Wake - Best Musical Entry - Shamrock Club Color Guard Pipes and Drums - Best Clan Entry - Crain Clan Grand Marshal Award - Best of Show - Shamrock Club Color Guard Pipes and Drums

  The 2008 Grand Parade included the Shamrock Club Color Guard Pipes and Drums of Milwaukee, The Minnesota Police Pipe Band, Celtic Nations Pipes and Drums, and Tripoli Scottish Highlanders/Lake Lodge Pipes and Drums. The New London High School band performed, The South Shore Drill Team was here as well as Ronald McDonald, and also the Klement's Racing Sausages. We again enjoyed various Shriners units and their festive clowns as well as much much more.

  We are proud to announce Ed (Judd) and Marie Jagoditsch have been chosen as Irish Man and Irish Rose for 2008. They are very deserving. Mike and Ted Coppersmith will serve us proudly as Grand Marshals for the 2008 Grand Parade.

• The South Central Shamrock Club will meet on May 10, at Longley's Restaurant, Reedsburg. We will be having guest speakers at the meetings to enrich our knowledge of Irish facts and humor. Stop in and enjoy the company and our celebration of Irish life.

SHAMROCK CLUB
COLOR GUARD PIPES AND DRUMS

The award winning SCCGPD is the honor, color guard and pipe band for the Shamrock club. It led off the 2007 Savannah, Georgia, St. Patrick's Day Parade, the second largest parade in North America, as well as marching over the past decades in dublin, Ireland, New York City, San Antonio 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 newly redesigned web page. It is at http://www.sccgpd.com. There you can find our entire summer marching schedule, and much more.

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 will play under the Shamrock Club's green and white logo and colors.

The spring season will be underway soon. Come out and support us.

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

The Shamrock Club was proud to sponsor the Shamrock Club Griffins for the 6th season. Click on the Griffin to see the hurling team's 2007 roster, headed up by captains Mike Larson and Dan McAullife.

ICHC EVENTS

The Irish Cultural and Heritage Center is located at 2133 West Wisconsin Avenue. Call 414-345-8800 for more information.

Coyote Run -- May 10 -- 8 pm
Coyote Run's music is undeniably Celtic in influence, yet hops boundaries and stylistic borders with the ease and carefree nature of the trickster, the coyote." True to the tradition of the Scots and the Irish, their music honors storytelling, and the magic of hearth and home. Most of the music is composed by David Doersch and is described as "New Celtic Alternative". Theirs is truly eclectic music, played on a variety of musical instruments, with tremendous talent. The six are in demand along the Eastern seaboard for Highland games, fairs and festivals as well as concert halls, adapting to each venue with precision and ease.

Makem and Spain Brothers-- May 23 -- 8 pm
The Makem and Spain Brothers will be playing a Friday night show on May 23, at 8 pm. The Makem Brothers are the sons of Tommy Makem.

Ceili Dances at the ICHC
The ICHC Has Ceili dances throughout the year, twice each month. Dances start at 7:30 pm, and are called. Here is a list of upcoming dances:

THE SHAMROCK CLUB ON MYSPACE

We have our own Myspace listing. Join us at Shamrock Club on Myspace .

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

For a twenty-four hour update on Irish events in the Milwaukee area, call 414-77-IRISH, the Irish activity line.

WHAT TO DO IN IRISH
MILWAUKEE AND WISCONSIN AFTER ST PATRICK'S DAY

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

IRISH MUSIC IN WISCONSIN FOR THE "GREEN SEASON"

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

Looking for the best in Irish gifts in Wisconsin? 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.

HOW TO REACH US

Via U.S. mail: 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53233.
Or you can contact us at info-at-shamrockclubwis.com
And again, our telephone number is 414-77-Irish.

Come and join us. Celebrate Irish American Life.

Website design by Gail Williamson Coss