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Community Corner

Irish Rovers gather to celebrate St. Patrick's Day Early

The Sons and Daughters of Erin's St. Patrick's Day celebrations saw singing, dancing and Celtic culture at the Jasmine Lakes Civic Center.

There was a sea of green at the Jasmine Lakes Civic Center on Sunday night as the Sons and Daughters of Erin gathered for their St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

The annual event was sold out this year with members donning green clothing and  coming from near and far to celebrate Celtic heritage. A total of 197 people were in attendance at the Port Richey event for what has become a popular early celebration of St. Patrick's Day, which falls on March 17.

The Sons and Daughters of Erin is made up of more than 100 residents from New Port Richey, as well as residents from Port Richey, Hudson and Dunedin. 

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“It’s wonderful to be surrounded by so many people I know,” said Gloria Hagan, the vice president of the Sons and Daughters of Erin and also the organizer of the St Patrick’s Day celebration.

The Sons and Daughters of Erin is a social group that aims to embrace Irish and Celtic culture. They run variously monthly activities such as dancing and singing as well as regular excursions and trips.

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“It’s very important to keep your heritage alive,” said Hagan, “There are a lot of people in this area with Irish or Scottish ancestors, so it’s great for them to see what it’s all about.”

Hagan went on to explain that the Sons and Daughters of Erin are always happy to see new members and everyone is welcome to join.

Sunday evening’s entertainment came in multiple forms, all with a Celtic feel. Musician Duncan McKenzie performed a variety of Irish favorites, such as “The Irish Rover” and “The Wild Rover” which had the majority of the audience singing along. McKenzie played dance tunes later in the evening, and songs like “St. Bernard’s Waltz” soon had the dance floor filled. 

One of the evening’s many highlights was the arrival of dancers from the Stephen Scariff School of Irish Dance. The dancers, who ranged from 11 to 17 years old, performed a variety of routines that involved intricate and at times mesmerizing footwork.

17-year-old Meghan Murphy has been practicing Irish dance for 11 years and enjoys performing. 

“It’s great to see people so excited about Irish dancing,” said Murphy.

The St. Patrick's Day Dance has been held at the Jasmine Lakes Civic Center for the past eight years. In charge of running the Civic Center are president Frank Scaturro and vice president Linda Concetto. They say they are delighted to have the Sons and Daughters of Erin come back each year.

“We love everything about this night. We love the music and the dancers,” said Concetto.

“And the people are wonderful,” added Scaturro.

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