Calendar of Events
Our list of what's going on in the Maryland Irish set and ceili dance scene, plus a little more.
Birthdays A Week Around Today:
Mary Ann B, Toni D
June 3 - 4: The Washington Folk Festival showcases the diversity of folk music in the Washington area. It runs from noon to 7:30 pm on both Saturday and Sunday at Glen Echo Park.
Saturday June 3: RKIDs' brunch social.
On Tuesday June 6: Lunch at The Big Greek Cafe in Rockville.
On Wednesday June 7: Board of Directors meeting. To be held via Zoom remote conferencing. 
Thursday June 15: The summer session of GWCC's Irish set dance classes. Most Thursdays until August 17.
On Wednesday June 28: Book Club discusses Transatlantic.
June 29-July 2: CCE 50th Anniversary Convention with musicians, music and dance workshops, 4 ceilis and more. In Bethesda.
On Sunday July 9: Workshops in dance and music. Ceilis every night. Lectures and other informative events. Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, Ireland.
If you'd like to join us but aren't interested in going to dance class, download our annual membership form below. Please fill in the first page and mail it to us with a check for your dues. But ... if you want to join either of our two semesters of classes, offered during the Fall and Winter/Spring seasons, complete the entire form and bring it to class for registration. Thank you! More about membership and classes.
F O R M
Quick Steps
Our Year-End Ceili
Capping a year of dance with our new teacher, Toni, and a greatly expanded slate of social activities, the RKIDs and friends came together at St. Mary's Pavilion in Barnesville for dancing to tunes by Tina Eck, Joe DeZarn and Jesse Winch, expertly called by Larry Frank. Highlights:
Blackthorn Ceili March 2023
What a night of great music and dancing, with a potluck to match! Tina, Joe and Zan provided the driving musical force. Sample some of the experience.
Dances for the Winter-Spring 2023 Semester
video
Lending Library
Check out the interesting reads and media you can borrow from our library for members.
Book Discussions
Every member who is interested in participating may sign up for this group. Contact Sonja via her email as listed in our membership directory. Discussion sessions will be conducted via Zoom on designated Wednesdays; see our events calendar. Registrants will get an email from Tom O. with connection instructions shortly before each discussion date. There will also be an outline of ideas to talk about. You have to acquire the books on your own; we'll display the videos when books aren't on tap. On the soon-to-review agenda is:
Upcoming Readings and Viewings (click here)
| Transatlantic | |
|---|---|
| by Colum McCann | |
| Date: | Wednesday June 28, 2023 |
| Time: | 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm |
| Place: | Zoom - Online |
| From amazon.com: Colum McCann, one of the most acclaimed and essential authors of his generation, wrote this novel, Transatlantic, which "spans continents, leaps centuries, and unites a cast of deftly rendered characters, both real and imagined." ... "is a profound meditation on identity and history in a wide world that grows somehow smaller and more wondrous with each passing year." |
| Contact: | Sonja |
| More About This: | A major part of this book concerns Frederick Douglass's journey to Ireland, so refer back to Giant's Causeway: Frederick Douglass's Odyssey and the Making of an American Visionary, by Tom Chaffin. We discussed it on February 16, 2021. Our September 2023 book, First Crossing, also will look at the details of something mentioned in Transatlantic. How's that for literary weaving? |
| First Crossing: Transatlantic Flight | |
| by Robert O. Harder | |
| Date: | Wednesday September 27, 2023 |
| Time: | 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm |
| Place: | Zoom - Online |
 | TBA - Full title is First Crossing: The Transatlantic Flight of Alcock and Brown |
| Contact: | Sonja |
| Condemned to Death | |
| by Cora Harrison | |
| Date: | Wednesday October 25, 2023 |
| Time: | 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm |
| Place: | Zoom - Online |
| TBA |
| Contact: | Sonja |
Recommended Readings
Books endorsed by our discussion club members, ordered by title, author and who recommends it. You might find you like them, too.
