Shannon Irish Show puts spotlight on local dancers
Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
editor@qctonline.com
For many people in Quebec City’s Irish community – or Irish- adjacent; everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day after all – “green season” begins with the Shannon Irish Show, tra- ditionally presented shortly before the big day. For those behind the show – from the dancers to the seamstresses to the set designers – it begins months before.
“We start talking about what we want to do in November, and we plan a meeting in early December with our tech crew and the leaders of the different groups,” said Kerry Ann King, who has co-organized the show for many years. “We never want to say, ‘You have to do this and you have to do that,’ and we always come up with a great crew.”
This year’s show will take place the day before St. Pat- rick’s Day – Saturday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the Shan- non Community Centre, with a matinée the same day at 1 p.m. (Doors open one hour before showtime.) It will focus on the evolution of Irish dancing culture in Shannon, and feature local dancers Sarah Audet and Annais Beaupré, who are headed to the World Irish Dancing Championships in Scotland later this year. “Our theme is Irish dancing in Shannon then and now. We want to show how dancing has evolved, the fashion and the steps themselves, how they’ve become more intricate,” King said.
The show will open, as per tradition, with a performance by the Growing Pride of Shannon children’s ensemble. Several other local groups will per- form, including the Valcartier- based Canadian Military Wives Choir, and comedy sketches will be in plentiful supply. The second half will be given over to the traditional Kitchen Party, hosted by Maureen McCarthy and featuring local musicians including Shannon Irish Show stalwart Larry Hamilton and Quebec City historian and singer Joe Lonergan.
Each Shannon Irish Show honours a person who has made a significant contribution to the local Irish community. This year’s honouree is former Shannon mayor – and former Shannon Irish Show master of ceremonies – Clive Kiley.
Kiley was involved in municipal politics in Shannon for more than 40 years, first as a town councillor and then as mayor until 2017. He was also a master of ceremonies and a performer in several Shannon Irish Shows down the decades. “Winter gets a little cold around here, and [being part of the annual show] gives us something to do,” he said. “I enjoyed being the master of ceremonies…. I always like to see the Irish dancing and the singers who come from out of town to be part of the kitchen party.”
“Everyone on council now is from the francophone community, and they don’t have as much interest in the Irish show, but they support it,” he added. “I’ve always felt it is something that we should continue as long as we can. The English population has declined over the years – a lot of the kids move to Montreal and get used to living in the city and finding more to do in English; that’s just part of life. It’s nice to see how many people continue to turn out and get involved and keep our Irish culture alive as long as possible.”
“Clive’s participation on stage and behind the scenes has assured the great success of the Shannon Irish Show year after year, and, for this, we are forever grateful!” King said.
The 55th Shannon Irish Show will take place at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Shannon Community Centre, 75 Gosford Road. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children six-12; younger children are admitted free. Doors will open one hour before each performance. Tickets can only be purchased in cash at the door. The centre seats about 240 people, and there will be a downstairs “overflow room” where people can enjoy a drink and watch the action on a live stream.