The Roaring Kelly Band is at it again!  We’ll be in full form for all things Irish and a few good ol’ Americana-Country offerings to fill out our Independence Day weekend. The place to be is the one and only Tim Finnegan’s Irish Pub  this coming Sunday, July 6, starting a 7pm for another big dollop of rowdy fun.!  

In honor of Independence Day, we’ll also take a moment to raise a glass to our Veterans who have served, to all active members of our Armed Forces, and to the selfless sacrifice of those who have gone before.

Speaking of America’s Independence Day, did you know that the Irish served with distinction in the American Revolution?  Nine of George Washington’s generals were born in Ireland – two major generals and seven brigadier generals.  Of these, Brigadier General Edward Hand from County Offaly served at Yorktown when the British surrendered on October 19, 1781.  There were also many Irish ‘Wild Geese’, Irishmen who fled Ireland under the British Crown to serve as officers and regulars in the armies of France and Spain.  The French Army contained three Irish regiments named after their organizers and known as the regiments of Dillon, Berwick, and Walsh.  The Regiment of Dillon saw the most service on the American side but elements of Walsh’s regiment were the first to aid the American cause when troops were assigned as marines to John Paul Jones’ Bonhomme Richard.  Spain had an Irish brigade consisting of three regiments – the Ultonia (Ulster), the Irlandia, and the Hibernia.  The Hibernia, a regiment of 22 officers and 288 men stationed in Cuba, participated in the Spanish conquest of Pensacola, Florida, which effectively ended British military involvement in the Gulf of Mexico.