BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Maine Irish Heritage Center - ECPv6.17.4.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Maine Irish Heritage Center X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://maineirish.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Maine Irish Heritage Center REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260910T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260910T140000 DTSTAMP:20260831T174827Z CREATED:20260831T174759Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260831T174827Z UID:10001148-1789030800-1789048800@maineirish.com SUMMARY:Office Hours with Coco McCracken DESCRIPTION:We are so excited to have the incredible author Coco McCracken on the Maine Irish Team as our Writer in Residence! \nCoco’s first office hours will take place in September on Thursday the 10th\, 9am -2pm. Please feel welcome to reserve a 30 minute appointment below and Coco can chat about writing in any way that might be helpful to you!* \n  \nMeet Coco:\nMaine Irish Heritage Center’s 2026-2027 Writer in Residence\nCoco McCracken is a photographer\, public speaker\, and writer based in Portland\, Maine. She is on the board of directors at the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance and an Ashley Bryan Fellow. She is active in many communities from art to photography and non-profits. She’s especially dedicated to raising the voices of BIPOC Mainers and providing transparent access to resources that help creatives. \nCoco is the granddaughter of Kathleen Elizabeth Joan McNeilly\, who was born and raised in Bangor\, Northern Ireland. Her “Nanny\,” never knew her mother\, something that always confused Coco. What started out as a mystery became a detective hunt almost 10 years ago\, when Coco started to visit Ireland and piece together her broken family tree. \nJust after becoming a mother herself\, Coco went back to Ireland twice in order to sleuth around cemeteries\, churches\, and her grandmother’s old neighborhood. She sat in pubs and chatted with locals\, until finally she found her great-grandmother. \nToday\, she’s still working on her family tree\, while writing a book of essays on her process\, her complicated mixed-Chinese/Irish/Canadian identity\, and her bourgeoning passion with her matriarch’s homeland. \nNot only is Coco eager to discover more about her connection to Ireland\, she is passionate about connecting Mainers with the MIHC. Through cross-pollenating the communities she has access to\, with the folks at Maine Irish\, she believes a bountiful relationship could benefit both parties. \nCoco is also the creative director at paletmaine.com and hopes to document her time as a writer in residence with her camera when possible. \nPhoto credit: @Meredith Brockington \n  \n*Please note Coco is not able to edit anything at length but is happy to give feedback on short pitches and pieces. URL:https://maineirish.com/event/office-hours-with-coco-mccracken-9-10/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States CATEGORIES:Community ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Coco-9.10.26-Office-Hours-banner.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260717T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260717T210000 DTSTAMP:20260625T165236Z CREATED:20260511T140854Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260625T165236Z UID:10001117-1784307600-1784322000@maineirish.com SUMMARY:Irish Night at the Sea Dogs 2026 DESCRIPTION:Irish Night at the Sea Dogs 2026\nFriday\, July 17th | Game Time: 6:20 PM | Hadlock Field\nPurchase Deadline: Jul 10\, 2026 11:59 PM EDT \nJoin us for a festive evening celebrating Irish culture and community at Irish Night at the Portland Sea Dogs! Enjoy an exciting matchup between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Somerset Patriots\, with a full evening of entertainment and Irish spirit. Celebrate community\, heritage\, and hometown baseball at Irish Night with the Sea Dogs!\nTickets:\n\n\n$20 General Admission\n\n\n$18 for Maine Irish Heritage Center and Irish Network members\n\n\n\nEXCLUSIVE Limited Edition Merch:\nThis year\, we are so excited to offer limited edition hats. These stylish caps will only be available for pre-purchase with your tickets\, so make sure to secure them as soon as possible! \n \n\nEvent Highlights:\n\n\nBailey’s Mistake performing live outside the stadium from 5:00–6:00 PM\n\n\nA spirited Parade of Flags kicks off the game pre-show\n\n\nA special performance by Stillson School of Irish Dance\n\n\nFireworks Spectacular immediately following the game\n\n\n⚾ First pitch at 6:20 PM – don’t miss a great night of baseball\, music\, dancing\, and fireworks!\n  \nGet your tickets on FEVO: CLICK HERE\n\n______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________\n\nWant to volunteer to carry a flag in the pre-game Parade of Flags?\nSign up here: volunteersignup.org/3RAML\nPlease Note: You MUST purchase a ticket in order to participate in the Parade of Flags! \n\n______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________\n\nIMPORTANT\nSpecial pricing in Section 211 is available for members of the Irish Network which includes MIHC\, IAC\, GAA\, Stillson School of Irish Dance\, and the Portland Rugby Club. If you have questions or need to verify your membership\, please contact the organization that you are affiliated with. We’re looking forward to seeing you at the game!! \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ \nAbout Bailey’s Mistake:\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nCeltic American roots music from Maine’s Bold Coast \n\n\nBailey’s Mistake is a not-quite-traditional\, Celtic-inspired\, four-piece folk band from Maine. The group mixes traditional music from Ireland\, Scotland and Newfoundland with brand new songs about contemporary life in New England. Bailey’s Mistake’s pulsing sound is driven by bass\, drums and guitar and topped off with hearty vocal harmonies and thrilling bagpipe and whistle tunes.Bailey’s Mistake is made up of four seasoned musicians who all went to the same rural high school in Maine — aptly named Bonny Eagle. Collectively\, they have about 110 years of touring musical experience.Troy R. Bennett plays guitar\, sings soulful lead and writes most of the band’s original songs. Travis Cote learned to play the bagpipes at 10 and thrills audiences with his rhythmic\, majestic sound. Dean Clegg is the band’s inventive percussionist and oversees all technical aspects of every show. Rob Babson plays bass\, sings delicate harmonies and is the band’s musical leader.Bailey’s Mistake has played gigs all over New England. The band is also recording and releasing one new song\, every month\, throughout 2025.The band takes its name from a legend told for generations along the Maine coast. Back in the 19th century\, there was a certain ship captain named Bailey. He was trying to guide his vessel safely around West Quoddy Head Lighthouse and into Lubec Harbor. Unfortunately\, it was a foggy night and he missed. Instead of safe harbor\, Bailey ran aground in a shallow\, rocky inlet just south of the lighthouse.But rather than face the wrath of the ship’s furious owners in Boston\, Bailey and his crew unloaded the lumber they had on board\, built houses in the cove and settled down with several local ladies.To this day\, on most good maps\, that little harbor is simply labeled “Bailey’s Mistake.” \nLearn more here: https://www.baileysmistakemusic.com/ URL:https://maineirish.com/event/irish-night-at-the-sea-dogs-2026/ LOCATION:hadlock field CATEGORIES:Community ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IRISH-NIGHT-at-the-sea-dogs-2026-banner.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260201T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260201T140000 DTSTAMP:20260128T150947Z CREATED:20260112T175950Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T150947Z UID:10000825-1769950800-1769954400@maineirish.com SUMMARY:Women in Social Services Panel DESCRIPTION:Sunday\, February 1st\n1:00pm-2:00pm\nJoin us for an incredible and lively panel discussion on Women in Social Services in honor of  Brigid’s Day. We will be joined by a group of phenomenal panelists who will discuss their experiences and the current healthcare climate. \nThere will be light food and warm beverages available for purchase. All are welcome for this free event! \nOur Panelists:\nCatherine Cooper\, Suicide Prevention Coordinator for VA Maine\nCatherine Cooper is a clinical social worker with more than 25 years of human services experience. She currently serves as VA Maine’s Program Manager for the Suicide Prevention Program and has been in this role since August 1\, 2022. Previously she was an Emergency Department Social Worker in Massachusetts and has held a variety of leadership positions for agencies serving adults with disabilities\, unhoused individuals and children involved in the child welfare system. Catherine also maintains a small\, part-time private practice as a therapist. She lives with her spouse and their cat in the 1840’s house of their dreams in Augusta. \nHannah Longley\, Clinician and Critical Incident Responder\, Dochas Wellness\nHannah Longley\, LCSW is a mental health clinician\, educator\, and advocate with nearly two decades of experience in crisis intervention\, trauma-informed care\, and statewide systems development. She is the Owner of Dochas Wellness\, LLC\, providing mental health training\, consultation\, and specialized support to organizations and communities across Maine. Hannah serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Central Maine Community College\, where she teaches public safety\, psychology\, and sociology courses and contributes to workforce development in crisis response.\nPreviously\, she was Director of Advocacy and Crisis Intervention at NAMI Maine\, leading statewide training initiatives\, advancing Platinum-level Crisis Intervention Teams\, managing state and federal grants\, and advocating for mental health policy and crisis system reform. Her earlier work includes leadership roles in crisis services and serving as Psychological Health Coordinator for the Maine Army National Guard. Hannah is nationally recognized for her work in law enforcement–mental health collaboration and has received multiple state and national awards. She holds a BA in Psychology from Wheaton College and an MSW from Boston College\nMary Ann Folley\, School social worker\, Bonny Eagle Middle School\nMary Ann Folley\, LCSW. I graduated with my master’s degree in Social Work concentration Child Welfare\, in 2003 from the University of Vermont. While in graduate school\, I started with grassroots social work\, working as a residential counselor for Northeastern Family Institute NFI. Upon graduation\, I went to work for SRS (current day DCF) in Vermont. I remained in that position in Vermont until 2009 when I moved to Maine. I worked for DHHS in Biddeford Maine from 2009 until 2015. After the death of my college friend and colleague Lara Sobel in Vermont\, I began to question the safety of my position. Lara was shot and killed in the parking lot of the DCF office I worked at\, by an angry parent. That same weekend\, a friend and principal at Bonny Eagle Middle School reached out and asked if I would apply for a job at his middle school. Although my heart lay with children in foster care\, I took the chance and got the job. This is my 10th year with Bonny Eagle Middle school as their General Education Social Worker. This means any student\, whether they have a special education identification or not\, can meet with me. We also have 2 other dedicated Special education social workers in our building.  I pull from all of my social work experience and schooling in each position I have held.  I thoroughly enjoy working with students in some of the most challenging schooling years of their life. If I can be a blip on their radar\, that they recall with fondness then I have done my job. \nKiley Wilkens-O’Brien\, Public health strategist\, death doula\, and leader in suicide prevention\, postvention\, and crisis system reform\, Covenstead\nKiley Wilkens-O’Brien is a public health strategist\, death doula\, and nationally recognized leader in suicide prevention\, postvention\, and crisis system reform. Her work bridges frontline care and systems change\, grounded in a deep commitment to dignity\, consent\, and meaning-making. She has led the development of Maine’s Suicide Mortality Review initiative\, supported the launch of 988 and oversaw creation of novel community-based crisis services\, such as the Living Room Crisis Center and Children’s Behavioral Health Urgent Care. She advises state and national partners on ethical\, person-centered approaches to distress. Through her community practice\, Covenstead\, she creates spaces for honest conversations about grief\, survival\, and the realities of being human. URL:https://maineirish.com/event/women-in-social-services-panel/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States CATEGORIES:Community ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BD-panel-26-banner.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251116T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251116T150000 DTSTAMP:20251017T151511Z CREATED:20250912T162630Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251017T151511Z UID:10000767-1763294400-1763305200@maineirish.com SUMMARY:A Maine Irish Song Project Workshop with Castlebay DESCRIPTION:A Maine Irish Song Project Workshop with Castlebay\nSunday\, November 16th\n12:00pm-3:00pm\nGo deeper into the living tradition of Maine’s Irish songs with an intimate\, hands-on workshop led by Castlebay (Julia Lane & Fred Gosbee)\, Maine’s premier Celtic folk duo. Building on their concert performance\, this workshop will guide participants through the fascinating process of uncovering\, preserving\, and performing songs collected in Maine’s Irish communities during the early 20th century. \nThis workshop offers a unique opportunity to not only enjoy Maine’s traditional Irish songs but to actively engage with them. Whether you are a musician\, singer\, historian\, or simply curious about Maine’s cultural heritage\, you’ll come away with new insights into the stories\, humor\, and humanity woven into this potent musical legacy. \nAbout the Artists\nJulia Lane & Fred Gosbee have been exploring and transcribing archives of music collected in Maine in the early 20th century. Collectors ranged throughout the state gathering hundreds of traditional songs many of which are from Ireland brought by the people emigrating and settling here and working on the coast\, in the woods\, farms and factories. Field recordings and journals document over 1000 songs from which the duo have selected and arranged music for performance. In addition to singing these versions of old Irish music\, Castlebay will share the lore and history of this potent musical legacy which embodies stories of romance and rogues\, shipwreck and survival as well as a good dose of humor and blarney. The duo has transcribed many of these songs\, “mending” them\, and publishing a series titled “Bygone Ballads of Maine”. Volume 1\, “Songs of Ships and Sailors” was presented by Loomis House Press in 2021 and is available in local bookstores as well as online. Castlebay has recorded two albums of these songs “Bound Away” and “The Maid on the Shore” which are available from their website. A subsequent volume and recording of Maine’s Irish songs is in process. \nFor over 30 years\, Castlebay has toured the eastern US\, Scotland\, England and Ireland being appreciated at arts centers\, folk clubs\, festivals\, schools and on radio and television. They have released over two dozen recordings and their music has been used on numerous video soundtracks. More information is available at their website www.castlebay.net \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nWant more? Castlebay will be LIVE in concert on Saturday\, November 15th at 7:30pm. Click HERE to learn more!\nMany thanks to our Sponsor for this Event:\nHyatt Place Portland Downtown-Old Port Square URL:https://maineirish.com/event/a-maine-irish-song-project-workshop-with-castlebay/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States CATEGORIES:Community,Performance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Maine-Irish-Song-Project-Workshop.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250620T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250620T210000 DTSTAMP:20250618T212849Z CREATED:20250514T174727Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250618T212849Z UID:10000718-1750438800-1750453200@maineirish.com SUMMARY:Irish Night at the Sea Dogs 2025 DESCRIPTION:S O L D   O U T !\nGeneral Admission Tickets are still available at the Sea Dogs box office.\n\nFriday\, June 20 | Game Time: 6:20 PM | Hadlock Field\nJoin us for a festive evening celebrating Irish culture and community at Irish Night at the Portland Sea Dogs! Enjoy an exciting matchup between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Akron RubberDucks\, with a full evening of entertainment and Irish spirit. Celebrate community\, heritage\, and hometown baseball at Irish Night with the Sea Dogs!\n\n\n???? Tickets:\n\n\n$20 General Admission\n\n\n$18 for Maine Irish Heritage Center and Irish American Club members\n\n\n???? Event Highlights:\n\n\nJim Brady performing live outside the stadium from 5:00–6:00 PM\n\n\nA spirited Parade of Flags kicks off the game pre-show\n\n\nA special performance by Stillson School of Irish Dance\n\n\nFireworks Spectacular immediately following the game\n\n\n⚾ First pitch at 6:20 PM – don’t miss a great night of baseball\, music\, dancing\, and fireworks!\n  \n\n\n_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________\n\n\n\nWant to volunteer to carry a flag in the pre-game Parade of Flags?\n???? Sign up here: https://volunteer.maineirish.com/\n  \n\n_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIMPORTANT\nSpecial pricing is available for members of the Irish Network which includes MIHC\, IAC\, GAA\, Stillson School of Irish Dance\, and the Portland Rugby Club. When you purchase discounted tickets\, you will be asked for your affiliation. Please check your affiliation for each member of your group. If you do not indicate your membership status\, you will be prevented from purchasing the discounted tickets. If you have questions or need to verify your membership\, please contact the organization that you are affiliated with. We’re looking forward to seeing you at the game!! \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n  URL:https://maineirish.com/event/irish-night-at-the-sea-dogs-2025/ LOCATION:hadlock field CATEGORIES:Community ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IRISH-NIGHT-sold-out-banner.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR