MINERSVILLE - When Kathy Durkin, Ireland's three-time Recording Artist of the Year, took the stage at Minersville Area High School Auditorium on Sunday afternoon, she dedicated a song to one of the biggest promoters of Schuylkill County's Irish community.
"I'd like to dedicate this one to Hap," said Durkin, part of the ensemble that entertained a crowd during "Christmastime In Ireland, Direct From Dublin."
She was referring to one of the organizers of the event, Joseph "Hap" Anthony, Duncott. Anthony said he was surprised and moved that she dedicated the song, "Working Man," to him.
"When they pulled in, I went over to her and asked if she would sing 'Working Man' for me. And she said 'Yes.' See, all my family worked in the mines and it's so appropriate for this area," Anthony said after the concert.
"This is one of my favorite songs. I had a hit in Ireland with it. And I'd love to sing it for you this evening because it's a miner's song. And I know we're in Minersville, so it's going out to all the miners who worked down in the ground, doing all that hard work," Durkin said on stage.
Fans of Durkin's music can buy it or hear a sample of the song on Amazon.com.
The show included performances by Ireland's premier performer and star of the famous Jury's Irish Cabaret in Dublin, Tony Kenny, and a collection of Ireland's finest performers, including Eimear Reilly on fiddle.
Reilly opened the show with an instrumental version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."
The proceeds from the event will go toward Castle Green Grotto Association, a volunteer group that maintains the grotto in the village of Greenbury along the Minersville-Heckscherville Highway, according to association President Robert "Bob" Mulhall, Greenbury.
Just before 2 p.m. Sunday, 370 tickets were sold for the event. The venue has 556 seats, according to Mulhall.
Advance tickets were $30 for premium seats and $20 for all other seats. And tickets were sold at the door for $25 Sunday, according to the concert program.
After the show, Anthony said he believed "more than 400" tickets were sold for the event, but he did not have an exact total.
People in the crowd included Loretta Apshago and Frannie Tkach of New Philadelphia, Lorraine and Jim "Flash" McDonald, Theresa Dunmoyer and Mary Flanagan of Minersville and Helen Holley of Phoenix Park.
Looking ahead, Anthony said renowned Irish tenor Ronan Tynan will perform in the Robert W. Wachter Auditorium at Pottsville Area High School on Sunday, May 4.