Home - Danecountyshamrockclub Org

3rd Annual Essay Contest Recap

Thank you very, very much to the 4th and 5th graders who used their creativity, mixed it with some learning about one of Ireland's natural wonders, Giant's Causeway, and pulled together an essay to share with us! We had 50 essays submitted this year and the judges had a big task on their hands to determine which essays rose to the top!

Because there were several that were written at an impressive standard, the number of essays we are recognizing this year has expanded. Here are those of special recognition:
1st place - Hazel from St. Dennis School (Ms. Prechel) for “Una and Oona”
2nd place - Owen, Jack, Larsen, and Matthew from Sacred Hearts School (Ms. Vandersteeg) for “The Boy Who Grew Out of His Boots”
3rd place - Ezra from Sacred Hearts School (Ms. Vandersteeg) for “Eagle and Giants”

There are also five essays that earned “Honorable Mention” for being of extremely high quality: * Tahlia from Blessed Sacrament School for “The Giant's Causeway”
* Declan from St. Dennis School (Ms. Prechel) for “Giant's Causeway (featuring Neil Armstrong)”
* Finn, Owen, and Levi from Sacred Hearts School (Ms. Vandersteeg) for “Battle of the Giants”
* Ryker and Clayton from Sacred Hearts School (Ms. Vandersteeg) for “Taco Bell”
* Zeke from St. Dennis School (Ms. Vitucci) for “Untitled” but could be called "The Giant's Riddle"

Writers of the recognized essays will be honored at our club's Flag Raising Ceremony at the State Capitol on March 15, 2026 at 12 noon. The top three writers will be awarded cash prizes of $75, $50, and $25 (respectively). By the way, all writers and families are welcome to march in the parade that begins at 1 pm with our club if they choose.

Irish Person of the Year 2026

Steve Goldberg is our 2026 Irish Person of the Year. Congratulations to him!

Steve Goldberg

Steve Goldberg is not Irish, but he qualifies as our Irish Person of the Year for his steadfast and generous support of the Dane County Shamrock Club and his love for Irish dance and song. Steve’s stepmother was Irish (Patricia McKenney) and she raised him to embrace the magic of Irish song, music, and dance. Little did she know that Steve would learn more than 60 Irish songs and dance every year at Milwaukee IrishFest for more than 25 years.

Steve is a longtime, active member of the Dane County Shamrock Club. He attends most of the Club’s events, participates in the Shamrock Book Club, and dreams of going to Ireland for TradFest someday.

Steve lives in downtown Madison with his partner, Toni Sikes, whom he met at an Irish music concert. It was love at first dance! When he’s not dancing, he’s helping school districts throughout Wisconsin raise money for their student mental health programs.

Recent Events

We had a spirited book club discussion of Rory Carroll's There Will Be Fire on a Wednesday in early February at the Gallagher's house.

We held our annual Christmas Party at Vintage on Whitney Way on Sunday 12/7 with about 35 people in attendance. Nollaig shona!

We had a book club discussion of John Banville's The Sea (quite a mixed reaction!) on Wednesday 11/12 at the Gallagher house.

We co-hosted a planetarium show at Memorial High School in Madison on Tuesday 10/28
The show was titled "Skies Over Ireland."

We hosted a céilí dance at the East Side Club in Madison on Thursday 10/16 from 7-9:30 pm
Music was provided by The Currach and our caller was Heidi Hakseth.

Looking for upcoming events?! Click here

Join the community

Become a member today!

Membership to the Dane County Shamrock Club includes a monthly newsletter and an invitation to all of our events, including our annual St. Patrick's Day Dinner and Celebration, Flag-Raising Ceremony at the State Capitol, marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Half-Way to St. Patrick's Day celebration, Summer Picnic, and various other events throughout the year!