Katherine Ball-Weir Named Recipient of Service Award

Mrs. Ball-Weir was named the recipient of this year’s esteemed Service Award by the Mid-Atlantic Region of the CCÉ. She was recognized as a “musician who distinguishes herself and helps promote the objectives of Comhaltas in fostering the love of Irish music and dance”. The Mid-Atlantic Fleadh is an important cultural event for Irish-American communities, fostering the next generation of traditional Irish musicians and performers. There are more than 40 branches of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in the United States, 10 of which make up the Mid-Atlantic Region. 

Held at the Crowne Plaza Princeton Conference Center, the Mid-Atlantic Region Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Céilí honored several Hall of Fame inductees along with Mrs. Ball-Weir as the Service Award Recipient. Ann Marie Acosta, Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Region, thanked each recipient for “sharing their music, passion and love of the Irish tradition with the community.”

Among her proudest achievements working with her branch is bringing the spirit of New York’s Sober St. Patrick’s Day event to Philadelphia, creating an alcohol-free celebration of Irish music, dance, and culture, offering a joyful alternative on a holiday often known for excess. Katherine organized the event for several years, later adapting it following the COVID-19 pandemic to bring live Irish music and dance to families at Philadelphia’s Ronald McDonald House.

 

Katherine has also played a key role in CCÉ’s annual Wren Party, a family-friendly ceili held on St. Stephen’s Day (December 26). Evoking Ireland’s traditional “wren boys” celebrations, the event features Irish music, dance, and a spirited Wren Hat Parade. Even during the pandemic, when in-person gatherings were not possible, Katherine kept the tradition alive by launching a virtual wren hat contest open to all.

Over the years, Katherine has presented countless performances of traditional Irish music, often together with community workshops, by some of the finest Irish musicians in the US and Ireland. She has also spearheaded significant musical tributes, including a memorial celebration for Joe Reavy, son of the legendary Philadelphia fiddler Ed Reavy, bringing together Joe’s East Coast Irish musician friends to honor him.

Always an advocate for young musicians, Katherine has led the branch fundraising efforts to support local students competing in the Fleadh Cheoil, raising funds to help make it possible for them to travel to Ireland. She also secured the first Meitheal grant from Ireland for the Philadelphia-Delaware Valley branch.

Beyond CCÉ, Katherine serves as director of institutional advancement at Archmere Academy, a private Catholic college preparatory school in Claymont, Delaware. She was previously honored with the Mary O’Connor Spirit Award by the Philadelphia Rose Center in 2018 for her outstanding contributions to the Irish community.

Katherine and her husband Carl live in West Chester, Pennsylvania. While their son Alexander has been a major inspiration for the family’s interest and involvement in Irish culture, Katherine was studying Irish dance well before he was born. When the family went to see Riverdance when Alexander was three years old, however, he was captivated, sparking his own journey into Irish music and dance. Over the years, Alexander earned medals in fiddle and English singing at the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh, and in Ireland. Today, he works full-time in biotech in Boston and sings with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Katherine is deeply grateful for this recognition.