At the 50th Anniversary of the CT Irish Festival, there will be three music venues on both days. We are honored this year to have the FDNY and the NYPD play a Gaelic Football demonstration at 6PM on Saturday June 23rd.
Also on Saturday we will be hosting two tug of war competitions one is the Battle of the Bravest and the other is a Battle of the Irish Bars. The Battle of the Bravest will be made of entries from area paid fire department teams. The entry fees will be donated to the Leary Firefighter Foundation for further details contact Seamus Bohan at seamusbo@hotmail.com 203.996.6748.
The Battle of the Irish Pubs entry will benefit a charity to be determined. Will your favorite local pub have a team and bragging rights for a year? Call Seamus for further details.
For children we will have small carnival rides, an Irish magician performing two shows each day, and complimentary, professional face painting. Celebrating Irish agricultural roots we will have alpacas on display/ petting and alpaca wool spinning demonstrations. The alpacas were a big hit last year. Both days we will also feature sheep herding demonstrations. In Ireland alpacas have become more popular, since they can protect sheep and have less of an impact on the environment.
On Sunday we have the Feis or Irish dancing competitions. This cultural activity is something great to watch if you never have seen Irish dancing. Many students of Irish dance take part in this since members of their family may have been involved.
There is also Irish bread baking competition on Sunday, Irish Language, singing, and fiddle playing competitions. There are also vendor areas where you can purchase Irish goods, clothing, jewelry, and music cds just to name a few of the many items available. If you wanted a claddagh ring or Irish sweater, here is your chance. The vendors are set up for both days.
If you would like to see entertainment schedules, they are available at www.ctirishfestival.com. You can also follow us by "liking" us on our Facebook page.
The Screaming Orphans will be back and will play both days. The Mickey Finns have a new cd out and will also be playing both days. Seven Nations will close the festival on Saturday and Celtic Cross will close the festival on Sunday. The music will be great. McLean Ave. Band, which plays in several locations in New Haven, will play on Sunday. There will also be a ceili dance on Saturday night, which is a great cultural event.
and http://www.wnhu.net/ Previews of the bands' music playing at the festival can be heard on these programs and announcements for local Irish events are always discussed.
and http://www.wnhu.net/ Previews of the bands' music playing at the festival can be heard on these programs and announcements for local Irish events are always discussed.