In one month, the Cracker and I will be heading to the North Texas Irish Festival in Dallas. This is the 2nd largest Irish Festival in the US. We've been going to the festival, one or the other of us for 11 years and is it worth the trip! In addition to the music at the festival, which is held at Fair Park, the host hotel is the scene of some great seisuins! Every meeting room, bar, hallway, nook and cranny will have a group of folks making music! (A group of our friends in particular tend to favor a back hallway.)
The festival itself is nothing to sneeze at. They offer 11 headlining acts and 28 featured acts, filling Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday with Irish music (well, actually they throw in a little Scottish and even Breton, or French Celtic). For you dance aficionados, there are several dance schools in attendance and the local feis coincides with the festival. They have a stage just for the little ones and lots of vendors selling their wares (I've been known to start my holiday shopping here).
Performers include the following:
Liz Carroll & John Doyle
Mairtin de Cogain
Jimmy Crowley
Seven Nations (ROCK ON!)
Ed Miller (the "Token Scot")
Needfire
Jiggernaut
"Scottish" Rogues (kick-ass drumming & piping!)
Poor Man's Fortune & Bourree Texane (the Brittany connection)
Jim Flanagan
the triumphant return of Memphis favorite--Clandestine!
and many more!
Here's a video that gives some of the flavor:
We'll be stopping for the requisite Whataburger on the way down, and eating at one of our very favorite restaurants--Cafe Brazil--probably several times while in Dallas. It's a great event, not a bad drive, and awesome music! Join us!
1 comment:
it is a great festival, and I second your recommendation for people to check it out. John & Liz have a new album out too, sure to be a lot from that on the bill.
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