Live Music, Traditional Food & Drink, And Activities

For All Ages At Irish Festival, September 5-7

DANBURY — The John A. Gildea Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Mary McWhorter Division of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians will present the Fourteenth Annual Greater Danbury Irish Festival over the weekend of  September 5-7.

The Greater Danbury Irish Festival provides a family experience of Irish Culture, including live entertainment, food and drink, imported Irish goods, dancing, and many exciting cultural exhibits and activities. It will be presented at Ives Concert Park, on the westside campus of Western Connecticut State University.

Main stage entertainment on Friday, September 5, will include performances by Cally McGrane and The Exiles and Danbury’s own Mighty Ploughboys. Exhibits will open in the cultural tent on Friday night, and cultural tent will also feature a set-dancing workshop at 6 pm for those who have always wanted to try traditional Irish folk dancing.

The workshop will be followed by traditional Irish music with the Shamrogues at 7, and then Nora and Friends at 8. Gates on Friday will open at 5 pm and festivities will conclude at 10:30.

On Saturday the mainstage performers include Emigrant Eyes, Liz Carroll and John Doyle, Celtic Cross Pipes and Drums, Dermot Henry, Tipperary Knights, Gray School of Irish Dance, The Highland Rovers, and The Green Gates Céilí Band in the Cultural Tent.

Other cultural tent activities on Saturday will include Matt Connelly on Uillean Pipes, Irish Jeopardy game, storyteller Leslie Keough, a talk on Celtic culture, a traditional music performance by Bernadette Fee on fiddle and Eamonn O’Leary on guitar/banjo followed by a slow session open to all musicians, Owen McDonnel on Pipes performance and talk, music by the Ploughboys, and an evening Ceili, from 6 to 10 pm, with the Green Gates Ceili Band.

The children’s tent will be open all day with games, crafts and other activities.

Hours of operation on Saturday are 11 am to 10:30 pm. 

Sunday’s main stage activities will include Dermot Henry, Police Pipes and Drums of Waterbury, Hair of The Dog, Gray School of Irish Dance, Andy Cooney and the Band and the AOH Raffle.

The cultural tent will feature traditional Irish music by the Musicians of Comhaltas followed by the Shamrogues, Regina Delany will perform on the harp and provide a harp workshop for those interested in learning the harp (harps will be available), Iris Gray School step dance performance followed by a dance workshop, singer and guitarist Brian Caltabiano playing traditional Irish music, a talk on Thomas Moore by Phil Gallagher, Eckard Lehman on the Uillean pipes, and an Irish for Amadáns game.

The children’s tent will again be open on Sunday for the entertainment of younger family members.

Sunday’s hours are 11 am to 7 pm.

Also taking place over the course of the weekend will be a Seisiún tent open to all Irish traditional musicians and festival goers, Irish name tags will be given out by teachers and students of area Irish language classes, Laurie Sanford will demonstrate the spinning of wool throughout the weekend, and an Irish crochet workshop will also be ongoing.

Displays will include Book of Kells, Irish Language, Aran Sweaters, Thomas Moore, a literary tribute to Edward Plunkett, Eugene O’Neill, Joyce Carol Oates, Kathleen Ferguson and Roddy Doyle, Padraig Harrington in the British Open, and Irish Blessings.

Throughout the festival, Irish imports will be available in the vendor tent, and plenty of traditional Irish food and drink will be sold.

Admission is $12 per day, or a three day pass may be obtained for $20; children under 12 will be admitted free with an adult.

For directions and detailed schedule information, visit DanburyIrishFestival.com or call 837-9227.