Save your Green
at Milwaukee Irish Fest

THE IRISH INVENTED GREEN and Milwaukee Irish Fest will put a new spin on it this year. The 2009 event features all of the music and culture that has made the festival an international sensation, while keeping visitors’ budgets in mind.

Fest-goers and families can find many different ways to save their green Aug. 13-16 at Henry W. Maier Festival Park (Summerfest grounds) on the lakefront, including:

Thursday, Aug. 13 – Milwaukee Irish Fest and Wisconsin State Fair are partnering to offer two summer events for the price of one. State Fair attendees can redeem their admission ticket for an Irish Fest voucher at the Wisconsin Exposition Center box office at the State Fair Park on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Guests can use their voucher for free admission to Irish Fest’s opening night. Availability is limited.

The Grand Hooley and opening night of Irish Fest is only $5 or free with the donation of school supplies for children served by Hope House.

Friday, Aug. 14 – Guests can enjoy free admission between 4 and 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 15 – Participants in the 2009 Run/Walk to Irish Fest to benefit the Arthritis Foundation, receive free admission to the festival until 3 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 16 – Donate nonperishable food items prior to the Liturgy for Peace and Justice for admission to the festival free of charge following the 9:30 a.m. Mass.

College Day is back on Sunday with a bigger discount and new timeframe. Students can present a valid college ID at the Main Gate between 2 and 7 p.m. to receive $3 off Sunday’s ticket price.

Hot Entertainment Lineup
Irish Fest will feature a host of new bands and popular returning acts, including: the Kilfenora Ceili Band, Ireland’s oldest ceili band, which is celebrating 100 years of performing; Gaelic Storm, which is toasting its 10th anniversary of performances at Irish Fest; and husband and wife duo, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy who are debuting their new show, Masters of the Fiddle in their first joint performance at the festival.

Two new Celtic bands out of Scotland promise sizzling performances. Salsa Celtica fuses big band and Latin dance music with fiddles, pipes and Scottish accents. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers mix traditional piping tunes with classic rock anthems, covering songs by Coldplay, Queen and other artists.

From Germany, Cara, rooted in Irish and Scottish traditional music, intertwines complex vocals and a contemporary groove. Pipeline, another German-Celtic band, features Irish Fest favorite Aiofe Clancy, to bring together sounds from all the Celtic regions. Other entertainment not to miss includes: Dargle (formerly Monto), a ballad group returning to the festival this year; the Screaming Orphans, four sisters from Donegal who feature an edgy pop/rock mix; Slide, a traditional Irish band; and Sean Keane, one of the acclaimed ballad and contemporary singers in Ireland.

Nova Scotia & Friends Showcase
This year Irish Fest honors Atlantic Canada’s four provinces – Nova Scotia, Newfoundland/Labrador, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island – at the Nova Scotia & Friends Showcase.

From Nova Scotia, the showcase features: DRUM! Presents the Rhythms of Our Nation, a production featuring 11 musicians, dancers, drummers and singers; Evans & Doherty, celebrating their 25th anniversary as a duo; Pogey, a band that broke into the U.S. festival circuit in 2008 and is one of the hot groups performing this year; Sons of Maxwell, Nova Scotia’s version of the Everly Brothers; and Colin Grant, one of Cape Breton’s top fiddle players.

Prince Edward Island highlights Vishten, composed of third generation Acadians. Newfoundland brings The Irish Descendants, a top-selling band in Canada, and the Mahers Bahers (Mars Bars) led by legendary accordionist Frank Maher. Samantha Robichaud, a young fiddle talent, will represent New Brunswick.

County Down Sampler
As a preview of festival offerings in 2010, the Cultural Village will feature a County Down Sampler to give attendees a taste of the culture and history of Northern Ireland. Some highlights include:

• The Ulster Scots Agency will bring lecturers Alister McReynolds and Maynard Hanna, who will speak on the Scots Irish legacy in Wisconsin and in County Down, respectively.

• The Moore Street Market will have hand-painted apparel by Lorsha Designs and art from sculptor Alice McDaniels available for purchase.

• The Bangor Drama Club will perform a play on the history of the region titled County Down: 10,000 Years in 30 Minutes…Or So.

• Dr. Tim Campbell, director of the Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, will exhibit the Centre in the Cultural Pavilion and lead a discussion with the Young Ambassadors from the Milwaukee Chapter of the Friends of Saint Patrick.

• Legendary singer/songwriter Tommy Sands, and Ulster Scots folk group Risin’ Stour, will represent County Down with performances on the Celtic Roots Stage.

• The Most Reverend Anthony Farquhar, Bishop of the Diocese of Down and Conner, Northern Ireland, will celebrate the Liturgy for Peace & Justice at 9:30 a.m. Sunday in the Marcus Amphitheatre.

Cultural Village
Additional featured exhibits in the Cultural Village this year include: demonstrations by a group of artisans from Tipperary Arts; basket weaving and Aran knitting in the Moore Street Market; a presentation titled, Come Back to Erin - Irish Travel Posters of the 20th Century in the Ward Archives Gallery; and an exhibit on the 125th Anniversary of the Gaelic Athletic Association in the Cultural Exhibits Pavilion.

Other areas of the Cultural Village include the Genealogy Pavilion, Village Pub, Dance Tent, Hurling Tent, Tug-of-War, Currach races, Harp Stage, Waltons Shop and Gaeltacht, where fest-goers can learn the Gaelic language.

Irish Fest hours are 5 p.m.–10 p.m. Aug. 13; 4 p.m.–midnight Aug. 14; noon to midnight Aug. 15 and 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Aug. 16. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for seniors (60+). Children 12 and under are free. For a complete entertainment schedule and additional information about festival offerings and special admission prices, visit www.irishfest.com.

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES

• Groups of friends and family can participate in the Irish Fest Trivia Contest at 1:45 Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, at The Pub on the south end of the grounds. One winning team each day will receive a Trivia Champion T-shirt.

• The Family Passport to Irish Fest, in its third year, continues to offer families an interactive way to experience 10 kid-friendly destinations. Passports can be picked up Friday, Aug. 14 from 4 – 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15 and 16, from noon – 6 p.m.

• Located across from the South Gate, the Jameson Lounge returns to Irish Fest, Friday through Sunday. Guests 21 years and older can enjoy Jameson Irish Whiskey and sign up for authentic Irish Whiskey tasting. Tastings are $15 per person and by reservation only.