Milwaukee Irish Fest Features Another Blockbuster Music Line-Up

At Milwaukee Irish Fest, Aug. 14 to 17, 15 stages will come alive with the latest and greatest in Irish and Irish American entertainment. The world's largest Irish festival promises another blockbuster entertainment experience in 2003.

 "Each year we try to bring back popular talent while mixing in the best new talent, and we've really achieved that goal this year," says Chuck Ward, Irish Fest entertainment coordinator. "It's going to be a very exciting festival." 

Returning to Milwaukee Irish Fest's stages are some of the most popular Irish and Irish American performers, including Tommy Makem, Leahy, Gaelic Storm, Altan and La Bottine Souriante. Mix them with festival newcomers like Barra MacNeils, Slainte Mhath, Flook, The Cottars and Afro Celts, and it's a recipe for non-stop music and fun, according to Ward.

"Though our 2003 entertainers offer very diverse music styles, they all have one thing in common — a lot of energy!" says Barry Stapleton, Milwaukee Irish Fest rock stage coordinator and director of the John J. Ward Irish Music Archives at the Irish Fest Center. 

"What's interesting is that quite a few bands are coming from Canada this year, including Barra MacNeils, Leahy, The Clumsy Lovers (Canada), La Bottine Souriante, Evans & Doherty, and Slainte Mhath. Canada has a tradition of great folk fests and great folk fest bands, and those coming to Irish Fest have developed a strong stage presence. They know how to communicate with the crowd." 

Milwaukee Irish Fest kicks off Thursday night, Aug. 14, with a Hooley and preview performances by several groups, including Flook, Brigid's Cross and Slainte Mhath, which is fast becoming known for its folk-rock approach to Scottish dance music. Interestingly, the band members are the sons and daughters of the famed sibling band Barra MacNeils, also performing at Milwaukee Irish Fest on Aug. 14 and throughout the weekend.

Groups such as the McPeake Family, Dublin City Ramblers, Carbon Leaf, Waking Maggie and Fonnmhor will perform several times during the four-day festival, as will Brendan Nolan and Welsh harpist Robin Huw Bowen.

Milwaukee Irish Fest goers have always found great diversity in the festival's entertainment offering, and the 2003 festival should live up to that popular tradition:

• Altan, North Cregg with Karan Casey, Charlie Piggott, Liz Carroll and Tommy Peoples are all on the "must-see" list for those who favor traditional Irish music, while Irish tenor fans will be sure to enjoy Irish tenor Daryl Simpson's encore performance.
• Previously known as the Afro Celt Sound System, the Grammy-nominated Afro Celts make their debut at Irish Fest this year. Fans will recognize the group's unique blend of Celtic singing, Irish melodies and West African rhythms on the soundtrack of the 2002 film Gangs of New York.
• With his blend of comedy and musical talent, balladeer Seamus Kennedy always puts on a show that has the audience laughing and singing along.
• Spirited steppers Cashel Dennehy Irish Dancers, Glencastle Irish Dancers and Trinity Dance Academy will perform, while fest-goers can dance to the music of Barefield Ceili Band, Public House Ceili Band and —
• Popular local groups Blarney and Theiss & O'Connor return this year, as do Anam Ri, Leahy's Luck, Baal Tinne, Mary Ann Miller and The Jeff Ward Band.
• The Irish Fest Choir and the Omagh Community Choir will partner for several performances. After touring on the east coast of the United States for several days preceding Milwaukee Irish Fest, the choirs will participate in an international youth exchange including an extended stay in Milwaukee for Irish youth. 

 "Irish and Irish American music is very popular with the younger generations, and that trend is reflected in some of the groups coming to Milwaukee Irish Fest," says Milwaukee Irish Fest Executive Director Jane Anderson. "All of the members of the Barefield Ceili Band, the Omagh Community Choir, The Cottars and our own Irish Fest Choir are still in

 "More than 50 groups will be performing at Irish Fest this year, so there's a great blend of contemporary, traditional, folk and rock music," adds Ward. "There's really something for everyone to enjoy."

For more information on all of the entertainers coming to Irish Fest in 2003, visit www.irishfest.com.

Milwaukee Irish Fest Goes Reality:
Irish Music Magazine's Irish Idol Contest to Showcase Best New Talent

The hype. The hopes. The heartbreak.

American Idol and its British forerunner, Pop Idol, have inspired an exciting new attraction at Milwaukee Irish Fest: a dramatic talent search for the best newcomer as decided by festival visitors.

 "Milwaukee Irish Fest has long been known at the best American source for up-and-coming contemporary Irish music. This new contest showcases the latest talent in a fun and suspenseful format," says Robert Heuston, publisher of Irish Music Magazine.

Milwaukee Irish Fest, Aug. 14 - 17, has identified more than 15 bands for consideration for the award. Each band will be making its Irish Fest debut in 2003. Voting will take place throughout the weekend by festival visitors; ballots will be available at festival information booths and in the Irish Music Magazine booth in the Cultural Village. 

The Irish Idol winner will receive a Waterford trophy and be profiled in an upcoming issue of Irish Music Magazine.

The Irish Idol will be announced prior to the Sunday evening "Scattering," a musical farewell that unites many of the weekend's musical performers on one stage for a final performance.

For more information about Milwaukee Irish Fest, check out www.irishfest.com.

Applications now being accepted for Irish Fest Summer School
Classes Begin Aug. 10

During the five days preceding Milwaukee Irish Fest each year, Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School offers the most diehard devotees of Celtic culture an interactive week of instruction spanning the music, history, dance, crafts and traditions of Ireland.

 "Summer School furthers our mission to promote and preserve the Irish heritage by making Irish culture and traditions accessible to the public," says Milwaukee Irish Fest Executive Director Jane Anderson.

Summer School 2003 runs Aug. 10-15 throughout the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus. Accommodations for out-of-town students can be arranged in the university's residence halls.

Eamon O'Cuiv, Ireland's Minister of the Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs, will deliver the Summer School's keynote address at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13. O'Cuiv's presentation is titled "Ireland 1840-1940: A Personal Perspective" and may offer rare first-hand insights. O'Cuiv's grandfather was Eamonn de Valera, the activist for Irish independence who became Ireland's first prime minister and eventually its president. 

Other new lecture topics at Summer School will include "Pathways to Peace," presented by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Tim Crain; a genealogy workshop by Dubliner John Grenham; "Early Irish Society Literature, Law & Myth," by Trinity College graduate Seosaimhin Nic Rabhartaigh; and "Representations of Ireland in American Popular Culture" by Natasha Casey, a writer and academic.

Step dance students will have the opportunity to study under Jean Butler, one of the originators of Riverdance. Other significant highlights will be an intergenerational puppet making class and the return of the new teen curriculum offering music, song, Gaelic and calligraphy.

Many popular offerings from past years will also be available. They include music lessons in flute, fiddle, harp, bodhran, singing and history; dance lessons; and a revolving roster of arts and cultural activities including history, language, genealogy, film, Aran knitting, basket weaving and calligraphy.

Classes run $15-$110 for a single class. Weekly rates are $215 for one child including supervision throughout the day, $375 for a single adult and $500 for a family of up to 5.

Classes are arranged for children 6-10; teens 13-18, and adults. Family participation is encouraged.

For more information about Summer School monitor www.irishfest.com or call Barb Breed-Heidt 262-227-6538 or joheidt@uwm.edu.

The Good, the Bog and the Underworld
New Exhibits Enhance Milwaukee Irish Fest's Cultural Village
 

Wherever you are, you are home.

This year, Ballyfest, Milwaukee Irish Fest's Cultural Village, celebrates that universal feeling of being in a place where the Irish congregate - by exploring the influence of the Irish outside Ireland. Come home to several new cultural exhibits this year, including:
 

• "The Irish American Outlaws," examining the lives and times notorious villains of Irish descent, including of Billy the Kid, Mad Dog Coll, members of Murder Inc., and associates of Al Capone in Chicago;
  
  
• A still-building demonstration by stone wall builder Bartley O'Dohmnaill, highlighting the old Irish moon shining techniques used to distill poteen;
  
  
• An exhibit tracing the Claddagh area in County Galway and the origin of the popular Claddagh ring in cooperation with Dillons of Shop Street and Galway historian Peadar O'Dowd;
  
  
• Horticultural displays exploring the common traits of bogs found in Ireland and Wisconsin;
  
  
• A new interactive Irish music session activity for festival-goers led by Waltons Music of Dublin and New York;
  
  
• Bing Crosby memorabilia from the Ward Irish Music Archives and a visit from Bing's nephew, Howard Crosby, in celebration of the Irish American crooner's recent centennial birthday; and
  
  
• Irish folklorist and storyteller Eddie Lenihan sharing stories about fairies in our midst. 

For more information about the Cultural Area at Milwaukee Irish Fest, call 414-476-3378 or monitor www.irishfest.com.

Wee Energy:
Children's Activities Electrify Kids' Celtic Curiosity

Milwaukee Irish Fest boasts a proud tradition as Milwaukee's only festival with an interactive children's area.

A rainbow of activities promise creative play with cultural value, including:

• The Lilli-putt mini-golf area, built by volunteers to look like Ireland including a drawbridge, a castle and sheep;
  
  
• Crafts and educational activities, including castle-building with Legos, fashioning Celtic crosses from foam, weaving fairy wreaths, and decorating potatoes with JuJu fruits;
  
  
• The Fairy Ring musical game where youngsters hop among stepping stones; and
  
  
• Birthday parades for Official Irish Fest mascot Paddy McFest on Friday and Saturday in which kids can participate using hand-made instruments.

Children's entertainment is designed with the interests and attention spans of the little ones in mind. Performances on the children's stage are interactive and under 45 minutes long. Attractions include storytellers, plays and sing-alongs.

Kid tips

• Admission to Milwaukee Irish Fest is free for children under 12
  
  
• Children under 12 must be supervised by an adult in the Children's Area and throughout the festival grounds.
  
  
• Consider volunteering as a family with kids 12 and under; teens 13-17 may volunteer with friends or on their own.
  
  
• Kids rule at Irish Fest. If you know a talented teen Irish Fest enthusiast, please refer them to the new Youth Leadership Program.