Pictured are Irish Voice publisher Niall O'Dowd, honoree Margaret Corrigan and Niall Burgess. Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Terry McLaughlin, Patricia Harty, Irene McLaughlin, and honoree Laura McLaughlin Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Siobhan Lyons, Deputy Consul General Breandan O'Caollai, honoree Deirdre Brennan Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Therese Crowe, Marie Burgess, honoree Patricia Cullen, Fonsie O'Farrell Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Sean Costello, honoree Lorraine Turner, Danny Costello, Joan Turner Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
John Mills, honoree Janet Walsh, Deputy Consul General Breandan O'Caollai Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Anita Daly, John Mooney, honoree Agnes Delaney, honoree Katie McMahon Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Liz Kenny, Tony Keegan, honoree Sheila Gleeson Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Girsa performed at the event Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Niall O'Dowd, honoree Nancy Dunphy, Consul General Niall Burgess Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Wade Mahan, honoree Chris Reilly Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Niall O'Dowd, honoree Carol Wheeler Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Marianne Brown, Patrick Brown, honoree Mary Ann Callahan, honoree Andrea Haughian Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Dr. Eibhlin Donlon Farry, Paul Farry Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Donie Broderick, honoree Rosie O'Reilly Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Dr. Eileen Reilly, Peter Maguire, honoree Liz Kenny Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Sorcha Herlihy, Regina Tunney, honoree Karen Cunningham Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
April Drew, honoree Maureen Tara Nelson Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Mary Smith, Bob Stauf, honoree Catherine Marshall, Joseph Smith Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Rachel Shelly, Ed Shelly, honoree Tara McCabe Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Adrian Flannelly, honoree Aine Sheridan, John Connorton, Patty Machir Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Daniel Aubry, honoree Clodagh, Denise and Bill Whelan, composer of Riverdance Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Niall O'Dowd, Siobhan Walsh, Consul General Niall Burgess Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honorees Mary McEvoy and Lisa Johnston Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Niall O'Dowd, NYPD Detective Lieutenant Steven McDonald, Conor McDonald, and honoree and mayor of Malverne, Long Island Patti McDonald Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Niall O'Dowd and honoree Denise Coyle Kirby Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Kevin Fee, honoree Kathleen Fee, honoree Ger Lavery, Paul Lavery Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Niall O'Dowd, honoree Tina Santi Flaherty Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Katie McGrath, Peter McGrath, honoree Kyra McGrath Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Margaret Molloy, Niall O'Dowd Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Niall O'Dowd, honoree Nancy Mahon Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Sheila Lynott, Niall O'Dowd Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Pat Biggins, honoree Kathleen Biggins Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Susan Clarke, Niall O'Dowd Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Tom Deegan, honoree May O'Boyle Deegan and their daughter Melanie Deegan Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Kevin Doonan, honoree Phyllis Doonan Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Susan Davis, Niall O'Dowd Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Deirdre Danaher, honoree Alison Brown, Bill Whelan, Joanie Madden, honoree Kathleen Biggins, honoree Kathleen Fee Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Gabrielle Clark, honoree Patricia Jones Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Consul General Niall Burgess, honoree Patricia Anne Kehoe Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Niall O'Dowd, honoree Alice McCarney Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Patricia Cullen, honoree Sarah Gilligan Hynes, John Lyons, Marijona Devitt Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Richard Mahon, honoree Caroline Simmons Mahon, Emer Clarke, Colin Corrigan Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Honoree Dr. Erin Kelleher, Eamonn O'Donnell, honoree Julia Judge Photo credit:Nuala Purcell
Niall O'Dowd, honoree Denise Leonard Photo credit:Nuala Purcell

The Irish Voice held its second annual Most Influential Women reception last Thursday at the home of Irish Consul General Niall Burgess and his wife Marie. ; Published

June 25, 2009

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As the Irish people have a genuine sense of fun, Irish entertainment can be found in every town, village, city and county. One of the most popular forms is the festival, which is used to celebrate all sorts of occasions &emdash; everything from literary pursuits to a love of oysters. Here are a few highlights of entertainment in Ireland throughout the year: Londonderry boasts the biggest Halloween Festival in the world with around 30,000 celebrating the ancient Celtic New Year every October. Grab a dodgy mask and join the party! / The Belfast Festival at Queen’s is Ireland’s biggest International Festival and boasts an eclectic mix of music, talks, comedy, exhibitions and film. / The Galway Races, the Rose of Tralee Festival, Puck Fair in Killorglin, and the Oul’ Lammas Fair in Ballycastle are world famous and offer a great chance to enjoy Irish entertainment, life and laughs with the locals. / Food festivals are now a big draw in Ireland with local produce scoring high among international foodies. Head to the famous oyster festivals in Clarenbridge in Galway, or Hillsborough, County Down. / Tune in to a spot of music with the Open House Festival in Belfast, the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera, or the Feile an Phobail in west Belfast. Or grab a pint and tap your feet to some cool tunes at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. / If you prefer your festivals small and intimate, try the harp festivals in Roscommon or the rough and ready horse and pony fairs from Cavan to Cork. Even today, the horses are priced in guineas, and bought and sold with a spit in the hand. / At the other end of the scale of entertainment in Ireland lies the Wexford Opera Festival with full-scale opera productions, concerts, recitals, talks, cabaret, fireworks, and, of course, parties. / For something a little different, try the Magnus Barelegs Festival in Downpatrick offering a slice of Viking life, or the Eagle Wing Festival in Groomsport, County Down, which celebrates Ireland’s cultural links with America. / Theater fans should head to Dublin for both the Dublin Theatre Festival and the excellent Dublin Fringe Festival, with wildly exciting performances taking place in fabulous venues. / Around March 17, the country turns a shade of green for a host of St Patrick’s Festivals. All over the country, from the Saint’s hallowed burial place in Downpatrick to the more carnival atmosphere of parades and exceptional fireworks in Dublin and Belfast. / Literary lovers should head to Dublin in June for the intriguing Bloomsday Festival, where fans of Joyce’s Gargantuan Ulysses dress up in traditional gear and scoff old Dublin food like “nutty gizzards” and “urine-soaked kidneys”. Alternatively, seek out the delights of the Aspects Literature Festival in Bangor in September, an annual celebration of Irish literature with lectures, discussion and music. But festivals are just one aspect of Irish entertainment—let's not forget about music! From impromptu sessions in your local bar to the thrilling beat of U2, Ireland has always been home to the best sounds of music. Ireland’s massive successes in the Irish entertainment world include some bands and artists you may have heard of…U2, The Corrs, Enya, Westlife, Snow Patrol, Ash, David Holmes, Van Morrison and The Thrills, to name just a few. Unique and distinctive, the harp holds a special place in Irish entertainment and has come to symbolize the harmony of people and music in Ireland. It’s the earliest musical instrument mentioned in Irish literature and has been used as an official emblem for Ireland since medieval times. Today, it’s on Irish passports and stamps. But there's more: Fleadhs, or festivals, are a major part of Irish entertainment as well as cultural life, and impromptu trad sessions have become the stuff of legend at West Belfast’s Feile an Phobail, the Galway Racing Festival or Kerry’s Puck Fair. Rock and dance music festivals are also big news with the Oxegen Festival, Tennents Vital Belfast and the Electric Picnic held in summer.

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