- News
-
- Sport
-
- Entertainment
-
- Advice
-
- Roots
-
Make a comment
Larger Text
Print
E-mailMemorial Day marks start of Irish festival season
Why an Irish day out is good value for money!
"We've got better days ahead / Many more where they came from/Don't chase 'em all away my friend / 'Til your heart goes numb/It's a long hard road they say / With a fiddler on the way I will swear by better days.”
Memorial Day is less than two weeks away, which also means the kickoff of the busiest season for Irish festivals.
Even before the current economic dark clouds crowded our blue sky this year, Irish festivals were taking a beating. Attendance in many markets was down last year and a couple of organizers who shall remain nameless lost their shirts in the process.
For sure, the tightness of the almighty dollar might be at play here, but it must be said that the lineups for these festivals were paint-by numbers. You would have some cheesy band offering up a Pogues imitation as pale as their own skin in some tent while the same assortment of headliners closed the show.
Don’t get me wrong -- the bands (you know who they are) that have headlined these festivals deserve their place on top of the festival food chain, and I count their members among my close friends, but they have been plying their trade for many moons.
If the same festival you go to every year offers the same entertainment every year, what surprises are in store for the Irish music fan? And so the vicious circle begins.
As our economy begins to rebound, I am pleased to report that the state of the Irish festival appears to be heading in the same direction! This reviewer is giving a standing ovation to organizers this year, particularly the folks running the East Durham Irish Festival this Memorial Day weekend.
They are offering a fresh lineup that imports the freshest Irish talent from cities like Philadelphia, London and Kansas City. The East Durham Irish Festival folks can be reached at 518-634-2286 or at irishvillageusa.com.
The Elders have been making a furious racket out in the Midwest since forming in 1998. They can be counted on to bring a mix of roots rock played furiously and at ear splitting levels, blazing instrumentals and top-notch songwriting to unsuspecting crowds.
They will be headlining the ruckus in East Durham, and they are itching to play in that area again in the midst of friends they have in the Eastern section of New York.
“The communities in western and central New York have hit hard by this recession, and I know our friends up there need cheering up,” says Brent Hoad, fiddler for the Elders.
Related Items
- The secrets of Brendan Gleeson's success...
- The worst Irish accents in Hollywood movies...
- Top 10 Irish songs for Saint Patrick's Day...
- 'American Idol' Siobhan Magnus sparks revival...
- Roisin Murphy: Lady Gaga stole my look!...
- Kathy Griffin to Conan O’Brien: I’m pregnant...
- 10 Irish songs to avoid this Saint Patrick’s...
- Conan O'Brien in talks about making upcoming...
- Ever-green 'Good Day New York' host Greg...
- Five great Irish drinking songs for St. Patrick's...
