IrishCentral Irish Craic - b5cc3275d518416eacb61d676e8d84d1

Even with Irish directions you arrive at the heart of the land - mighty craic and laughter with friends (IrishCentral)

Sat, 18 May 2013 04:18:48 PDT

Nothing could warm the heart more than a pint of Guinness and a roaring fire in the hearthWe have fallen victim to Irish driving instructions in the past so I should have known betterI didn’t properly read the email about the road to the house in Loughrea before we landed and maybe was subconsciously up for a bit of adventure on the first day away on vacationMaybe it was out of habit Over the years we blindly followed wonderful directions offered by locals in the West of Ireland:“Stick to the tar road READ MORE

Where is this mystery pub? The high commodity of an atmospheric, real Irish pub filled with craic and ambience (IrishCentral)

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 04:32:53 PDT

Where is this mystery pub?I was enjoying the Clare sunshine of a mighty spring afternoon when brother Sean telephoned from Dublin to tantalize me totally for the rest of the day with news of a unique country pub he discovered in the county Cork over the previous weekend The trouble was that he refused to tell me the name of the pub or exactly where it tradesAll families have their special frequencies for good or ill It betrays a lot about the weakness (or strength?) of the senior MacConnell clan members that we share discoveries of the sadly dwindling numbers of special country pubs of music, song and craic that we still discover in the rich nooks and crannies of Hidden Ireland and, via brother Cathal, in Scotland as well READ MORE

Shadowy ninjas of Irish dance, Fusion Fighters set to debut March 17 (VIDEO) (IrishCentral)

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 11:47:15 PDT

Pray that they only use their awesome hip-hop, techno, disco, martial arts, Celtic dance powers for goodI discovered Fusion Fighters today when I opened a mysterious Facebook message sent in a plain brown envelope (new service, still in beta), and throwing caution to the wind, followed a cryptic shortened URL to its YouTube sourceNothing could prepare me for the Mcfunkadelicness I found, and now share with you:http://wwwyoutube READ MORE

Irish president reaches out to the Irish worldwide with craic and ceol this St. Patrick’s Day (IrishCentral)

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 06:55:26 PST

By: AMANDA DRISCOLL

This Saint Patrick’s Day will see the broadcast of a very special programme which is dedicated to Irish culture, Irish creativity and its reach and impact across the world.

The Craic is back - New York’s premiere Irish film and music event is firing on all cylinders (IrishCentral)

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:32:01 PST

By: CAHIR O'DOHERTY

On March 6 New York’s premier Irish film and music event, the Craic Fest, is back and firing on all cylinders, with Cillian Murphy headlining the films and Julie Feeney headlining the music. This year a new Kids Fleadh has been added for the little ones, and there’s a new emphasis on documentaries for grownups. Cahir O'Doherty hears what to expect from the festival’s organizer Terence Mulligan.

'Ooooooh, Lisdoonvarna!' - the flamboyant craic at the brilliant rural Irish festival (IrishCentral)

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 06:02:35 PDT

Illustration by Caty BartholomewThere are about 10 couples dancing out on the street in the early evening in the center of the crazy spa town of Lisdoonvarna in North Clare It is a waltz the band are playing inside one of the crammed hotel ballrooms and bars on the other side of the windows overlooking the squareThe summer is over and times are said to be hard on the economic front in the west of Ireland, but nobody told the dancers that There is merriment on every side through the fabled town where the summer slowly retreats during the centuries old matchmaking festival each September, and even early October READ MORE

Autumn beckons as farmers headed to Listowel races -- Race meeting captured harvest time celebration and craic (IrishCentral)

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 06:47:32 PDT

The Listowel RacesYou can feel the change in the air here with the last week, that lovely smell of autumn Autumn smells different in the city, usually of burning coal or whatever they burn in their fireplacesDown the country it feels fresh, where a shower of rain could knock the cobwebs out of you very fast September is a beautiful, but very strange month READ MORE

The return of the Mighty Stef to New York City for Wee Craic (IrishCentral)

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 05:47:22 PDT

The Mighty StefYou've read in these pages about the Wee Craic, which returns on Friday September 21 with short films at Arlene’s Grocery (95 Stanton Street in New York) It’s a great way to tune into the minds of the best and brightest filmmakers of our culture The big news for us is the after party with the Mighty Stef at R BAR, at 218 The BoweryThe after party and music at R Bar brings film and music lovers together with an open bar from 8:30 to 10:30 p READ MORE

Last blast at fall festival - great music and craic to be found (IrishCentral)

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 05:47:21 PDT

GirsaIrish summer doesn’t end with Labor Day, though we do look forward to slightly cooler days and evenings that encourage outdoor activities and help stretch the Irish festival season before we are shuttered indoors stoking the fires around the homeplace September weekends still have a host of them and it is great time to sample new bands and music and to appreciate familiar fodder as well So here are some suggestions near and far within a tank of gas for youComing up this weekend is the Albany-based Irish 2000 Irish Festival actually held in Ballston Spa at the Saratoga Fair Grounds north of Albany READ MORE

A mighty wee craic - the Irish film fest / rock concert the Craic Festival is in its 13th year (IrishCentral)

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:26:02 PDT

By: CAHIR O'DOHERTY

You have to hand it to Terence Mulligan, the visionary director who first thought of turning an Irish film festival into a rock concert -- he knows his audience. Founder and director of the Craic Festival, now celebrating its 13th year, next up on Mulligan’s agenda is the Wee Craic Fest. The leaner, meaner mini-fest version always pulls a lively crowd. Mulligan tells Cahir O'Doherty about what to expect in this year’s lineup.

Craic in upstate New York is about to explode with Catskills Irish Arts Week (IrishCentral)

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 10:30:30 PDT

By: PAUL KEATING

The craic in the Catskills is about to explode up and down Route 145 in East Durham, New York; the heart of the Irish Catskills. It’s time for the 18th Annual Catskills Irish Arts Week hosted by the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural and Sports Centre taking place July 15 to 21 in the historic hamlet. It is the largest gathering of Irish traditional musicians in North America at the internationally respected summer school known as the “Willie Clancy Summer School of the West” upon which it was modeled. High praise indeed since the WCSS is celebrating 40 years this July also right before the CIAW and quite a few teachers will be at both schools.

Google spots an acre of Ireland in upstate New York (IrishCentral)

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 06:15:19 PDT

You know the old line about the Great Wall of China being the only manmade object visible from outer space? Now Google Maps and Google Earth are bringing the whole world into focus, right down this acre’s worth of Ireland, rendered in red brick in the Irish Park in the upstate New York town of East Durham It’s the largest county-accurate map of Ireland in the worldThe park was built in 2001 at a cost of 500,000, funded in part by New York State, Greene County and the Michael J Quill Irish Cultural & Sports Centre, Inc READ MORE

Irish Craic Fest holds rooftop fundraiser in New York (IrishCentral)

Wed, 23 May 2012 01:10:30 PDT

By: CAHIR O'DOHERTY

If you’re new to town or if you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade, you might not know the Craic Fest is a four times a year festival of the best of Irish film and music that has been turning it out flawlessly for over a decade.

Our musicians deserve our respect - travelling bard session, craic and entertainment (IrishCentral)

Thu, 03 May 2012 06:15:12 PDT

The joy of Irish musicThe lakes atop the limestone chest of the mighty Burren of Clare are often called turloughs because they have a mind of their ownSometimes they get the notion they would like to go wandering through the caverns and caves and passages of the rocky wonder world beneath their normal bedsSo they do exactly that They can disappear overnight and maybe not return home for weeks or months READ MORE

Ten top Irish pubs across America - craic, music and tradition (IrishCentral)

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:46:47 PDT

By: ANTOINETTE KELLY

Visit our pubs section and rate your favorite Irish pubs.

Gaelic Girls TV - Music and ‘craic’ at the Temple Bar Tradfest 2012 - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:26:43 PST

By: KERRY O'SHEA

Gaelic Girls are at it again!

IrishCentral’s top ten Dublin pubs for ‘craic’ and a Guinness – PHOTOS (IrishCentral)

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:10:41 PST

By: BERNIE MALONE

PHOTOS - Top ten pubs in Dublin - slideshow

There’s nothing like live Irish music and craic, so head out in 2012 to experience both live (IrishCentral)

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 05:45:16 PST

There's nothing like experiencing live musicWho knows where the time goes is the refrain from the Sandy Denny song, and as the year winds down so does my ninth year of writing columns for the Irish Voice and looking forward to 10 in 2012It has been an honor and a privilege to be able to witness so much great music and so many wonderful artists of all ages, and to feel the affinity between the native music of Ireland and the dance forms it inspired in all kinds of settings over that decadeAs from day one in January of 2003, I have sought to add my own voice to these pages, giving a perspective from that chosen place by the fireplace offered to those who were most welcome in an Irish country kitchen, the warmest spot near the hob, and my thanks to the publishers Niall O’Dowd and Debbie McGoldrick for indulging me all these years___________________READ MORE:Emigrant Irish flock back home as Christmas day approachesFinding loved ones before Christmas after decades apartHow the Pogues ‘Fairytale of New York’ almost wasn't made - SEE VIDEO__________________Don’t worry, I’m not going away but just counting my blessings as one of the more extraordinary years draws to a close thanks in large part to a year of Imagining Ireland and the cultural riches it possesses READ MORE

Taking advantage of the ‘Savage’ party scene – having the ‘craic’ in Galway city (IrishCentral)

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:15:18 PST

Shop Street, GalwayI'm not going to lie; I was insanely excited about taking a spontaneous bus trip up to Galway this last weekend I had thrown my lot in with a group of students from UCC that I didn't know at all (to be fair, a friend had invited me to go up with them, but the friend in question came down with the flu prior to the weekend, and he had to bail – which I learned after I'd paid the deposit) So I boarded a bus of twenty-five strangers, with nothing more than a few extra shirts, toiletries, and the solid conviction that it would all work out for the bestI mean, I wasn't about to back out, despite the fact that I didn't know a soul READ MORE

In Search of the Craic: One Man’s Pub Crawl Through Irish Music by Colin Irwin (IrishCentral)

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 07:35:09 PST

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