From North New York to Illinois the Irish American community are kicking off the summer festival season in style with a sensational line up of events. Good Irish traditional, as well as more modern acts, arts and crafts, food, theatre and more are just some of the treasures in store this May.

On Saturday, June 1st 2013, Claddagh na nGael will present a brand new festival, GaelFest, celebrating traditional Irish culture in all its varied forms and expressions. 

Three giants of the Irish traditional scene, The Teetotallers - fiddler Martin Hayes, flute player Kevin Crawford (Lunasa), and singer and guitarist John Doyle (Solas, Joan Baez) - return to New York City after selling out Joe's Pub last year.

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.

Sinead O’Connor is feeling pretty good about herself these days. She’s currently promoting her 2012 album How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? in London, where she’s given a series of interviews saying that she’s happy to have the focus squarely on her music instead of her sometimes chaotic personal life – bipolar episodes, four marriages, a stint as a priest and as a lesbian, etc. etc.