Albannach's Jamesie, Aya, and Collin
Although it’s more than a month late, this is the weekend that hundreds of Celtic music fans look forward to—the Scottish & Irish Festival in Valley Forge, which had to forego its usual “Mid-winter” moniker this year because of casino construction at Valley Forge Convention Center.
On tap are some groups with a huge local fan base, including the percussion-heavy Scottish group Albannach, the Screaming Orphans (four beautiful girl rockers from Donegal), Searson, Jamison, and Rathkeltair. Also on the bill, The Brigadoons, the Sean Fleming Band, Hadrian’s Wall, Charlie Zahm, and a host of Irish dancers as well as the Washington Memorial Pipe Band.
But it’s not just music. There are fencing lessons and demos by Companions of the Cross, mead and poitin tastings, Scotch and Irish whiskey tastings, both Irish and Scots Gaelic workshops, and delicious Celtic food and a host of vendors.
The rest of the week is fairly quiet, though The John Byrne Band will be on stage at The Shanachie in Ambler on Saturday night and the IN-Philly 7-A-Side soccer team is taking on another opponent at Star Finders in Manayunk on Sunday night.
If you love the Shanachie, this would be the week to stop in, have a pint, listen to some music and say goodbye. The Irish pub will be closing on March 31.
Don’t let this week’s quiet fool you. It’s just everyone waiting to get their second wind after two weeks of nonstop St. Patrick’s parading and partying. Pretty soon, you’ll have so many choices for Celtic entertainment, you won’t know what to do.
