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Hot, Steamy, Windy—But the Crowds Got All Irish at Penns Landing

Penn's Landing

We caught this little miss clambering on the Irish Memorial during the Mass that preceded the Irish Festival. Cute, but don't do it again! (Her parents spotted her and put a stop to it.)

When it comes to the annual Penns Landing Irish Festival, the crowds never let a little heat, wind, or even rain stop them. They load up on “Irish Ice”—what water ice is called this one day a year—and enjoy the day.

On Sunday, June 6, the crowds came. . . to hear Paddy’s Well, the Hooligans, Round Tower, and Blackthorn; see 11 Irish dance schools strut their stuff; and play “duck hunt” in one of the many fountains that dot the multilayer amphitheatre where the event is held each year.

As in previous years, the festival opened after a Mass, celebrated by Father Ed Brady of St. Isidore’s Parish in Quakertown, at the nearby Irish Memorial. This year’s Mass paid tribute to the recent Inspirational Irish Women awardees. Members of the committee that planned the May 23 event participated: Keira McDonagh and Emily Weideman were readers, Jocelyn McGillian, a mezzo-soprano, sang to the accompaniment of harper Ellen Tepper. Honoree Liz Kerr of LAOH 25 and her husband Pearse brought the gifts. Honoree Kathy McGee Burns, vice president of the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association, participated in the raising of the flags over the Memorial park.

We were there and have photos from both events.

  • View the Mass at the Memorial.
  • View the Penns Landing Irish Festival.
  • View more of the Penns Landing Irish Festival. 
    • June 11, 2010 by
    Dance

    Day of the Dancers

    Coyle dancers

    Little Coyle dancers get a bit of coaching.

    If you love Irish dance, most of the major Delaware Valley-area dance schools take to their tappy little toes at the annual Penn’s Landing Irish Festival. The 2010 festival was no exception.

    Irish dance schools such as McDade, Timoney, Rince Ri, Cara, Coyle,
    McHugh, Cummins, Celtic Flame, Gibson, Campbell, 2nd Street, Emerald
    Isle, and Christina Ryan-Kilcoyne performed in the music tent and at the
    main stage.

    Some of the schools chose to wear the full regalia, flouncy wigs and all; others chose to dress for the weather … which was, of course, really hot.

    Festival-goers just plain loved it all, either way.

    Here are a few quick peeks at their performances.

    [cincopa 10628724]

    June 6, 2010 by
    Arts, Music, News, People

    The 2010 Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival & Fair

    Showing a little leg.

    Showing a little leg.

    Kilts.

    Everywhere you looked at the 2010 Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival, kilts. The Washington Memorial Pipe Band performed jigs, reels and strathspeys there at the Valley Forge Scanticon all weekend, and of course, you know what they wore. Hanging about the concert stage, beers at the ready, fans of the rowdy band Albannach were decked out in their own colorful tartans—with Doc Martens, which was a nice touch. On Saturday, one young woman paraded about in the shortest kilt I’ve ever seen—not that I looked. We also bumped into a dude named Tweak with a multicolor mohawk, and he was modeling the rugged, no-nonsense Utilikilt. Yessir, we were up to our keisters in kilts.

    Of course, Highland apparel wasn’t the only attraction. Organizers Bill and Karen Reid made sure there was plenty to keep festival-goers occupied. The Celts who crowded onto the convention hall floor, starting Friday night and on into late Sunday afternoon, rocked out to great bands like Searson, Paddy’s Well, the Tartan Terrors, Screaming Orphans, Rathkeltair and Brother. (And the aforementioned Albannoch.)

    Noshers had their pick of snacks, from meat pies to shortbread to Bailey’s and brown bread ice cream served up by the sweet folks at the Scottish Highland Creamery from Maryland’s Eastern Shore. For tipplers, there were whisky tastings and pints (sadly, small pints) of Smithwick’s.

    If you wanted to, you could take Irish language lessons or break out your fiddle and play in a traditional music session. Kids from the Campbell School of Highland Dance and Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance were up on their toes all weekend. Vendors sold everything from miniature whiskey barrels to personalized pub paintings to Claddagh rings. The Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day parade had a table. So did the Sunday morning Irish radio shows. (And, for the first time, us too.)

    In the midst of a dreary winter, in the wake of a bone-chilling midweek blizzard, the 2010 festival was just what the doctor ordered. And you’d better believe the Reids were keeping an eye on the weather forecasts.

    Says a relieved Bill Reid, “We were sweating bullets the week before and were more than happy when we missed the previous weekend but when Wednesday happened … well, need I say more?”

    The cold and the snow—not to mention the ice-coated Scanticon parking lot—evidently didn’t deter festival fans, especially on the first full day of the event. “Saturday is always the bigger day and this year was slightly better than last,” says Reid, “and that was our record setter.”

    The Reids are already thinking about how to make next year’s event even better, with an eye toward boosting Sunday attendance and drawing in more locals.

    We’ve been going for years, and wouldn’t miss it. The Mid-Winter Festival is a great warm-up for the St. Patrick’s craziness that is to come.

    Couldn’t make it? Check out our videos.

    Washington Memorial Pipe Band With Campbell School of Highland Dance Part 1
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/washingtoncampbell2010

    Washington Memorial Pipe Band With Campbell School of Highland Dance Part 2
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/washingtoncampbell2010-02 

    Albannach in Concert at the 2010 Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/albannoch2010

    Brother in Concert at the 2010 Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/brother2010

    Paddy’s Well at the 2010 Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/paddyswell2010

    Fitzpatrick Irish Dancers Step Out
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/fitzpatrick2010-01

    The Little Ones
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/littleones

    Amazing Grace
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/amazinggrace

    Fitzpatrick Irish Dancers
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/fitzpatrick2010-02

    February 18, 2010 by
    News

    Wildwood Daze 2009

    Her name is Erin (of course!). She was one of many festival-goers at the annual pipe band exhibition.

    Her name is Erin (of course!). She was one of many festival-goers at the annual pipe band exhibition.

    Sun and fluffy clouds. A cool breeze off the beach. A band, one of many Irish bands from the Delaware Valley, pounding out tunes in the music tent. Curly fries and pulled pork. Pitchers of beer. Bagpipe bands circling up and playing in the street. Kids (and not a few older folks) in silly hats and green Mardi Gras beads.

    For many of us who have been to the North Wildwood Irish Fall Festival, it was groundhog day. We’d seen it all before, this exhuberant farewell to summer at the shore. Which is not to suggest that it was boring, or anything like it. If anything, this Fall Festival was as fun as ever. It might have been one of the better attended, best organized Fall Festivals the local Hibernians had ever put on. If you were there, you know what we’re talking about. (And you can take off the silly hat now.)

    We have a pile of pictures and a video to help you remember the day. (You can remember something, can’t you?)

    • September 30, 2009 by
    News

    The Celts Conquer Bethlehem

    This was the hands-down favorite festival meal.

    This was the hands-down favorite festival meal.

    Kilts, corn-on-the-cob, collies, haggis, fiddles, pipes, drums, beer, kids, guys with mountainous muscles. That’s the “tags” version of the the 22nd annual Celtic Classic in Bethlehem this weekend.

    After a disastrous 21st annual Celtic Classic—drowned last year by Hurricane Kyle—the Celtic Cultural Alliance did some cost-cutting (no bleachers at the Highland Games, for example) and squeezed the event into a smaller space to put some distance between festival goers and the Monocacy Creek which overflowed its banks in 2008. But it didn’t hurt this Celtic show piece of Bethlehem’s many full-city festivals. The crowds were big (except during a Sunday morning downpout), happy, and totally into it. We’ve never seen so many kilts in one place.
    We have pictures, video, and some nice memories.

    Watch our videos:
    September 30, 2009 by
    Dance, Music

    A Look Back at the 2009 Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival

    Haley Richardson wowed the ballroom audience on Saturday night.

    Haley Richardson wowed the ballroom audience on Saturday night.

    It was 1:30 on Sunday morning, but the Philadelphia Irish Center was still jumping. Inside the Fireside Room, a clutch of musicians circled up and started banging out reels and jigs.

    They were joined by members of the Midwestern traditional band Bua, which had performed to an enthusiastic crowd in the ballroom earlier in the night.

    Somehow, no one was willing to let the party end.

    And what a party it was. Those who love traditional Irish singing experienced quite a treat on Friday night as the Ceili Group hosted many of the area’s best singers, plus guests like County Armagh’s Len Graham and Bua’s Brian O’hAirt.

    All day Saturday, superb musicians led classes in everything from bodhran to fiddle to DADGAD guitar. All Saturday night, the ballroom was filled with the strains of traditional music, including the local band Cruinn.

    We have all the highlights in photos and video. Check it out.

    Videos:

    September 17, 2009 by
    News

    Green Lane Scottish Irish Festival 2009

    Irish Thunder Pipes and Drums lines up to play for the Festival audience.

    Irish Thunder Pipes and Drums lines up to play for the Festival audience.

    Green Lane Festival 2009 was a meteorological repeat of Green Lane Festival 2008: a wet Saturday, followed by a picture-perfect Sunday.

    Scottish and Irish cultural devotees made the most of sunny Sunday, as witness the huge crowds, the long line of cars and the mad scramble for a parking space.

    Festival organizers didn’t disappoint, putting together tribes of Scottish and Irish dancers, gathering clans, puffing pipe bands, great grease-stained paper plates of fish and chips … and, of course, Nessie the dragon floating around the lake.

    We’ve assembled photos and videos from the day. Check them out:

    Videos:

    September 17, 2009 by