Get a lil’ Irish in you at the North Texas Irish Festival

By Steven Doyle

Time is ticking away for one of our city’s most favorite holidays. St. Pat’s Day is just around the corner but you can kick-start the day by attending the North Texas Irish Festival.  The 3-day event is steeped in Irish fun and excitement and shouldn’t be missed even for the once a year Irishman.

The 32-year old event is the largest of its kind in the nation with over 70,000 visitors each year hosted by 600 volunteers  with roots reaching back to the  legendary Nick Farrelly’s Lounge on Oak Lawn that was billed as the First Texas Céili. The event has something for everyone including great music, dance, exhibitors, workshops, plays and demonstrations.

The popular Scottish Village will make a return this year where local Scottish clans will feature demonstrations and explanations as to the strong connection between the Irish and Scots in their music, ancestry and culture.

The centerpiece of this year’s lineup will be Altan, back in Dallas for the entire weekend so there will be multiple opportunities to soak in their music. Over 25 years of playing together, Altan have established themselves as one of the most important live acts to play traditional Irish music in Ireland and on the World stage.

Other acts include the very popular Cathie Ryan, Dervish, and the world renowned Canadian alt-celt group The Glengarry Bhoys.

The annual “Irish Fest” Parade, will feature horses, pipers, clans, vendors, Irish American Society person of year, dogs, and more scheduled for Saturday, March 5 at approximately 4 pm.

Nab your discount tickets at Tom Thumb and bring your best blarney. Gates open  Friday evening, March 4 and the hours are 6 p.m. til 11 p.m., Saturday, March 5 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 6 from 11:30 a.m. til 7:30 p.m.