Hello, everyone! Writing to you this week from Milwaukee, Wisc., where I’ve been all week, taking part in CelticMKE’s Summer School and Milwaukee Irish Fest. My first time here, I was invited to give several lectures and to perform the music of the Flanagan Brothers in a group that includes Diarmuid Ó Meachair (melodeon) and Brendan Dolan (piano). It’s been a great experience so far (I’ve submitted this article Sunday afternoon, before the festival’s end!) and one I recommend to anyone interested in all things Irish.
First things first: I arrived early last week for the Irish Fest Summer School, which ran Aug. 10-14. Held at CelticMKE Center (home of the Ward Irish Music Archives) in nearby and historic Wauwatosa Village, a lovely, very walkable area full of excellent restaurants (and a gourmet cheese shop), the Summer School offers participants classes and activities that focus on Irish culture, history, and traditions of Ireland, most of which have a musical focus. Presented in a classic classroom approach, it’s a great opportunity for anyone interested in Irish music and culture to dig in and learn.
The staff they assembled was brilliant and quite expansive. Among the instructors (and this is by no means an exhaustive staff list) were Brenda Castles (concertina), Brendan Dolan (piano accompaniment), Diarmuid Ó Meachair (button accordion & Irish language), Tommy Sands (The Music of Healing), and all the members of Altan, including Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (fiddle), Cathal Ó Curráin (bouzouki & sean-nós song), Mark Kelly (guitar accompaniment), Martin Tourish (tune composition) and Clare Friel (fiddle). There were also classes for dancers (held by Caoimhe Ní Mhaolagáin and Ronan Eastwood), and quite a few Irish language offerings, like Ray Mac Mánais and Vivienne Sayers, and Máirín Uí Chéide for sean-nós song. Toward the end of the week, the School brought in a few Irish Fest performers as well, including Kieran O’Hare (uilleann pipes) and Pat Broaders (bouzouki), for single day teaching sessions.
What I found interesting was the number of the School’s instructors (like Brett Lipshutz and Nicolas Brown, for example) who I heard mention that they’d grown up attending the Summer School. That there have so many who learned there, play at such a high standard, and are invited back to teach speaks very well for the School’s sustained success over the years.
One of the great highlights for me was Tuesday evening’s “Talk and Tunes” with Altan’s Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. CelticMKE’s Jeff Ksiazek did an admirable job leading the on-stage interview, and Ní Mhaonaigh was disarmingly brilliant, the intimacy of the CelticMKE Center’s hall enhancing the fascinating and relatable reflections of her musical past. I think the whole endeavor gave everyone who attended great insight into what it means to be a traditional musician from the Donegal Gaeltacht. Ní Mhaonaigh’s talk was followed by an instructors showcase concert that presented the musicians on staff “sampler style,” with each performer/group contributing a single selection. The concert’s brisk, compressed format was inclusive, held everyone’s attention and worked extremely well. Altan, who closed the show, was amazing (as you might imagine), but there wasn’t a clunker among the evening’s performers.
In contrast to the intimacy of the Summer School was Milwaukee Irish Fest itself. Typically attracting a crowd of 100,000 over the course of the weekend, it’s massive, massive scale accommodates a wide range of performers and cultural activities, both large and small. The festival grounds, lying on the banks of Lake Michigan, cover 90 acres of land and along the Festival’s walking route are a seemingly endless number of state-of-the-art concert pavilions, food and beverage concessions, cultural attractions, shops, and activity areas.
With a production this large, it’s no surprise that it attracts who’s-who of large-drawing festival acts, including Altan, Gaelic Storm, Eileen Ivers and the Brigideens, Scythian, The Gardiner Brothers, JigJam, Campbell Jensen, the Bog Bodies, social media sensation Ally the Piper, and others to the big stages. Several dance groups, including Trinity Irish Dance Academy, the Beglan Academy of Irish Dance, and the McNamara McCarthy School of Irish Dance, put on stage shows as well. Dancers were everywhere to be seen! And because the festival grounds are open, it’s easy to catch every one of these groups playing over the course of the weekend. Just wander around and you’ll find something that suits you before long.
One band I was particularly curious to see was Biird. Led by Lisa Canny, they put on an excellent show that was very strongly attended. The all-woman group charmed their audience with original songs, an impressive stage presence, and tales of being on Ed Sheeran’s recent Loop Tour. Given their audience’s reaction, they seem poised to take over America with their infectious music and style.
Biird in Milwaukee.
There also was an absolute wealth of great music in the festival’s nooks and crannies. Groups and individuals like Bohola (Jimmy Keane and Pat Broaders), Nuala Kennedy & Eamon O’Leary, Brenda Castles, Kieran O’Hare, Diarmuid Ó Meachair, Éamonn de Cogain, Athas (Heather Lewin, Amy Richter & Jeff Ksiazek) and with Sarah Sheehan & Kevin Shortall could all be found on the Festival’s smaller and medium-sized stages. I enjoyed seeing all of these fine musicians and each of them contributed to the Festival’s overall excellence.
The best set of this sort I saw over the weekend was Tommy Sands’s, whose songs and words were incredible. I was riveted by his on stage charisma and he seemed to hypnotize the audience through songs like “There Were Roses.” It was a real privilege to be able to see him perform here.
The Cultural Village, where one could find the Hedge School (which hosted cultural discussions and presentations), the Theatre Pavillion, the Literary Corner, the Gaeltacht tent and Irish Language Workshop, was a great area to explore. Elsewhere on the Festival grounds, demonstrations of GAA & rugby, sheepherding, and currach racing, a Halloween tent exploring Samhain traditions, and much, much more gave attendees –especially families, who could spend time in the children’s area with their young ones – a wealth of things to do.
And despite all the fine music and activity, maybe the most impressive thing about Milwaukee Irish Fest was how well it was organized. Everyone I encountered – from organizer to volunteer – was amazing. They all had a role to play and were completely prepared for what the weekend threw at them. I was incredibly impressed, congrats to all.
I had heard about Milwaukee Irish Fest for decades, but it’s only now that I’ve been able to visit and experience the madness. I have to say that I’ve come away thoroughly impressed. It’s a no brainer activity if a weekend festival is the sort of thing you’re into – truly, the hype is real. To learn more about Milwaukee Irish Fest, definitely visit their website at https://irishfest.com/.
