East Durham Irish Festival, Memorial Day, 2012

East Durham Irish Festival, Memorial Day 2012

Tom McGoldrick, Festival Director of the East Durham Irish Festival, wants everyone to know the East Durham Irish Fesitival is May 26th and 27th, 2012.

Groups include:

Barley Juice from Philadelphia

Searson from Canada

The Fenians from California

Hair of the Dog from Albany, Shilelagh Law

The Canny Brothers

Jamesons Revenge from NYC

Andy Cooney Band from East Durham

Kitty Kelly Band from East Durham

Kilrush from East Durham

Brothers Flynn from East Durham

St. James Gate

along with Pipe Bands

and Irish Step Dancing Schools

Advance tickets are available @ $12 in advance (plus $1 handling charge per ticket up to $3), a $4.00 saving, by calling 518-634-2286 (credit card sales acceptable) or send your check to East Durham Irish Festival, Box 189, East Durham, NY 12423.

Avanced sale two day tickets are available for $22.  This is $10 less than the total of same day gate entrance fees of $16 per day. No Service fees with purchase of  passports.
One venue is a large pavillion and the other is a tent, so rain isn't a problem. And yah wouldn't think it would be for the Irish, right?!

Free Camping will be available. Show up at the Festival Grounds and Parking attendees will direct you to campsites.

The Children's area "Land of the Leprechauns" will be back bigger than ever. A great variety of food Food and Vendors will be available.

CALL WITH ANY QUESTIONS! 518-634-2286

Location: East Durham, New York

Time & Date: May - Saturday the 26th - Sunday the 27th

Festival Schedule

Festival Web Site with More Information

More Irish Musicians in Shamrock Road blogs:

- Terry Kane

- Len Graham

- Mary Staunton

- Brían Ó hAirt (Brian Hart)

- Bernadette Nic Gabhann

- Aoife Clancy

- Matt and Shannon Heaton

Over the Pond

I am returning to Belfast to learn from and help those in Belfast overcome and put into perspective generations of conflict. This is my second trip to Belfast with a Volunteer In Mission group.

Several of the people going today were on the trip two years ago, so I look forward to catching up with my friends. The "new" volunteers have interesting and committed lives, too, so I look forward to getting to know them and working with them.

Traveling starts out with concerns, from grand to mundane.

I hope this isn't too much information, but my packing has evolved. My friend Dave told me years ago to put a change of clothes in a plastic bag for each day. I haven't done that exactly, but I have packed most things in clear plastic bags. Our leaders Mike and Pat pointed out packing in plastic bags, especially with zip closures, makes the potential search and repack at the airport go well, with less chance of things getting lost or torn by the bag zipper, and helps keep stuff cleaner with regard to the counter where a million bags are dumped and repacked every week. If I like dealing with the bags at the other end, I'll air the bags out and save them for next time. It should save on pawing through my entire bag to find a clean item, right? Just have to find the right bag.

An odd worry is the accents. My "ear" for the language takes a bit to kick in, and I'm pretty good with unfamiliar accents. I'm talking about English being spoken, not Irish or Gaelic. There is that saying about Britain and America being divided by a common tongue. I was going to ascribe that as a quote, but it turns out the saying can't actually be ascribed to anyone in that exact form. Still, the American accents and the Northern Irish accent are quite different. The accent there is heavily influenced by Scottish to my mind.

I am wondering how they are getting on with reconciliation. The Great Recession is worse in Europe than in the US at this point. There are a lot of low income people in Belfast and I wonder if the cutbacks in spending on social aid and charitable donations are fanning the fires of resentment and pain. Soon, I'll hear.

Don't forget to check out the Volunteer In Mission group blog at: http://bpp2012.blogspot.com/