Sing a song of old Ireland at Pittsburgh Irish Festival
Starting Friday and continuing through Sunday, The 35th Annual Pittsburgh Irish Festival will be happening at the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Pittsburgh.
“We could not be more excited to present this year’s Pittsburgh Irish Festival entertainment line-up,” said Mairin Petrone, Pittsburgh Irish Festival executive director. “The line-up features new bands, phenomenal solo performers, well-known favorites, Grammy winners and nominees, local Irish dance groups, social media stars, and more on four stages for non-stop fun and enjoyment.”
Returning this year is a fifth stage where visitors can watch both professional and amateur bakers and chefs demonstrate the process of cooking and baking treats.
The Pittsburgh Irish Festival will welcome Ally the Piper, BIIRD, The Screaming Orphans, Meadhbh Walsh, Ladies of Longford, The Bow Tides, Jessica Willis Fisher, RUNA, The Drowsy Lads, Eileen Ivers and The Brigideens, and more who will all be headlining acts on various evenings and stages.
Dennis Doyle, one of the headliners, is a Celtic harpist who has been featured at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival for over 20 years. His program of traditional Irish harp music, stories, songs, bits of history and jokes have been performed all over North America, Japan and Ireland.
Teachers and musicians run in his family which originally hails from County Wicklow, Ireland. Dennis has produced over 10 recordings and has two published books on Celtic and liturgical music. In addition to playing on the show stages, he also helps organize and perform in the festival liturgy each year.
Though based in California, Dennis has deep personal roots in Fayette County, where his grandfather William Doyle worked the mines around Uniontown. His own father, Mark Doyle, was born in Connellsville before the post-war family exodus to Los Angeles in 1949.
Regional performers will include Abbots Cross, the Bell School of Irish Dance, Denizen, the Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance, Jim Lamb, Johnny Gallagher and many more.
Pittsburgh Irish Festival, Inc., is a nonprofit organization created to contribute to awareness of Irish history and tradition that exists in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Irish Festival has expanded into a year-round resource for education and cultural programs through the creation of the Irish Education Outreach Program.
For more information, visit www.pghirishfest.org.