Irish Festivals
By Larry Kirwan
Every month I get a call from some savvy all-American wondering about
his or her chances of pulling off an Irish Festival.
And why not? Get yourself a fenced-in space, a stage, a workable PA,
a headlining band, beer company support, a volunteer staff, some fine weather
and you could be on your way to being the next Milwaukee Irish Fest.
Where did it all start? Well, that’s a bit like the Ray’s Pizza conundrum,
isn’t it? But my gut instinct is that it all began back in the New York
Irish community of the 50’s. Okay, South Side Chicago and Boston, you’ve
got documented proof that your festivals were celebrating their centenaries
when wide-pantsed Galway men and their petticoated dates from Leitrim, Mayo
and Tyrone were chastely cheek-to-cheeking to Micky Carton’s Orchestra at
the Jaeger House on Lexington Avenue.
My theory, though, is that when these young immigrant Irish trooped out
to the Rockaways on those pre-air-conditioned summer weekends and danced
and drank in the haunts of Irish Town, that the seeds were sown for the
modern Irish Festival.
With time, those dancers married, had children and didn’t get out as
much any more. Besides, the urban decay of the 60’s hit the Rockaways hard.
Most of Irish Town was demolished and the streets were no longer as safe;
but the couples still wanted to meet, reminisce and show off their kids.
So, they unfolded their beach chairs, bought a keg, finagled a couple of
hung-over musicians into playing, and bob’s your uncle, they had a rip-roarin’
block party on their hands.
The Rockaway Festival that grew out of these innocent Sunday afternoons
was one of my favorites – although, one year, I was almost brained by a
beer cooler thrown by an appreciative fan. Alas, the festival is no more
– our national savior, Mr. Giuliani, put his Puritan kibosh on it and various
other events such as Rocky Sullivan’s People’s Fleadh by barring the street
sale of alcohol. After all, who, in their right mind, would want to attend
a dry Irish Festival?
But I digress. A number of veterans of the Rockaway bash who relocated
to Southern Florida, Sheila Hynes and Rory O’Dwyer (son of the great Irish-American
Civil Rights activist, Paul O’Dwyer) amongst others, longed for an authentic
hooley around St. Patrick’s Day. They hired a park, a PA, and engaged
Adrian Flannelly (the voice of Irish Radio out of New York) to snare some
top class musicians. A couple of decades later, their two festivals in Ft.
Lauderdale (February) and West Palm Beach (March) are amongst the most successful
in the U.S. And, given their location, they almost always have good weather.
The first festival I performed at was the long-running Catholic Charities
event out in Coney Island. Chris Byrne (now with Shanachie) and I were in
the midst of a very earnest version of “The Patriot Game,” at the end of
which, to the wail of the pipes, I would denounce every Taoiseach, Tanaiste
and elected rat-catcher for betraying the Cause, when to my amazement, I
glimpsed the sight of a nun in full habit sweeping past me. Figuring it
was some kind of flash-back, I returned to my denunciations but there she
was again, this time fiddling with a boom-box from which emanated the heavenly
sound of synthesized strings. After the set, I found out that we had overstayed
our allotted time, the good sister had a second gig to get to, and it was
later for you, Black 47! I’m glad that Sister Mary Beata continues to play
the circuit.
Speaking of divine intervention, ask Frank Bradley about weather. Frank
is one of nature’s gentlemen and the visionary behind the great South Side
Chicago Festival held every Memorial Day Weekend in Gaelic Park (Info: 708-687-9323).
Sounds balmy, right? On our first appearance there in 1991, it began
snowing as we took to the stage. We were contracted for a 90 minute set
and, fearful of not being paid, we blazed on through a gathering blizzard
to about 50 hardy souls who danced to our frantic pleas for James Connolly
to rise up, initiate a proletarian revolution and liberate us from the frozen
stage. When we came off like six emasculated snowmen, Frank stood there,
check in hand (plus bonus) silently marveling at the lunacy of certain New
York musicians. The Festival now takes the precaution of erecting an enormous
tent. You just can’t trust that Lakeside weather. But you can depend on
the warmth and rowdy loyalty of the South Side Irish.
For my money, having a headlining act is a must for a successful festival.
Ask that lovable Cavan rogue, Steve Duggan, whose Belmont Family Festival
had chugged along to respectable successes over the years. Last August,
Stevie nailed down the Saw Doctors for his Saturday night extravaganza and
hit the jackpot with a record- breaking attendance. (At Belmont Racetrack
August 8-10). This year The Sawdoctors will again headline. Famed balladeers,
Paddy Reilly and Finbar Furey, will also be on hand, as will 1200 Irish
dancers and participants in the Eamonn Coghlan 5K Classic.
Of course, when you have built up a reputation like the Milwaukee Irish
Fest, you don’t really need a headliner. But this summer, the Fest is featuring
the brilliant Gaelic Storm (see Music page 66.) Back at their inaugural
in 1981, the goals of the organizers were modest, hoping in some small way
to emulate the successful local Fest Italiano. Now, over 100,000 pass through
their turnstile annually. Founded by Chuck and Ed Ward and a loyal, hardworking
committee, Milwaukee has become the Mother of all Irish Festivals. (The
Fest’s Summer School runs August 10-15 and the Festival itself runs August
14-17. For info: www.irishfest.com (414) 476-3378). They are blessed with
a wonderful, publicly funded site which puts on many other large scale events
throughout the summer. Jane Anderson, a founder and currently executive
director, counseled would-be promoters to start small and always go for
quality; quantity will come with time. One of the projects funded by the
festival is the Irish Music Archives, dedicated to John J. Ward, Chuck &
Ed’s late father, which now contains over 40,000 pieces of Irish recordings
and sheet music.
Festivals, of course, reflect the current dynamics of Irish American
life. There is the eternal battle between those more attuned to the homeland
who cringe at leprechauns, green beer, freckle-faced competitions, on the
one hand, and those who see no harm in or, indeed, make a buck from such
shenanigans. Then there are the various political and civil rights activists
who consider it their right to set up a table on the big day versus those
who think that festivals should be apolitical or that Irish politics ended
circa 1916. This has led to friction at many festivals. But now, with peace
in the ascendancy in the North of Ireland, this issue shows every sign of
becoming a memory. Besides, a vast majority of people now feel that festivals
are about celebrating Irishness in its myriad forms and the tent is big
enough for all.
I’m forever impressed by the level of altruism at most festivals. Practically
all of the money raised goes to an array of charities and quite often to
the construction or maintenance of Irish Community Centers. Take for instance
the Dublin, Ohio Festival (August 1, 2 & 3) one of best run and, perhaps,
the second largest in the country. This year will mark its 15th anniversary.
Kay McGovern and the Dublin Irish Celebration Committee work with Sandra
Puskarcik and the City of Dublin, in apparent harmony, to run this ever-evolving
event. When asked the secret of their success, Kay cited the usual suspects:
good location, great PA systems, over 1200 dedicated volunteers and draconian
stage management – she personally has knocked on the hotel doors of tardy
musicians and will not allow any act – no matter how big – to go beyond
its allotted time. And where do the profits go? A very equitable split between
Irish organizations such as Project Children, cultural and sporting activities
in schools, theaters, social groups, etc. with the balance going back into
the City of Dublin to ensure that the festival is self-sufficient. Kay’s
parting advice to prospective promoters: organize, have some money to spare
and be prepared for every possible disaster that might happen, because it
eventually will.
But in the end, Irish festivals are about community. Whether this means
a return to the old neighborhood of Rockaway, a celebration of being South
Side in Chicago, or a uniting of the clans in Milwaukee and Dublin, the
festival is a way of getting together and celebrating heritage. In a society
that’s becoming ever more homogenized, it’s an affirmation of all the things
that make us different.
So, you want to start your own Irish Festival? Just get a fenced off
space, a stage, a PA, a good band, a Mussolini-like stage manager, and everything
Irish you can think of – except the weather. I’ll see you there this summer.
Larry Kirwan is the frontman for Black 47! His novel, Liverpool Fantasy
will be published in May.
|
