Founder's Corner

Ed Ward

Ed Ward
Ed Ward founded Milwaukee Irish Fest.
He also founded the Irish Fest Foundation and the Ward Irish Music Archives.
Ed served as a permanent member of the Irish Fest Board and served as the Chair of the Entertainment Committee.

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Paddy's Daddy

After some discussion exploring issues of visual identity, color and an aspect of “fun” the Irish Fest Board selected the orange, white and green leprechaun image as the new logo.

The French Connection

Ed Ward talks about the beginnings of Irish Fest and the seeds that planted the creation of his Irish band, Blarney, in the 1970s.

The Color Purple

My generation's exposure to purple was Sheb Wooley's song, "The Purple People Eater." Well, that and finding out that purple crayons don't taste like grape. But you may be surprised to know that in the mid-1980s the color purple and Irish Fest had much in common.

The DERRY-AIRS

In 1977, Ed Ward submitted a request to the Shamrock Club to organize a concert featuring local Irish talent. The concert became the first ever of its kind, using SOLELY local artists. The lineup included a quartet of Irish bar owners, dancers, a fiddler, a ten year old banjo player, and more.

The New England NFL Connection

The first New England Irish Festival, a two day event, ran inside the Patriots' Sullivan Stadium, in 1984. Michael Chamberlain, Stadium Manager at the time, hired none other than Milwaukee Irish Fest's Founder, Ed Ward to coordinate and run the event.

The Barman and The Bards

Derry Hegarty decided in 1975 that Milwaukee needed real Irish folk music and hired a Boston-based, four person group to appear in his pub, Derry's. The Bards, originally from Belfast, became a big hit on the local Irish scene.

Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann Milwaukee Chapter 1979

Founded in 1951 by a group of Westmeath pipers, CCE is the primary Irish organization dedicated to the promotion of the music, dance and language of Ireland. Ed Ward talks about the origin of the Milwaukee chapter.

Milwaukee Irish Fest Contract Signing 1981

Photos and a quick note from Ed Ward on the 1981 contract signing event for Milwaukee Irish Fest.

De Dannan and the Golden Age of Irish Traditional Music

Based on the groundbreaking blending of traditional and modern music techniques introduced by composer Sean O'Riada at the University College Cork in the 1960s, a number of new Irish bands emerged a decade later that revolutionized Irish traditional music, including De Dannan.