Learn more about Celtic and Irish American culture and heritage
Read articles about the thriving cultural legacy of Celtic nations and the unique contributions of the Irish and Irish-Americans to music, literature, theatre, history, sports and the arts. Learn about the language and folk traditions, cooking, humor and more. Search or filter subjects at right.
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Stream and watch Irish movies that were made by Irish film directors and Irish production companies, such as Kenneth Branagh, Lance Daley, and Cartoon Saloon!
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With the current laws and tax/visa rules, it's causing artists to reconsider or even forego coming to the States to perform and tour. This article breaks down costs and barriers artists encounter.
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Blog Topic- Festival
- Irish Fest News
- Music
Five castles to put on your bucket list of castles to visit in Scotland! From the oldest Scottish castle to the biggest, these castles are rich with history, beauty and stunning views!
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Use your Christmas dinner leftovers to make this traditional St. Stephen's Day dish -- Ham/Turkey Wellington
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This guide features small businesses from the Midwest that produce Irish themed products. Support small businesses this holiday season by shopping on their online stores!
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Watch exclusive YouTube videos of Irish music performances from artists such as Scythian, Runa, Rory Makem, and more!
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Our frontline workers are our real life superheroes! Check out the new website called My Frontline Hero. It's a place to honor and recognize our brave frontline workers, and a place to see inspiring stories of people helping their communities. Visit the site to see more.
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Guest Blogger Jessi L. writes about her Winter trip to Ireland, which included sightseeing, concerts, Christmas markets, and more.
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Golf Outing Raises Funds for Ward Irish Music Archives, The Great Irish Open, CelticMKE, Ward Irish Music Archives, Irish Fest, Milwaukee Irish Fest, Milwaukee Archives, Irish Archives, Irish Sheet Music, Celtic MKE Wauwatosa, Celtic Milwaukee,
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Photos and a quick note from Ed Ward on the 1981 contract signing event for Milwaukee Irish Fest.
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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.
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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.
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Pat Connaughton from the Milwaukee Bucks shared a video with us, where he shares stories about his Irish roots!
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Tommy Sands is one of the most powerful songwriters and enchanting solo performers in Ireland today and will appear at both Milwaukee Irish Fest and Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School in August 2019.
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Rory Makem reminisces on a childhood memory - 1975, when he went to the television station with his father, Tommy Makem to record a Christmas special.
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November 1st was traditionally known as Samhain, literally translated, the "end of summer." Tradition has it that druids lit a huge bonfire on the Hill of Tlachtga...
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Read about Shergar, an Irish-bred, British-trained legendary racehorse, taken too soon - stolen in 1983 & never to be seen again.
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An insight on the Irish sport, currach racing, with the Milwaukee Currach Club
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The tin whistle is a humble instrument but can sound amazing in the hands of an expert musician. Listen and learn about 5 influential Irish whistle players.
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Blog Topic- Listening List
- Music
- School of Music
Keeping the Irish Dance tradition alive with modern Irish choregraphy. This is the Milwaukee Irish Dance Company.
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One of the greatest achievements of the entire Milwaukee Irish Fest experience is the Ward Irish Music Archives. It is a tribute to the music and culture we share and in which we have built our community on.
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Blog Topic- Chicago
- Cylinder
- Festival
- History
- Music
- Musician Stories
- Ward Irish Music Archives
Every song that we perform has a story. But how do you find that story? How do you choose a song and then make it your own? When you break it down to basics, the steps of song arranging are pretty simple.
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Most people do not know that the American League was founded and incorporated in Milwaukee. The fact that four of them were Irish-Americans, as well as the man who initially brought them all together, Ted Sullivan, is even less well-known.
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The voice you all know and recognize - Mickey Mouse. Now, meet the Scottish-American behind the mouse and sound effects legend, Jimmy Macdonald.
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John Muir was a Scottish-American environmentalist. He spent his life loving the trees, the land beneath his feet and the world around him.
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Mexico and Ireland have a relationship that dates all the way back to the 1840s.
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Learn about and listen to five important historical Irish fiddle players: Lucy Farr, Bobby Casey, Julia Clifford, Paddy Canny and Johnny Doherty.
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Blog Topic- Festival
- Irish Fest News
- Music
A colorful piece of sheet music cover art leads Ward Irish Music Archives director, Barry Stapleton, on a journey exploring the Fenian Raids of Canada in 1866.
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Blog Topic- History
- Ward Irish Music Archives
To help make the most of your Irish music (or any style of music) practice time, we've compiled a few tips to help make getting started less daunting...
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Enda Schaill, a banjo extraordinaire, talks with us about Irish Fest, the creation of We Banjo 3 and how he contributes his experience and skills to the infectious, high energy quartet.
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In August 2016, the North American Hurling Team competed in the Etihad Airways GAA World Games in Dublin, Ireland, winning the Native Championships at the infamous Croke Park!
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Blog Topic- Chicago
- Music
- Ward Irish Music Archives
Even for the Irish, and the Celts, Dullahan is a starkly dark creature. Where did he come from, this headless one?
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Halloween has its roots with the Ancient Celts. Discover the history and transformation on this centuries-old holiday and learn about the traditions some still practice today.
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Irish sessions are fun gatherings of musicians sharing tunes and conversations in a relaxed setting...
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The Ward Irish Music Archives revisits early trips to Milwaukee by Irish fiddler Kevin Burke and guitarist Micheal O Domhnaill.
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Blog Topic- Milwaukee
- Music
- Ward Irish Music Archives
The sound of the flute has been a part of Irish music for generations.
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It's not what you play, it's the way that you play it. It's sometimes hard to believe this, especially when you're sitting in a session and you don't know all/any of the tunes being played. There are so many tunes to learn.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Everyone I know who frequented Nash's Irish Castle has a story to tell.
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Ed Ward talks about the beginnings of Irish Fest and the seeds that planted the creation of his Irish band, Blarney, in the 1970s.
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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.
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The new CelticMKE brand embraces the larger and expanded musical world enabling us to better compete in a multitude of Celtic nations for funds, influence and new and innovative ideas.
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The Ward Irish Music Archives staff reflect on their visit with one of Chicago's most beloved Irish figures.
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Blog Topic- Chicago
- Music
- Ward Irish Music Archives
Irish Americans Bing Crosby and Burl Ives both contributed to our modern Christmas music repertoire.
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Blog Topic- Music
- Ward Irish Music Archives
The Irish have left their mark on Christmas across the world with their unique and catchy tunes. Listen to 5 holiday songs that range from 15th Century Ireland to the 21st Century.
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The Ward Irish Music Archives takes a look at the evolution of Christmas music from the Victorian Era through the end of Tin Pan Alley.
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Blog Topic- Music
- Ward Irish Music Archives
St. Patrick's Day has celebrated Milwaukee's Irish heritage for years.
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Blog Topic- Culture
- History
- Milwaukee
- Music
- Ward Irish Music Archives
Independence. Identity. Ownership. What leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising strived and fought for.
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Also known as Boxing Day and Wren's Day, this day commemorates the life of St. Stephen, known for his service to the poor and as the first Christian martyr...
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With such a strong and vibrant Irish community, it’s important to remember what St. Patrick’s Day is really about. Here are seven things you should know about this special day.
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Many Irish Americans are familiar with the song "MacNamara's Band" written by Shamus O'Connor and John J. Stamford and popularized by the likes of Bing Crosby.
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Blog Topic- History
- Music
- Ward Irish Music Archives
A Grandma's recipe is always the best recipe. Learn how to cook Grandma's Hamburgers, a recipe that's been been in the Nickels family since the 1940s.
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This Ludwig bass drum came our way via Los Angeles and played an interesting role in Irish America’s support for Ireland’s independence...
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Blog Topic- History
- Music
- Ward Irish Music Archives
The family of Tommy Makem has donated two rare and valuable letters to Milwaukee Irish Fest to be added to the existing Tommy Makem Collection in the Ward Irish Music Archives...
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Blog Topic- History
- Music
- Ward Irish Music Archives
Our very own Irish Fest School of Music student Jonathan Schmidt was invited to speak to the young men at Marquette University High School during their "Spread the Word to End the Word" liturgy on March 19, 2015...
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Ed Ward, Irish Fest Founder, Barry Stapleton, Director of the Ward Irish Music Archives, and Jeff Ksiazek, Archivist, represented Milwaukee Irish Fest at the 48th Annual Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) Conference this May in Chapel Hill, North Carolina...
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Blog Topic- Ward Irish Music Archives
On Friday, October 10, The Murphy Beds (Eamon O'Leary and Jefferson Hamer) performed at the Irish Fest Center...
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Milwaukee Irish Fest board members were awarded this beautiful painting by The Institute of Study Abroad Ireland at the Transatlantic Connections Conference in Donegal in January in recognition of the work we do to keep Irish culture alive...
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Nicholas Carolan, Director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) in Dublin, travels to Milwaukee this week...
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Blog Topic- Music
- Ward Irish Music Archives
- Year-Round Events
If you have yet to explore the Ward Irish Music Archives' Sheet Music website, now is the time...
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Blog Topic- Ward Irish Music Archives
A celebration of the 35th Anniversary of Milwaukee Irish Fest, An Irish Night at the Museum, will take place Saturday, April 25 at the Milwaukee Public Museum...
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The Milwaukee Irish Fest Song Circle had so much fun visiting the Riverview Village Assisted Living Center in Menomonee Falls on September 11, 2014 to celebrate "Halfway to St. Patty's Day" with the residents.
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Uileann piper Patsy Touhey was the most celebrated Irish traditional musician of his day...
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Blog Topic- History
- Music
- Ward Irish Music Archives
Each summer we invite students and recent graduates from across the globe to Milwaukee for a unique, behind-the-scenes look at how we run the world's largest Irish festival...
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Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful honored Milwaukee Irish Fest at the IDEAL Awards Gala on November 1, 2014 at Milwaukee's Intercontinental Hotel...
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Timmy’s older brother Jon took a huge interest in Timmy’s lessons, listening in often and continuously adding more and more Irish music to his iPod...
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The Shepherd Express honored us this year in its 23rd Annual Best of Milwaukee event, held on November 11, 2014 at the Milwaukee Art Museum...
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