The Dublin Irish Festival is an annual

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

and cultural

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

held in

Dublin, Ohio Dublin is a city in Franklin, Delaware and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 49,328 in the 2020 census with a census estimate of 49,037 in 2019. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus. The city of Dublin hosts the yearly ...

. It takes place during the first weekend of August, attracting over 100,000 visitors to eight entertainment stages on in and beyond Coffman Park. Activities include

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and other Celtic music,

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

, food and drink, dance, cultural exhibits, games, sports, arts and crafts, and children's activities. The Dublin Irish Festival Academy offers a variety of classes led by DIF performers highlighting Irish music and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

. The event, produced and supported by the City of Dublin, is the largest 3-day Irish Festival on the planet. The Columbus

Feis A () or () is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival. The plural forms are () and (). The term is commonly used referring to Irish dance competitions and, in Scotland, to immersive teaching courses, specialising in traditional musi ...

, an internationally renowned

Irish dance Irish dance refers to a group of traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, encompassing dancing both solo and in groups, and dancing for social, competitive, and performance purposes. Irish dance in its current form developed from vari ...

competition, occurs every year at the same time as the Irish Festival. The 2021 Dublin Irish Festival took place on August 6–8. This festival will mark years. The main attractions play at stages located throughout Coffman Park, including the Guinness Celtic Rock Stage, Ohio State Wexner Medical Center Dublin Stage, The

Memorial Tournament The Memorial Tournament is a PGA Tour golf tournament founded in 1976 by Jack Nicklaus. It is played on a Nicklaus-designed course at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb north of Columbus. The golf course passes through a large n ...

Trinity Stage,

Giant Eagle Giant Eagle, Inc. (Western Pennsylvania English: ) and stylized as giant eagle) is an American supermarket chain with stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Maryland. The company was founded in 1918 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylv ...

Irish Thunder Stage, G & J

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Shamrock Stage, Celtic Music House,

Wendy's Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (1932–2002) on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was t ...

Wee Folk Stage and the

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Ceili Dance Stage.

History

The Irish Festival began in 1988 with a handful of dancers and a band known as the Irish Brigade. At that time, it took place on a

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match, doubles and singles matches. A variet ...

. In 1992, the City of Dublin became the main sponsor of the Festival. In 1993, attendance surpassed 10,000. On the Irish Festival's 10th anniversary, in 1997, attendees set the Guinness Book of World Records' record for the Largest Irish Jig. On the Irish Festival's 15th anniversary, in 2002, attendance reached 70,000. 2002 also marked Flogging Molly's debut concert at the Irish Festival. In 2009, attendance exceeded 100,000 for the first time. The world renowned Richens-Timm Academy of Irish Dance is the only entertainer who has performed every year at the festival since its inception in 1988 and is festival favorite among many attendees. The 2020 festival was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

; the 35th was deferred to 2022.

Activities

The Elders (band) at the Dublin Irish Festival, in Dublin Ohio, 2012

Dublin Irish Festival 2015 (Dublin, Ohio) - Catholic Mass

Wee Folk Area
The

Wee Folk area features free activities, entertainment and crafts. Activities include magicians, storytellers, and Irish dance lessons. Another feature are vendors unique to the Wee Folk area. Children will have the opportunity to make a candy straw or have their faces painted. There are also Irish themed contests for reddest hair, greenest eyes and most

freckles Freckles are clusters of concentrated melaninized cells which are most easily visible on people with a fair complexion. Freckles do not have an increased number of the melanin-producing cells, or melanocytes, but instead have melanocytes that ...

. Children will have access to the Pot O'Gold Playland, a game area with inflatable rides, Gaelic games, and a

climbing wall A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material most often used i ...

.
Dublin Irish Festival 5K and Kids Fun Run/Walk
Every year the Irish Festival has a 5K in which the contestants wear green. As of 2012, the Irish Festival will feature a kids run in addition to the normal 5K.
Cultural Activities
The Cultural Activities will allow participants to visit the past as they learn to play ancient Irish musical instruments, discover information about Irish history and traditions, and view demonstrations on ancient ways of life.
Beverage Tasting
Each year there is a beverage tasting for adults. These include

beer tasting Beer tasting is a way to learn more about the history, ingredients and production of beer as well as different beer styles, hops, yeast and beer presentation. A common way is to analyse the appearance, smell and taste of the beer. Then a final judg ...

Irish whiskey Irish whiskey ( ga, Fuisce or ''uisce beatha'') is whiskey made on the island of Ireland. The word 'whiskey' (or whisky) comes from the Irish , meaning ''water of life''. Irish whiskey was once the most popular spirit in the world, though a lo ...

tastings and as of 2011 the festival has included a mead tasting. In addition to the beverage tasting, Guinness is the official beer. Celtic Canines
The Irish Festival features an area presenting .
Sunday Services
On Sunday the Irish Festival opens with a traditional

Irish breakfast A full breakfast is a substantial cooked breakfast meal, often served in the United Kingdom and Ireland, that typically includes back bacon, sausages, eggs, black pudding, baked beans, some form of potato, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast, and ...

and an American breakfast. In addition, the Festival also offers multiple Sunday services, including a

Catholic Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "the same Christ ...

in Irish Gaelic, a Catholic Mass in English, an Episcopal U2charist Service, and a Druid Service.
Academy Classes
Before the Irish Festival begins, people will have the opportunity to attend a variety of classes that focus on Irish music and culture.
Celtic Sports
The Irish Festival hosts a variety of sporting events for attendees to participate in, including cornhole and a

darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed missiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard. Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the bo ...

tournament. In addition the Festival presents the Highland Heavyweight Games. The games are a tribute to the ancient tradition when warring clans would battle with each other to prove their strength and agility. Attendees will watch as the teams compete in events such as the

caber toss The caber toss is a traditional Scottish athletic event in which competitors toss a large tapered pole called a "caber" (/ˈkeɪbər/). It is normally practised at the Scottish Highland Games. In Scotland, the caber is usually made from a l ...

stone put In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's o ...

weight throw Two sports have events that fall under the name of weight throw one being the track and field event and the other being the Scottish highland games events. The track and field event is most popular in the United States as an indoor equivalent t ...

, weight-over-bar,

sheaf toss The sheaf toss is a traditional Scottish agricultural sport event originally contested at country fairs. A pitchfork is used to hurl a burlap bag stuffed with straw over a horizontal bar above the competitor's head. Typical weight for the bag i ...

and hammer toss. A bagpipes showcase will also be available for viewing.
Gathering of Redheads
Redheads will have the opportunity to be a part of the Midwest's Largest Gathering of Redheads. A group photograph will also be taken.
Sand Sculptures
Starting in 2003, The Irish Festival has featured large

sand sculpture Sand art is the practice of modelling sand into an artistic form, such as sand brushing, sand sculpting, sand painting, or creating sand bottles. A sandcastle is a type of sand sculpture resembling a miniature building, often a castle. The dr ...

s, showcasing Irish life and themes.

Awards

In 2006, the Festival was awarded an EXPY from Experience Columbus. The 2007 Festival was recognized by the International Festivals and Events Association with the Silver Grand Pinnacle Award, recognizing top events in the world. It was also selected by the American Bus Association as one of the top 100 events for 2009. The 2011 Irish Festival was honored with 7 International Festival and Events Association Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards. The Festival received gold in Best New Single Sponsor Program, Best TV Promotion Ad Spot and Best Merchandise. Silver in Best Social Media Site and Best T-shirt Design. Also the Festival took bronze in Best Individual Sponsorship Program and Best Single Magazine Display Ad.

References

External links

Dublin Irish Festival
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