The FREE fair will be held at Saint Paul’s Harriet Island Regional Park and will start at 3 pm on Friday and run until 11 pm Friday and Saturday evenings.
Musical headliners this year include Young Dubliners and Great Big Sea, which will perform both Friday and Saturday nights at 7 pm and 8:30 pm. Great Big Sea is an immensely popular Canadian folk rock band that pleases crowds with a high energy interpretation of traditional folk songs from their native New Foundland, as well as lots of original material. In 15 years, the band has made nine albums, the latest of which, Fortune’s Favour, pools the influences of Bob Marley, Fergus O’Byrne and Johnny Cash. www.greatbigsea.com.
Young Dubliners, a hard hitting Celtic rock band, always brings the crowd to its feet at Harriet Island. Considered by many to be the ambassadors of Celtic and American rock, the band’s dual Irish and American heritage give it a distinctively rich musical palette. Their newest album Saints and Sinners blends rock and Celtic influences to produce songs bursting with wit and wisdom. www.youngdubs.com
Irish Fair welcomes three new groups to the stage on Sunday - High Kings, Tommy Sands and Lunasa. High Kings is a band of balladeers in the tradition of The Clancy Bothers and Tommy Makem www.thehighkings.com, while Tommy Sands is a singer, songwriter and activist from County Down, who inspires with songs carrying a social message, www.tommysands.com. Lunasa is one of Ireland’s hottest acoustic bands whose rich Irish melodies are enhanced with a distinctive bass, giving their music a touch of rhythmic jazz.
In addition to the music, Irish Fair will feature food, drink, dance, cultural workshops, sporting events and contests and children’s events.
What’s New in 2010 will include the Fitzgerald Cup Piping Contest (in honor of Tim “Fitz” Fitzgerald, Irish Fair board member and entertainment booking agent, who passed away in March, 2010) Highland bagpipe bands from across Minnesota will compete in Ahern’s Croagh Park Sunday from 11 am to 12:30 pm. There is a Song of Ireland Exhibit – which explores the history of songs associated with Ireland and Irish Americans. It includes 5,000 pieces of sheet music and over 6,000 recordings, some over a century old. This exhibit is part of a collection of Irish memorabilia from the Milwaukee Irish Fest Archives, and has toured over 20 Irish Fairs in America.