Celtic Connection

Traditions stand the test of time, handed down from generation to generation – adding new life, stories, and interpretations to its ever expanding width and depth. During the last weekend of September, Huerfano County will help perpetuate
the traditions of Irish, Scottish, and related Roots music and dance.

Huerfano County is often referred to as “Spanish Peaks Country” for its towering two peaks, West Spanish Peaks and East Spanish Peaks. Indigenous people looked at them with sacred eyes and called them Wahatoya, meaning “Breasts of the Earth.” Part of the Culebra Range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Spanish Peaks can be seen as far as 100 miles in some directions

Huerfano’s four most populated areas are Cuchara, La Veta, Gardner, and Walsenburg. They are like four siblings with totally different personalities. Walsenburg, the county seat and former coal town, will host the Celtic fest’s Harp retreat as well as the popular Friday and Saturday evening concerts at the historic Fox Theatre. Highlighting the connections between Celtic and Appalachian music, Fridays’ concert, “Scotland meets Appalachia.” will cast the renowned Old Blind Dogs, David Coe and others. On Saturday brace yourself for one exciting Irish hooley when County Clare fiddle sensation Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill and friends raise the boards. La Veta is a charming artesian town that will house the Celtic fest office and is site of many classes/workshops and activities in the La Veta Park. Take a walk around town where the folks are friendly or jump on the train and go up the pass where bears often scavenge fallen grain that have slid from Coors boxcars. For a rustic mountain experience, travel 10 minutes south along the scenic highway of legends to Cuchara. This mountain village could easily be the set for an old fashion western movie. This is still a secret, but how much fun will happen when the Old Blind Dogs and friends meet at the Dog Bar on Thursday afternoon to start warming up for the Festival? On Thursday evening Gardner will host “A Taste of Things to Come,” a preview party with festival performers playing a few tunes or singing some songs. This “locals” event, is a sell-out each year so don’t your tickets a the last minute. Gardner has a colorful history too. Once the hunting grounds for Utes, Comanche, and Apace, it became home to cattle ranches. In the late 1960’s it became home to hippie communes. Most moved when they discovered the realities of rural living – hard work.

Gardner is also home of the Festival founders, Jack and Barbara Yule. Unafraid of work they moved to the area from Scotland a decade ago from Scotland to homestead on 30 acres. Jack is a harp maker and melodeon player and Barbara a storyteller. The festival grew its roots from informal ceilidhs (Scottish spelling for Ceili) that unfolded when they were visited by friends and family from back home.

The Yules European background is the reason behind the unique offering of a countywide festival. Unlike in America, it is not unusual for festivals in the Celtic regions of Europe (and eastern Canada) to have festivals that are spread out over multiple areas or towns, i.e., Willy Clancy Week, South Sligo Summer School, Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (Ireland), Celtic Colors (Nova Scotia), and Celtic Connections (Scotland). “It is as much a retreat as it is a festival,” said Barbara Yule. “We encourage people to come down for a day or two – more if possible, and build your own experience with the festival offerings, world class performers, along with the sights of Huerfano County.”

Oh, can’t forget the Ceili in the ghost town of UpTop on La Veta pass Friday at noon. This is a free event that was started last year and was a blast. Bring a tune, song, or dancing shows and enjoy the session in the old saloon and dance hall. Pack a picnic (snacks will be for sale) and bring your camera, as the sights are beautiful. Also plan some time to visit the chapel and old depot from 1888, once the site of the highest narrow gauge railroad in the world. Now the site of the highest ceili in the world! Did we say the Spanish Peaks Celtic fest is unique?

7th Annual Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival, September 22 – 25, with music and workshops by Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, The Old Blind Dogs, Robbie O’Connell (Clancy Brothers, Green Fields of America), David Coe, Ed Miller, Margaret Bennett, Roger Landes, Aine Minoque, Kim McKee, Jennie McAvoy, Claire Mann, Linda Hickman, Tanya Perkins, Shay Dunne, Cleek Schrey and more. Visit www.celticmusicfest.com or call 719-746-2061, 719-742-3003, 719-742-5410, or 303-777-0502 for information and registration.

Nessie’s been sighted and it’s reported she’ll surface at the 48th Annual Colorado Scottish Festival and Rocky Mountain Highland Games on Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14 at Highland Heritage Park, 9651 South Quebec (two miles south of
C-470)., this family-friendly festival is open from 9 a.m. to
10 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
For tickets, event schedule and information, contact the Festival hotline at 303-238-6524 or visit
Colorado Scottish Festival
Hosted by the St. Andrew Society of Colorado, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1963 to provide all persons the opportunity to pursue their interest in Scottish culture, the festival’s heritage can be traced back to Scottish fur trappers who carried on age-old homeland traditions in their Rocky Mountain encampments.

Attendees will experience the power of the massed Pipes and Drums on parade; the grace of Scottish and Irish Highland dancers; historic re-enactors staging mock battles; sheepherding, Birds of Prey and rugby demonstrations; and the comical antics of dogs of the British Isles. They can participate in Scottish country dancing and Tug-of-War; shop for traditional Scottish wares in the Market Square; and trace their ancestry and clan history at the Scots’ Heritage Centre. “Wee bairns” will have plenty of their own fun games and activities so parents can enjoy the day.

Four festival stages will offer non-stop Celtic music, and vendors will be selling such Scottish-Irish fare as haggis, Scotland’s savory “soul food”. Those of an age can enjoy a cold brew or wee drop of Scotland’s finest whiskey in one of several pub tents. Gentlemen wearing kilts are invited to enter the Bonny Knees Contest, judged by fair lassies.

The Rocky Mountain Highland Games will consist of fierce competitions in Highland dancing, piping and drumming, and traditional Scottish athletics, including the trademark caber toss (big, brawny men throwing heavy wooden poles).

During Midday Ceremonies both days, the skirl of the Massed Pipes & Drums will accompany a spectacular Parade of Clans and British dogs. On Saturday, the 5 p.m. Hot Piping Contest will be followed by a musical extravaganza from 7 to 10 p.m. featuring famed Celtic rock band, Seven Nations. On Sunday’s schedule — a British car show featuring MINI Coopers from the Festival’s Title Sponsor, Ralph Schomp MINI, and new and classic cars owned by members of MINI5280, the Motoring Society of the Rocky Mountain Region.

Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. Admission: Adults, $17; Seniors (60+), Active Military, Children 7-11, $12; Children 6 and under, Free. Free parking available at Highlands Ranch High School, 9375 Cresthill Lane; and Rock Canyon High School, 5810 McArthur Ranch Road. Free shuttle from both locations.

Photo: Michael Thompson at last years CIF

The cultural offerings at the 2011 Colorado Irish Festival’s Cultural Village are the heart and soul of the weekend event, showcasing some of Colorado’s talented groups, organizations, and individuals that perpetuate Irish culture all year-round.

One such individual is local Celtic musician and storyteller Michael Thompson. Not only is Michael a Chairperson for the Cultural Village, but he will lend his talents with an updated version of his presentation on “The History of Ireland in Story and Song.” “It’s not easy to encapsulate ten thousand years of Irish history in an hour,” said Michael, “But if you’ve ever wondered about the origins of the Irish people, this is your chance.”
One of Michael’s friends in the Colorado circle of storytellers is Denis Michael John Gorman McCarthy Gessing – and with a name like that, you know there has to be a story! The “American-Irish Seanachi” ( Seanachi, variation on the spelling of the word for a traditional Irish storyteller/historian) keeps the oral tradition alive, with stories to delight audiences from the wee to the ancient. Born in Colorado to third generation Irish parents, Denis gives life to Irish Folk Tales, his own stories and those of Frank Delaney. “The American/ Irish Seanachi reminds you that while the ancestors had to leave Eire, Eire never leaves you … so long as there’s the Seanachi.”

As anyone from Ireland can attest, the local pub has been a key part of Irish culture for many years. According to Michael the pub is an integral part of the Cultural Village. “The pub is not just a place to drink – in Irish culture, it’s a center of social life, where the community gathers, old friends meet up, and new friends are made. Irish pubs are famous for their music and craic (pronounced “crack,” an Irish word for good times and friendship), and you will find plenty of both in the Cultural Village Pub.” Local acoustic Irish traditional music will be provided by Skean Dubh, Mythica, Colcannon, Gobs O’Phun, Lougheed, and Mondragon. Also, traditional music sessions Friday and Saturday evenings, featuring musicians who gather to play just for the joy of it, much like what happens in most local pubs in Ireland – so stop by for a listen, or bring your own party piece (tune or song)!

For centuries the Harp has been recognized as a national symbol of Ireland. Thanks to sponsorship from Denver company Kolacny Music, you can learn to make angelic sounds from this instrument. Harps will be provided for learners for a “hands-on” workshop with instruction from Lisa Clark of the Colorado Harp Society.

Another instrument with a strong Irish identity is the Uilleann Pipes. The name comes from the Irish term píoba uilleann which literally means, “pipes of the elbow.” Unlike the Highland and other pipes, the uilleann pipes are inflated by means of squeezing bellows strapped between the waist and arm with one’s elbow. The bellows relieve the player from the effort needed to blow into a bag to maintain pressure. The uilleann pipes allows pipers to converse or sing at the same time as playing – or as the famous Irish piper and singer Finbar Fury once said at a Denver concert, “The Irish designed the pipes to make the mouth available for a pull on the pint.” You can have an up-close-and-personal look at this uniquely Irish instrument when Colorado Uilleann Piper Eric Olson conducts his presentation of “Kitchen Music.” According to Michael, Eric will recreate the facet of traditional Irish music culture, where friends and neighbors gather in the kitchen for informal sessions, playing tunes and sharing songs, and maybe and occasional dance. “You don’t want to miss this, in his own inimitable style, Eric will cook-up a presentation where audience participation will happen!”

You can learn how to pronounce “uilleann” and other words and history of the Irish language when Ireland native Mick Bolger gives his presentation, “The Broken Tradition.” The front man for the Irish band Colcannon and student of the language will bring insight and instruction in the colorful language promised Michael, “This is not just a “tea towel” approach to a few tourist phrases, Mick’s workshop will give you a new understanding and appreciation of the Irish language and how it influences the culture, even among those who no longer speak it.”

Want to find your family tree? Marylee Hagen, a member of W.I.S.E. (Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England) Family History Society (which will also have a booth in the Village), has been doing genealogy for 16 years. She is a teacher by profession, and has given many adult and student programs on genealogy and Ireland. Marylee will give a presentation on “Tracing Your Ancestor’s Footsteps.” She found her family roots in southern Ireland by tracing her ancestor’s footsteps backwards to their homelands in County Kerry. She will start with first researching in the United States and then go abroad. Strategies, tips and resources will be shared and examples displayed.

Colorado historian Sherman Bucheger will share two presentations this year at the Fest. The first, “The Irish Famine in America,” will discuss details of the 1845-46 potato blight in Ireland, the resulting famine, and the emigration of millions of Irish, many to North America. This vast migration had widespread effects in both countries, which continue to change the face of American culture to this day. “The Irish in the American Civil War; The Union Irish Brigade” will briefly discuss the role of Irish and first generation Irish-Americans in the American Civil War of 1861-1865. The discussion will focus mainly on the involvement of the Irish in the Union Irish Brigade under the command on Thomas Francis Meagher from the battle of Sharpsburg in 1862 through the unit’s involvement in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Topics to be discussed will include why the Irish fought for both the Northern and Southern causes during the war, the use of Irish troops by both the Union and the Confederacy during the early combats of the war, and a possible reason why current day knowledge of the Irish during the war Civil War is so limited.

Michael was pleased to point out some of the Colorado groups and organizations that continue to fly the flag of Irish culture all year-round, will have booths in the Cultural Village, they include:

The Colorado Emerald Society fraternal organization of police, firefighters, and public safety personnel, promotes Irish culture and traditions among those valued professionals. CES also sponsors a pipe and drum band that represent the State of Colorado at the National Peace Officers Memorial March and Service in Washington D. C., and the International Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Colorado Springs, as well as leading the Colorado Emerald Society in Denver’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The Denver St. Patrick’s Day Committee will be represented, dispensing information about one of the most prestigious St. Patrick’s Day parades west of the Mississippi.

Every year, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and its auxiliary, the Ladies AOH

The ever-popular Irish Wolfhounds will make a return visit, and this year, we feature a special display of Viking craft skills and handiworks, by Iðavellr Vikings . Vikings came to Ireland many times, in bands small and large, and made significant contributions to Irish culture. Iðavellr Vikings is both a Crafter’s Guild and Living History group, situated in Colorado. Iðavellr is old Norse for the place where the Norse gods rest after battle; a place where crafting and camaraderie ensues. The Iðavellr village will represent how Norse people lived during the Viking Age, traditionally circa 700 C.E. to 1066 C.E. Its members portray Norse people from various countries sometime during that period. Nearly everything they have is hand-made, from clothes and shoes to kettle and knives. During the festival, they will display things they’ve made that Norse people would have had, and work on Viking-Age crafts, such as shoe making, nålbinding, tablet weaving, spindle spinning, and so on.

And of course, no discussion of Irish culture would be complete without the mention of distinctively Irish sports, such as Gaelic football and hurling. Michael explains the games, “Gaelic football predates the modern sport of soccer, and resembles that sport as well as rugby, but with some unique Irish twists. Hurling looks a bit like field hockey, but is played by much the same rules as Gaelic football. Colorado is the proud home of the Denver Gaels.” Dublin native and local “D.J.,” Shay Dunne (and co-founder of the Gaels) and some of his teammates on the Denver Gaels, will explain the importance of traditional Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) sports in Irish culture. This will be followed by demonstrations of these quintessential Irish games that include Irish Football and Hurling. The Gaels will also host teams from outside Colorado in GAA competition all weekend at the Fest.

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Check the Cultural Village schedule at Colorado Irish Festival, click on Events, and scroll down to Cultural Village

Photo: Professional Irish Dance Troupe, “Strictly Irish” will perform Saturday at 1p.

Barleyjuice · Albannach · Enter the Haggis· RUNA · McPeake · Seven Nations Colcannon · The Indulgers · The Hounds of Finn · Potcheen · Mythica · Gob’s O’Phun Skean Dubh · Mondragon · Juice O The Barley · Lougheed · Strictly Irish Dance Troupe Irish Dance· Michael Thompson · Pipe Band Competition · Denver Gaels Irish Sports Cultural Village & Pub · Storytelling · Celtic Marketplace · Kids Area · and a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains from the reservoir at Clement Park! CLEMENT PARK, 7306 W Bowles Ave, Littleton, Colorado 80123 Dates/Times: Friday, July 8th 5pm – 10pm Saturday, July 9th 10am – 10pm Sunday, July 10th 9am – 6pm Cost: Free for Kids 12 and under all weekend! Free Parking & Shuttle! Friday, Free for all who arrive at the Festival Main gate 5pm – 7pm. After 7pm, $5 per person (12 & under Free). Saturday & Sunday Advance: $12, $8 Seniors over 65, students with valid ID and Military personnel with active ID, (12 & under Free). Saturday & Sunday at Gate: $15, $10 for Seniors over 65, students with valid ID and Military personnel with active ID, (12 & under Free). Sunday Mass 10am on Celtic Stage. Admission is free between 9-11am. A free-will offering of non-perishable food items will be accepted the main gate. Donations will benefit the Denver Rescue Mission. Advance Tickets Available at King Soopers, Telephone 866.464.2626 or 719.576.2626. Information/Tickets online at Colorado Irish Festival

Every Year since 1994, the Colorado Irish Festival has been showing folks how to have fun the Irish way! Be Irish July 8-10 at Clement Park, in Littleton! Entertainers scheduled to provide the musical backdrop this year include: Barleyjuice, making their Fest debut, will bring their highly contagious care-free Irish Rock. Their music has been chosen for TV and film (The Office, King of the Hill, Driven) and has been consistently ranked as “Best” by Irish newspapers; Also making their first appearance is RUNA. Contemporary yet leaning on the side of tradition, the band features Shannon Lambert-Ryan on vocals and monster acoustic guitarist Fionán de Barra (from Ireland’s musically renowned De Barra clan); Whether their shirts stay on or off, Albannach will call to your primal Celtic passions with pulsating tribal drums and bagpipes; McPeake, born from the legendary musical family and school from Belfast, will continue the family’s 100 year legacy of excellence with their third consecutive visit to Colorado; Also returning are Seven Nations and Enter the Haggis, two high energy bands with a history of rocking the house – 7N was described by one critic as “Explosive Seven Nations blows Palace into orbit … you’d be hard pressed to find a more original, unique but accessible group … powerful self-penned tunes and transcendent live shows. A musical force to be reckoned with, Seven Nations’ day has come.” ETH has been landing Billboard and iTunes World Music charting as well as major television appearances on shows like Live With Regis And Kelly, A&E Breakfast With the Arts and PBS’ popular program Out of Ireland, with its multi-influence style of Celtic rock. Colorado native and fiddler Michelle MacGregor will return to her old stomping grounds with her new band Hounds of Finn from St. Paul; Some of Colorado’s best bands who will be at the Fest, include Colcannon, The Indulgers, Potcheen, Mythica, Gob’s O’Phun, Skean Dubh, Mondragon, Juice O The Barley, and Lougheed. There’s loads more happening with Irish dance competitions and Irish dance performance by Colorado’s only professional Irish dance troupe Strictly Irish. Strictly Irish is comprised of four Riverdance and Lord of the Dance former Principal dancers, six World Champions, two 2010 World Championship medal holder, two 2010 Western Regional Champions. They have been seen on PBS and on tour with Celtic Fire. Current members: Shaun Casey, Aisling Toal-Casey, Martin Percival, Louise Connolly, Marcia Speights, Jessica Lesser, Eimear Toal, Hannah Hofreiter, Kate Shinnick, Blaine Donovan, Levi Hachi with a special guest performance from the 2011 World Champion Team “The Girls of Belfast.” Dueling Bagpipes will compete for awards and bragging rights; The Cultural Village will offer storytelling, music, history, and Irish genealogical workshops for adults and kids. Don’t miss the Denver Gaels as they battle it out in Irish Sports with teams from around the country. And of course spend some time to shop the Celtic artisans and other vendors, and enjoy plenty of food and drink Come and be Irish this weekend!

www.ColoradoIrishFestival.com The Colorado Irish Festival is presented by The Colorado United Irish Societies (CUIS), a qualified non-profit organization incorporated in 1995 as a 501(c)(3).