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Although Kathleen Barry, who was visiting from Florida, celebrated her cultural pride in a new city this year, she said that the Irish always make her feel welcome.

“[The Irish] have a saying, that’s ‘Céad Míle Fáilte,’ a hundred thousand welcomes,” Barry said.

This past weekend, Clinton Square was a sea of green as people celebrated Celtic culture at the annual Syracuse Irish Festival. Vendors lined the streets selling claddagh rings, green Syracuse merchandise, baked potatoes, shepherd’s pie and Guinness. Along with the crowds, the sound of bagpipes and fiddles and the smell of beer transformed the square into a true Irish celebration.

Nine musical acts performed on the two stages on Friday. Many musicians sang a mix of traditional Irish tunes and new Celtic inspired folk rock songs. Celtic-rock band Enter the Haggis, known for exciting and dynamic music with a relaxed stage presence, performed popular tunes, and the captivated crowd gladly sang along. Each performance brought attendees both young and old to their feet as they moved to the music.

A large part of the celebration was the appreciation of the arts. Leslie Jamieson, owner of Thistle Hill Creations, brought her custom jewelry designs to the Irish Festival for the second year in a row. Inspired by her Celtic heritage, Jamieson creates her handmade jewelry but draws inspiration from other sources as well. She presents over 500 designs in precious metal when vending at festivals.

“A lot of cultural pride [was in the atmosphere] and people [were] excited to hear the music and see what everybody has to offer. They appreciated the fact that my jewelry is handmade,” she said.

Like clockwork, Liverpool couple Kevin Burke and Jean Collins have come to the Syracuse Irish Festival every year since 2002. This year, they took advantage of the revived festival scene, hoping to grab a beer with friends and share a familiar bite to eat.

They weren’t the only ones— visitors looking for authentic Irish cuisine hopped in line for Kitty Hoynes, a pop-up vendor that sold bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, and pints of Guinness. The strong aroma from the tent had hungry people lining up for dinner and a drink.

Among those enjoying Kitty Hoynes was Oswego couple Elizabeth and Brian McCauley, who have been coming to the Irish Festival for around 10 years. They love everything the festival has to offer, but it’s the great music and people they meet that keep them coming back year after year.

“We love the energy, we love The Elders, we love the Irish step dancers, we love all of it,” Elizabeth said. “We’re of Irish heritage so we love this festival… Anything Celtic, Gaelic, Irish, anything that’s of that heritage.”

Like any social event, the Syracuse Irish Festival suffered during COVID. But Brian McCauley noticed more people came to the festival since the pandemic, and said that this year’s celebrations felt like a return to pre-pandemic times.

“Coming out of COVID, there are more vendors here now, which is the way it used to be… (it) brings out more people which is awesome,” Brian said. “It’s great to see a lot of people out here.”

On Saturday, the same Irish pride was on display as The Great Syracuse Irish Session, a local musical group that plays traditional instruments like the fiddle, harp and twin whistle, took to the stage and energized the crowd. Later on in the day, singer and guitarist Shane Hennessy and performed in front of excited crowds.

Burke has come to the Syracuse Irish Festival for the last 20 years, simply because he looks forward to celebrating and sharing his heritage with others.

“The Italians have their festivals, the Polish have their festivals, so why not have ours?” Burke said.

Published on September 11, 2022 at 11:26 pm