By John Good
I did not go to Dallas on the weekend of March 4th to attend the Irish Festival. I had been invited by the North Texas Welsh Society to give a presentation for a celebration in honor of our Patron Saint, David, on Saturday night but I booked a late Sunday, return flight so as to leave the afternoon free to mix with Celtic cousins. And the decision paid off handsomely! My own gathering had gone well; the folk music, poetry and stories had been received warmly, especially the penny whistle pieces and I returned to the hotel in good spirits and talking of spirits, I took the elevator to the roof-top bar for a night cap. The place was filled to the rafters with the festival musicians. The main room, meeting rooms, alcoves, closets, were full of fiddlers, whistlers, harpists, dancers, banjoists, drummers, singers of every shape and size and all wearing the green. The bartender could hardly keep the Guinness flowing: the place was literally reeling in the aisles and at stop-tap no one was even remotely ready to put the pipes to bed.
Not too early the next day, I took the shuttle to the Dallas Fairgrounds, hoping to keep the flow of music (and festive spirit) running. I was not disappointed. The event filled two convention halls and overflowed onto the grounds outside. There were seven (7) or so music stages, a couple of dance stages, booths selling everything an Irish person (or Welsh) could desire: green, stove-pipe hats, music, instruments of every kind, Celtic books, shawls, kilts, beer, corned beef and cabbage; there were information booths, birds of prey exhibits, Wolfhounds roaming around and a large crowd, many in costume of one sort or another, all enjoying the pleasant afternoon. As for the music, it was non-stop and everywhere. I realized that one day was not enough and I would have to pick and choose carefully.
The headliners Altan, the excellent band from Donegal, had played the night before as had Alan Kelly from Roscommon, Christy O'Leary of County Kerry and Cuillin from Canada but there was plenty to hear and see. The Dallas band Jigsaw put on a spirited and warmly received set and the flute-player, Kevin, told me not to miss the Breton musician Jean-Michel Veillon and guitarist Yvon Riou. The man is a world class flute-player: a master of the tradition of Brittany. Their set, made up mostly of the fascinating rhythms and melodies of Northern France also included Irish music, played with a lyrical flow and enthusiasm; guaranteed to get you up on your feet. I went back for the second show and a flute workshop and he told me that at the big festivals in Brittany as many as 10,000 people gather to dance. If you ever hear him, you will know why.
At this point, I was running out of time and with an hour left I headed for the main stage to hear Maire Ni Chathasaigh and Chris Newman. You will see Maire on the PBS special Celtic Harpestry this year. And no wonder, both musicians are virtuosos. They played jigs, reels, swing and bluegrass at break-neck speeds and flawlessly. Maire, as well as play the harp sang an air and the guitar of Chris Newman was never short of appropriate. By the time I had settled into my seat and the plane had turned into the west, I had already re-run the weekend more than once. I will be back next year and do yourself a favor, around ST. David's Day, March 1st next year, find yourself in Dallas.
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