The Dublin Irish Festival is an annual

music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

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 co ...

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 and other

Celtic music Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considera ...

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 kins ...

, 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 grou ...

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

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Feis, an internationally renowned Irish dance 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 Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ...

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 ...

Trinity Stage, Giant Eagle Irish Thunder Stage, G & J

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

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 ...

Wee Folk Stage and the Cardinal Health 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 doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be ...

. 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 ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

' 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 identified ...

; 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. 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 ...

.
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 tastings,

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 Mead () is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining chara ...

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 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 Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

U2charist Service, and a

Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Wh ...

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 Cornhole (also known regionally as sack toss, or bags) is a lawn game popular in North America in which players or teams take turns throwing fabric bean bags at a raised, angled board with a hole in its far end. The goal of the game is to score ...

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 ...

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 la ...

, stone put,

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 and

hammer toss A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as ...

. A

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, ...

showcase will also be available for viewing.
Gathering of Redheads
Redheads will have the opportunity to be a part of the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. ...

's Largest Gathering of Redheads. A group photograph will also be taken.
Sand Sculptures
Starting in 2003, The Irish Festival has featured large sand sculptures, 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 The International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA) is a not-for-profit association for producers, suppliers and managers of festivals and events, which range from small county and municipal events to large-scale parades that can have atten ...

with the Silver Grand Pinnacle Award, recognizing top events in the world. It was also selected by the

American Bus Association The American Bus Association (ABA) is a trade association for motorcoach operators and tour companies in the United States and Canada. Its membership consists of about 1,000 companies that operate buses or bus-based tours, about 2,800 organizati ...

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
{{coord, 40.105707, -83.139104, display=title, region:US-OH_type:event, format=dms Folk festivals in the United States Festivals in Ohio Irish-American culture in Ohio Tourist attractions in Franklin County, Ohio Tourist attractions in Delaware County, Ohio Dublin, Ohio Celtic music festivals Rock festivals in the United States