A Continuous blog about the week around organizing the 24th Annual Cleveland’s Irish Cultural Festival - It goes from the bottom up, from oldest to today.
Tuesday July 18th
It all started out so well. Got up early, got a lot of paperwork caught up, did the radio show with Gerry Glennon on Midwest Irish Radio […]
I got a call today from Gerry Glennon, a fantastic Disk Jockey on one of my all time favorite radio shows, Midwest Irish Radio, out of Mayo, Ireland, on the internet, at, surprisingly enough, www.midwestirishradio.com. Gerry finally got my book, sent to him about 2 months ago and he kindly invited me on the show […]
Hi All,
Only 5 days till the 24th Cleveland’s Irish Cultural Festival!
Started by my father, and a group of incredibly dedicated, creative and engaging volunteers, which now number over 425, the festival is a living passion, to present, promote and preserve our wonderful Irish heritage.
So, each day you will find a daily recap, from Monday July […]
Hello,
I have a briefly free evening (it is 11:30 p.m.) from preparing for the 24th Annual Cleveland’s Irish Cultural Festival, to be held next weekend, July 21-23 at the Berea Fairgrounds in Cleveland, Ohio - www.clevelandirish.org.
This will be our 24th year and it just keeps growing and growing and (knock on my wooden head) great […]
These Boys R O C K - plus some stuff on Berea Fest
Ray Kelly and Brian Tracey, each formerly of The Prodigals, joined with Matt Mancuso a year plus ago to form Mickey Finns. They put on an amazing energetic show last nite at Stamper’s Grill Pub. Brian left the drums at […]
Three sides, three perspectives, all end the same. Are we really that different?
(background - the 12th of July is an Orange Order day of celebration, in rememberance of when the Protestant King, King William*, defeated the Catholic King, King James, in the Battle of the Boyne, in the 1600’s. Now 400 years later, […]
This is a LONG blog. I won’t be offended if you skip it.
There was an Irish festival this weekend (I know, you say, “isn’t there one very weekend, John?”), in Eastlake, Ohio. It was held at the minor league’s Lake Erie Captains stadium for the first time. I had a table for my book there:
Here’s […]
Only 23 Days Until Cleveland’s Irish Cultural Festival
Hi Friends,
As you know (maybe), I have been involved in putting on an Irish Festival in Cleveland for more than 20 years (www.clevelandirish.org). It is only 23 days away - July 21-23. If you are anywhere close, I hope you can make it. I have met a few […]
I wrote this song when researching Tommy Makem’s chapter for my new book, Festival Legends, Songs & Stories. Tommy is called the Godfather of Irish music. He has written more than 400 songs, with some huge hits. His unwavering dedication to promoting and preserving the Irish culture is as legendary as he is.
The words in […]
I greatly appreciate all the support and kindness you have shown me in helping me get the Festival Legends series of books off the ground. I hope you can continue to utilize this update to spread the word, as time and opportunity allow, over the rest of the summer. I sincerely thank you for your […]