Tap your inner Irish at Dublin (Ohio) fest
In 1810, a young Irish surveyor named John Shields stretched and shielded his eyes to look over a hilly green plot of land in central Ohio. Another settler, John Cells, had commissioned Mr. Shields to survey the land and name the new town. For Mr. Shields, the new name was easy. He’d call this tiny corner of the world “Dublin,” planting a memory of his birthplace in the very center of his adopted country. Dublin, Ohio, was born.
More than 200 years later, Dublin will again honor its Irish roots with the Dublin Irish Festival, which will run from Aug. 4-6. This is the 30th year of the festival, and the City of Dublin (Ohio, that is) spends the three weeks leading up to the festival building a fairground from scratch on a 38acre grassy park. It’s also one of the largest festivals in the country, drawing more than 100,000 people every year.
“Believe it or not, we started with a small group of Irish dancers on a tennis court!” said Mary Jo DiSalvo, a spokeswoman with the City of Dublin. “Now look at it.”
This year, the festival will have seven stages with more than 80 acts ranging from hard Celtic rock to more traditional Irish music to elaborate step dance routines. There will be whiskey tastings and markets with crafts imported directly from Irish artisans across the ocean.
“People, when they leave the Old Country, they always want to remember their roots and their past. We’ve done a pretty good job of embracing the Irish culture and tradition through the music and dance,” Ms. DiSalvo said.
Intrinsic to “Old Country” authenticity is traditional music, which sets the Dublin festival apart from other Irish festivals around America.
“It is probably one of the musicians’ favorite festivals,” said Gregory Grene, the Irish-born leader of the band The Prodigals, which will perform Saturday night at the festival. “It’s a magic kingdom that pops up out of nowhere — It’s got this ‘If we build it, they will come’ energy.”
The Prodigals, who have performed at the festival for 11 years straight, spend the summer months crisscrossing the country to play at various Irish music festivals. They are one of the most famous Celtic rock bands in America, pioneering an edgy “jig-punk” sound when they formed 20 years ago. Today, their trusty van has 209,000 miles on it — and counting.
“People play music for the sheer joy of it until 6 or 7 in the morning — It’s done solely for the joy of communicating with other musicians,” Mr. Grene said. “It’s tremendously, fantastically exuberant.”
Alongside genealogy tents, shopping areas, food trucks and traditional games, a very familiar object will sit proudly planted at the center of the festivities. In honor of 100 years of the National Hockey League, the Stanley Cup — won this year by Pittsburgh’s own Penguins — will be on display at the festival.
“We have a strong Pittsburgh base,” said Sara O’Malley, who also works with the City of Dublin. “This year, the festival will not only attract a local Pittsburgh base, but we think it will attract the Penguins fans to come see this.”
The cup, however, will not overshadow the traditional Irish roots at the base of the festival.
St. Patrick’s Day in March, of course, is a greenmarked stamp on the American calendar, but summer is really the time when IrishAmerican culture flourishes. With the weather warm and the kids out of school, committed families often traipse the country to see step-dancing and hear traditional music.
This festival is one of the largest close to Pittsburgh and one of the most beloved celebrations in Dublin, Ohio. The town comes together in a “Shamrock the Town” greening effort to pump up the festival, which has an $8.3 million economic impact to central Ohio every year.
More than just fun and games, the festival is also diplomatic. Guests will be joined by the lord mayor of Dublin, Ireland, Micheal MacDonncha, who will sign a friendship agreement with the City of Dublin, Ohio, at the festival. Although Ohio’s Dublin is a town with residents from many backgrounds, their Irish connection will remain strong for the next 30 years of the festival. And it will do so with the same foot-tapping, family oriented joy that it brings every year.