Fair Park festival features Irish flavor

by Carolyn Brown of of North Texas Daily

This weekend, the Southwest Celtic Music Association will have its 27th annual North Texas Irish Festival at Fair Park in Dallas. The festival will begin Friday night and continue through Sunday evening.

According to its official website, the festival will have seven different stages with performers and music groups including Boru's Ghost and Beyond the Pale. The festival will feature dance performances from groups such as the Emerald School of Irish Dance and the Lone Star Céili Band. Storytellers including Gary Whittaker and John Burleson will also perform on stage throughout the weekend.

Festival workshops with audience participation will take place in the Creative Arts Building and will focus on traditional Irish music. Attendees are welcome to bring their own instruments for the lessons.

This year, author Frank Delaney will sign copies and read excerpts from his new book "Shannon" 7 p.m. Friday at Quiet Man Pub.

General admission tickets for the festival cost $10 for Friday and $15 for Saturday and Sunday. This year the event also has several discount offers. People who enter the gates between 6 and 7 p.m. Friday night will get free admission. All attendees who ride Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail to the festival will receive a $2 discount if they present their DART pass valid for the day of admission at the park gates.

The festivals hours are from 6 to 11 p.m. on Friday, 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.