* * * 2015 N E W S R E L E A S E * * *
Ancient Order of Hibernians – Adams Co. Div. 1
P.O. Box 3492
Gettysburg, PA 17325
http://www.adamscountyirishfestival.org
Media Inquiries:
Patrick Bowling
(717) 337-5999
Adams County Irish Festival Returns on July 18
Full day of Irish music and fun to benefit local Hibernian Hunger Project
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – July 7, 2015
After a one-year hiatus, the Adams County Irish Festival returns to Moose Park of Gettysburg on Saturday July 18, 2015. The 15th annual edition of the festival will run from10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and will feature all things Irish – music, dance, food, merchandise and more.
For over a decade, the shady grounds of Moose Park has been home to Adams County’s only Irish festival which has staged some of the biggest names in the Irish music scene. But in 2014, an insurmountable shortage of volunteers resulted in the festival being canceled. To avoid the permanent loss of a popular summer event celebrating Irish culture and heritage, Adams County Division 1 of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), a long-time festival partner and sponsor, has stepped up to organize and operate the festival.
This year’s festival is headlined by the Philadelphia-based duo, Timlin & Kane who will be making their Adams County Irish Festival debut. With rich baritone vocals and exceptional musical skills mixed in with some offbeat humor, Timlin & Kane have been delighting audiences in the eastern U.S. and Canada for over 38 years. Born in County Tyrone in the north of Ireland, Gerry Timlin developed an early interest and talent in Irish traditional and folk music, winning several singing competitions as a teen. In the early seventies, Timlin moved to America and teamed up with accompanist Tom Kane of Philadelphia to play popular folk music that eventually shifted towards Irish traditional and folk music that the duo’s audiences continue to enjoy.
Also featured and making their second festival appearance is The Kilmaine Saints from Harrisburg. This six-piece, high-energy band is renowned for bagpipes and modern versions of traditional Irish songs. Rounding out the main stage music slate are festival veterans and two of the most popular Irish music groups in the area, Across the Pond and Irishtown Road. A Civil War Living History Encampment with re-enactors from the 69th Pennsylvania Irish Volunteers will be on display with demonstrations of Civil War and Irish period music. Performances by the Coyle School of Irish Dance will also be featured during the afternoon.
Admission to the festival is $10, which includes all entertainment. Children age 12 and under are admitted free. The festival benefits the Hibernian Hunger Project, a local initiative of the Adams County AOH to raise funds for local hunger-relief organizations. Through the Hibernian Hunger Project, the AOH seeks to maintain the traditions of Irish hospitality and generosity by feeding the needy while remembering the multitudes of Irish who died from starvation or who were forced to flee Ireland because of An Gorta Mor (The Great Hunger) of 1845-1850. The Philadelphia AOH and Ladies AOH initiated the project in 2000 and the program took off nationally in 2003. Since 2003, Adams County AOH Hibernian Hunger Project efforts have raised over $5,800 for hunger-relief organizations in Gettysburg and the surrounding area.
The Festival will be held, rain or shine, at the McSherrystown Moose Park of Gettysburg (100 Moose Road, Gettysburg, PA), located in Straban Township off of US Route 30, approximately 1.5 miles east of the US Route 15 intersection. Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets.
For additional information on the festival, visit www.adamscountyirishfestival.org.
MEDIA COVERAGE INVITED!
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