St. Patrick's Day and the summer

Wow, I've really fallen behind. I plan on keeping this more up-to-date this summer.

St. Patrick's Day was great this year. A news crew from Rockford came to Suds O'Hanahan's in Beloit to cover the festivities. I was hired to pipe for the camera, which meant waking up at 5:30 in the morning to be there by 6:00 when the place opened. I got to see my friends Rising Gael perform that week also, which I always enjoy. They were nominated for 4(?) Madison Area Music Awards this year! I also made a bit of money performing for a luncheon at the Wisconsin Department of Administration. They had a week celebrating Celtic culture, and I played the pipes and gave a brief lecture and history on the pipes.

Since then, not much has happened. I said goodbye to Beloit Celtic Radio, my weekly radio show on WBCR. I really enjoyed sharing my Celtic music collection for the past three years. Maybe in the future I'll continue to do some broadcasting in local radio stations. Also, I applied for a travel grant from Beloit College to go back to Ireland and continue studying modern Gaelic culture. I was awarded the grant, but it was only going to cover half of my expenses, so I guess Ireland will have to wait for another time. I'm sure I'll get back there soon enough.

This summer has a lot of fun events coming up. This weekend is Fitchburg Days, a nice little celebration of the town's Irish heritage. I won't be able because I'm graduating from college(!!!), but it's worth checking out if you're in the area.

The Milwaukee Scottish Fest and Highland Games are on June 6th. New venue this year. They'll be held at the more accessible Hart Park in Wauwatosa. Great games with stellar piping, dancing, and delicious food (read: haggis).

I've made a little list of summer events in the area:
Oshkosh Irish Fest - May 29th-31st in Oshkosh
Chicago Highland Games - June 19th and 20th in Oak Brook
Irishfest La Crosse - August 7th-9th in La Crosse
Irish Fair of Minnesota - August 7th-9th in St. Paul
Irishfest - August 13th-16th in Milwaukee
Wisconsin Highland Games - Labor Day weekend (September 4-6) in Waukesha
MadCeltFest - September 12th in Madison
Celtic Fest Chicago - September 12th and 13th in Chicago

Hope to see you there!