Vendors
Photos courtesy of Creekside Studio
Creekside Studio
For Pennsylvania’s Sally Capolupo and her shop, Creekside Studio, the 2016 Dublin Irish Festival will mark a significant “first:” Capolupo has never been to a fest.
Despite that fact, Creekside Studio seems a perfect fit for Irish Fest-goers, as Capolupo proudly displays her Irish heritage on all of her work.
Bowls, plaques and miscellaneous sculptures made from driftwood highlight Capolupo’s portfolio.
Capolupo was inspired to include more Irish themes into her work by her nieces and nephews, Irish dancers who have danced at the Irish Festival in the past.
“My nephew is in Europe right now doing Irish dancing, and my niece did it as well,” says Capolupo. “I love putting my heritage in my pottery and artwork.”
Because of their involvement in the Irish Festival, Capolupo was convinced to go by her brother.
“I wish I could lie, but I’m (new) to the show,” says Capolupo. “I’m really excited to see what goes on; I’ve never been to a fest. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Photos courtesy of Ireland on the Road
Ireland on the Road
Tom Sullivan and his wife, Peggy, are newcomers to the Irish Festival this year. With them is their business, Ireland on the Road, a sports jersey shop based in Connecticut that imports all of its jerseys straight from Ireland.
Although the Sullivans are no strangers to Irish festivals in general – Tom estimates they’ve been to hundreds throughout the last 20 years – the Dublin Irish Festival was always one they’d wanted to go to, but could never attend due to obligations with their children, who are now grown.
“We’ve wanted to go for many years, but it always seemed like that week, there’s a soccer tournament,” says Sullivan. “We got in (this year) and we’re very, very excited.”
Tom and Peggy, Irish-Americans, began bringing their children to Irish festivals to teach them about Irish culture. Customers and fellow vendors they met along the way always suggested the Dublin Irish Festival.
“We’re almost like pen pals. This is kind of a niche specialty industry,” says Sullivan. “It’s a lot of fun. We don’t think of it as work, to be honest.”
Photos courtesy of Liam Shard Jewelry
Liam Shard Jewelry
For Liam Hughes of Liam Shard Jewelry, the saying, “One man’s trash is another’s treasure,” rings too true. Jewelry, pendants and ornaments found at Liam Shard Jewelry are made from shards of broken china that Hughes has found or picked up in his travels between his two studios in Michigan and Ireland.
He found his passion for creating art out of broken china nearly 20 years ago, and has been on the constant search for broken china ever since.
“As an artist, I was just intrigued by the use of the china,” says Hughes. “Some of my pieces go back as far as 1840. One is from a shipwreck, some pieces are contemporary.”
But the common theme among all of his pieces is that the china was damaged when he found it.
This year will be Hughes’ first year at the Irish Festival, and he’s excited about the opportunity to display his work there. He was unable to bring his work to the Festival in the past due to scheduling conflicts with his trips back to Ireland.
“It was something that I wanted to do, but the timing wasn’t right,” says Hughes.
Musicians
Goitse
Goitse
Limerick, Ireland-based folk band Goitse (pronounced gwee-tsuh, meaning “come here” in Gaelic Irish) makes it a point to come back each year, making the 2016 Dublin Irish Festival its fourth year performing.
“Goitse are the kinds of guys that get around with everybody and have a good time; they knocked the ball out of the park, so to speak,” says Pat Garrett, president of Real Good Music in Arizona and Goitse’s agent. “Everybody that’s had them has wanted them back.”
One of the things that make Goitse special is that its music, rooted in Irish culture, uses instruments traditionally used in Irish folk such as the bodhrán – a traditional Irish drum made with goatskin – as well as the fiddle and banjo.
What brings Goitse back to the Irish Festival in Dublin, Garrett says, is the sheer size of the crowd that shows up each year.
“There are a few festivals that are the biggest, that do everything right and have a huge reputation for … people who come to the festival who know their music and appreciate it; Dublin is one of the biggest,” says Garrett.
Gailfean
Gailfean
For Gailfean (pronounced gal-fin), a four-part band, forming was completely by chance in 2012 when members John Whelan, Brian Conway, Máirtín de Cógáin and Don Penzien took the stage together at the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat in Texas on a whim. The four were in the same place by total chance, as Hurricane Sandy had stranded a few of them in Texas, and Gailfean (a word meaning hurricane and blustery weather) was born.
Though separately, the members have been visiting the Dublin Irish Festival for years, the 2016 Festival will be Gailfean’s premiere performance there.
“(Dublin’s) is one of the biggest festivals in the country, if not the world,” says de Cógáin. “All the bands I’ve talked to say there are great crowds, but the treatment you get as a band is great in Dublin. It’s lovely to get in there and we’re delighted.”
De Cógáin is quick to mention his bandmates’ credentials and history in Irish music, particularly of Conway and Whelan.
“These two are just legends in Irish music. They have many, many All-Ireland titles and have huge amounts of credentials in the Irish world,” says de Cógáin. “The band is a very unique blend of beautiful music of an old tradition with some great songs.”
Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
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