News

Natalie MacMaster, Solas to Headline 2006 Festival

January 17, 2006

Fiery fiddle and flashing footwork will be on display as Canadian Celtic superstar Natalie MacMaster comes to Central New York as one of the headliners at the 2006 Great American Irish Festival. Also making their first GAIF appearance will be Solas, acclaimed by many as the most exciting Irish traditional group in the world.
In just two short years the festival has developed into what one performer last year called one of the top three Irish festivals in the country. The growth from local event to an international experience is evident with this year's line-up, which features performers from 10 counties of Ireland, Scotland, Canada and from all corners of the United States.
In addition to fiddle virtuoso (and new mother) MacMaster and Solas, festival-goers will also enjoy such world-class acts as The Prodigals, Enter the Haggis, Hair of the Dog, The Glengarry Bhoys, Cathie Ryan and Andy Cooney.
Proceeds from the annual festival will be used to help establish an Irish Cultural Center in the Mohawk Valley. Filling three stages with continuous music throughout the festival, the lineup is a virtual who's who in Celtic music and truly features something for everyone.
Natalie MacMaster is a Grammy nominee and multiple Juno-award winner, while the much-lauded Solas has electrified crowds everywhere they've performed. Andy Cooney, former vocalist with the renowned Paddy Noonan Band, has been called "Irish America's Favorite Son" by the New York Times, and Cathie Ryan, the original lead vocalist for Cherish the Ladies, has been hailed as one of the leading voices in Celtic Music by the Los Angeles Times and was named Irish Female Vocalist of the Decade by the Irish American News.
On the contemporary stage, The Prodigals have received the #1 ranking by readers of the largest circulation Irish-American newspaper, the Irish Echo, beating out acts such as U2 and Van Morrison. Enter the Haggis was recently featured on A&E Network's Emmy-nominated Breakfast With The Arts series, and the Glengarry Bhoys have established themselves as one of the top draws on the Irish music circuit with their fiery guitar and bass, intense percussion and fiddle, all teamed with the power of bagpipes.
The festival will also feature pipers, Irish dance and music demonstrations and workshops, Irish history and culture seminars and events for children such as storytellers, rides and clowns.
In addition to the non-stop music, merchandise vendors from across the U.S. and Ireland, carefully selected from a list of applicants, will be selling Irish and Celtic merchandise and food booths will be providing a taste of the Emerald Isle for festival-goers. Campsites are also available.
And, Festival Director Matt Sullivan promises, there is more to come.
"As impressive as this list of performers is, we're still going to be adding more, including, we hope, one huge act," predicted Sullivan. Keep visiting the website regularly for further announcements and updates.