I just got back from the Milwaukee Irish Festival over the weekend.

The lineup included: the Barra MacNeills, the Kilfenora Ceili Band,
the Celtic Tenors, Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul, Gaelic Storm, the Fuchsia Band, the Makem & Spain Brothers, Scythian, Seven Nations, the Saw Doctors, Solas, Tom Sweeney, Fiona Molloy and myself, among others too numerous to mention. Oh yeah, several schools of Irish dancing.

So we had the entire spectrum of Irish/Celtic/ Scottish/Nova Scotia/ Cape Breton. From magnificent traditionalists like the legendary 100 year-old Kilfenora Ceili Band to the Saw Doctors and Seven Nations; from Ballad groups and singers like the Makem & Spain lads, Tom Sweeney and me, to hot bands like Solas and Eileen Ivers.

We all went to see each other perform, and we jammed together back at the hotel until the wee hours, hot-shit pickers and ballad singers alike. We saw no difference in what we do.

The best of all for me was the Scattering - the last show on Sunday - where we were all on the big stage together playing, singing and dancing.

It was organized by Tom Sweeney an Joanie Madden (of Cherish the Ladies).
The songs and tunes were selected and we all did our bit for what looked like about 20,000 people out in front.

We swapped verses on the various songs, and one of the thrills of my life was singing a verse of the Leaving of Liverpool with the Kilfenora Ceili Band, and all the others playing behind me.

It was musical COMMUNITY at its finest, and even though we each have a specialized niche - ballads, trad instrumentals, rock, dance, we can all come together, because ultimately it's the music that binds us.


Seamus