(I'm a former Milwaukeean, but it's been 25 years.)

The info you need is at the web site, but it's a little hard to find. I admit they seem to think that everybody just knows where the festival will be held.

Go to http://www.irishfest.com/festivalinfo/festmaps.htm

Irish Fest is still held on the shore of Lake Michigan, about where Wisconsin Avenue comes to an end. I think it's south of the Art Center.

The web site has information on taking the bus from outlying areas, and I believe you will get the best lodging and have more fun if you do that.

Take hearing protection. Not only do the bands habitually play loud, but they don't compensate for the dense, humid lake air, which transmits sound unusually well. The last time I went to Irish Fest, we listened to a group from Chicago play for dancers. Two of the musicians had a shtik of putting their mouths right near the microphone and whooping. God, it hurt! That was my last Irish Fest.

You may not have the sensitive hearing I have, but it can't hurt to take a pair of foam protectors along. You can get them in any drugstore.