8...

When we were in Dublin for their Irish festival, I had a chance to see the exhibit from Milwaukee that will be coming here in a week. It's my number 8.

The History of Irish Traditional Music from The Ward Irish Music Archive.

Barry Stapleton of the Archive knows his stuff. This exhibit is interesting, interactive and well worthy of a piece of your Irish Fest weekend. Did you know that the music we think of as the traditional music of the Irish people dates only to the early to mid 19th century? Barry knows that. Do you know how the banjo, an African instrument became a staple of Irish trad? Barry knows that too. Did you know about the importance of early 20th century American Vaudevillians in the establishment of what we today think of as the "old" music of Ireland? Barry can tell you all about it. Make the time to ask him and to see and hear this amazing display. It'll be up just inside the Crown Center Shops atrium across from our atrium stage, all weekend long.