Dublin Festival, Saturday

Yes, I know it's Sunday. Sue me. I don't think I would have typed coherently last night by the time I got to the computer.

Here's Saturday's lesson from Dublin as it applies to you coming to Kansas City for Irish Fest: buy your drink tickets early. Here in Dublin, as we're implementing in Kansas City this year, no cash is accepted at the beverage tents. We were tipped off yesterday afternoon to buy all the tokens (they uses a sort of plastic poker chip here) we'd need for the evening to avoid the long night time lines. And fine advice it was. By 8:00 lines for tokens stretched long and thick. Beverage tents, with the simple transaction of handing over tokens and no change needed, moved with lightning speed. So please, save yourself a wait. When you arrive at Irish Fest, plan ahead. Buy all the drink vouchers you think you'll need for your stay at your first stop in the gate. You'll be happy you did.

We met over lunch yesterday with visiting organizers from several other Irish Festivals and conversation there turned to the conference of organizers and directors coming up in Kansas City in April. You'll be reading more about that here later in the year. Though most of it will be closed to the public, we'll be putting on some great music the first weekend of April and you'll want to be there for it. Musically here in Dublin yesterday, my personal highlight was a solo show by the great Andy Irvine of Planxty and Patrick Street. Just wonderful stuff by a real legend in this music. More great music from the Makem and Spain Brothers and Slide, a rocking set by KCIF alums The Prodigals, and some guys in a band called Gaelic Storm. They were okay, I guess. The lead singer talks funny. Caught a really nice show by the lovely and talented Beth Patterson, too yesterday. We also checked out the traveling exhibit from the Ward Irish music archive in Milwaukee on the history of traditional Irish Music, the same exhibit that you'll see in Kansas City in a little over three weeks. Barry Stapleton of the Archive gave an interesting talk on the subject. Be sure and bend his ear when he's in town. You'll learn something, I promise.

Today, it's a short day with the festival ending at 9:00 in a finale led by Beth Patterson. On my list, Bad Haggis, Patrick Street, Step Crew and a group called The Regan Irish Dancers who I figure have got to be good based on their name alone. I'll let you know.

More later from Dublin. Be home tomorrow to get back to work on our festival, with heads full of stolen ideas from Dublin.