Happy Birthday Ronan!

Irish Fest director and treasurer Ronan Collins turns tirty tree (give or take) today and we wish him at least 92 more. Ronan, like Ed Scanlon, is leaving the Irish Fest board of directors at year's end. Unlike Ed, you may not know Ronan's face. As treasurer, he's been the ultimate behind the scenes man, doing his job every Irish Fest weekend quietly with an integrity and a work ethic that makes us all tired just to watch it. And all tucked away in our festival office, well out of the spotlight that the rest of us get to occasionally step into. Always the last to quit working at night, often the last to quit playing afterward, Ronan leaves an indelible mark on Irish Fest as he leaves our board.

But for as hard as he works pushing numbers around, for my money Ronan's real gift to Irish Fest is his artistic vision. He's worked closely the last few years with Dave Shaughnessy as his board partner in identifying and booking our great bands. A native Dubliner, he brings an authenticity and feel for the music and culture that few of us can hope to match. Our Irish Comedy stage, the first ever at a major Irish Fest was Ronan's baby top to bottom, and he's got more ideas to make the Kansas City Irish Fest bigger, better and most importantly more innovative and original in years to come.

Ronan leaves his director and treasurer positions on December 31st. We haven't have the nerve to ask him yet, but we sure hope he'll stay with us in some fashion and keep us honest, real, and on message as he has always done better than anyone else. He's no ordinary man. He's a man and half.

Happy birthday, Ro. Many happy returns, buachaill.