Got Culture?

Hello! Danny is on a well-deserved vacation this week, so I've asked a few board members to submit ramblings, aka blogs,  (if they find time) about what's new, their favorite color, how much colcannon they can eat in one setting or anything else they want to talk about. First up... our newest board member, Stephen Dilks, who is a professor of English and Irish literature at UMKC. He's also spearheading a few awesome changes in our Heritage Area that he'd like to talk to you about. 
-Laren, KCIF social media
@KCIrishFest

Even though he's an Arsenal fan, the 2013 President of the KC Irish Fest is a very cultured man. And apart from supporting Man United, Ronan Collins has very good taste. With Davy Colgan's inspired guidance and Ronan's extensive contacts  we have worked to develop the cultural offerings at this year's Festival.  

Pat O'Mahoney, the great documentary maker and producer is our Cultural Master of Ceremonies and will introduce bands on the main stages. Pat will also orchestrate evening events on the Heritage Stage on Saturday and Sunday.   

During the weekend the Heritage Stage will feature a roundtable discussion about War and Peace in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry; we will have songs and storytelling by Ian Gould and Tom Sweeney; Renata Rua from the Irish Center will teach Irish; Barbara Scanlon will present her nationally renowned work on Genealogy; and we are honored to host a group of Kansas City Firefighters.  

Plus, back by popular demand after last year's scintillating performance of "Spreading the News," the Small Room Theatre Company will perform two short Irish plays.  

We are excited to announce a new tent as a base of operations for our enhanced cultural offerings: THE CULTURE SHACK.  

Volunteers can sign up specifically to help with the Culture Shack.  We need help staffing the tent, distributing cards with quotations, publicizing our cultural activities, and connecting all parts of what we are doing to expand the celebration and understanding of all aspects of Irish Culture (Architecture, Comedy, History, Literature, Photography, Politics, Storytelling, Theater, etc.). We also need ideas and connections for next year...so please join us!!!! 

The Culture Shack is an extension of the Heritage Barn (where the Heritage Stage is housed) and is designed as a base of operations for cultural activities on the Heritage Stage, the Arts Stage, and beyond. We will sell tickets for Maeve Higgins's Comedy Show; we will distribute "Culture Cards" with inspiring quotations by Irish authors. We hope to have our own specially designed T-shirts, too!

Please contact me at dilkss@umkc.edu if you have any questions about, or ideas for, the Arts Stage, the Heritage Stage, and/or Culture Shack.