2019 Milwaukee Irish Fest, Day Two

2019 Milwaukee Irish Fest, Day Two

Irish Fest is dependent on the 4,000+ volunteers who make the festival what it is.

For day two, my day starts at 8:00 a.m. on the grounds crew. We cover tables until 4:00 p.m. when the festival opens to the public for the first official day of music--another short night of lively Irish music.

My first band on Friday is a return visit with Moxie.

Weather can really spoil the experience of attending an outdoor festival like Irish Fest. Luckily the shower was brief and soon pass out over Lake Michigan. While it was raining I had the good fortune of being assigned to the Irish Theater Tent so I stayed nice and dry.

My next band was Elephant Sessions but due to a physical injury to one of the members, the band was unable to tour. In their place, the band Connla from the cities of Armagh and Derry in Northern Ireland, played an addition set. Connla is Ciara McCafferty (vocals), Ciaran Carlin (Flute/Whistles) and Paul Starrett (Guitar) Emer Mallon (Harp) and Conor Mallon (Uilleann Pipes/Whistles). 

As a part of their roles as Galway ambassadors, We Banjo 3 had a few photo ops with the other dignitaries. 

Then, using their "suggested" set list, the boys rocked Irish Fest again.

I have all-access freedom as a photographer and sometimes I see things I shouldn't. Here is Dan White of the Huntertones backstage before the We Banjo 3 concert. I do not know what he did to be made to stand in the corner but it could not have been good. 

Showtime!

The Huntertones are a jazz ensemble that formed in Columbus, Ohio, but are now based in Brooklyn, NY. The brass section met We Banjo 3 at a fest and they now sit in at certain events to great advantage.

I can say from experience, the band members always know where the cameras are

Next up was Skerryvore from Scotland. They consist of two brothers, Daniel (Accordion) and Martin Gillespie (pipes, whistles and accordion), Fraser West (drums), Alec Dalglish (guitar and vocals), Craig Espie (fiddle) and Jodie Bremaneson (bass), and Alan Scobie (keyboards).

 

Beside the four big stages that Irish Fest uses, there are four more smaller venues that prove to have great music as well. 

The "caller" in the Dance Tent

Here are The Whileaways again.

Musically for me, one of the most intriguing bands at this year's fest was Hermitage Green, a band I did not see at last year's fest. I loved these guys. 

I closed Friday night with a concert by two musicians I was not familiar with but who were referred to as "The Beatles" of Ireland, Leo Moran and Padraig Stevens of The Saw Doctors. Considering there was just two of them, they packed a wallop in their presentation.

And so ended Day Two of Milwaukee Irish Fest 2019. 

2019 Milwaukee Irish Fest, Set Up and Day One

2019 Milwaukee Irish Fest, Set Up and Day One

The Skirting Crew

Dale, Donnie, Wesley and me

Missing in Action: Phil, Carrie, Dan

I am one of the four thousand volunteers that works with CelticMKE and Irish Fest to put on one of the world's largest outdoor Irish music festivals.  While I love being a staff photographer, I show up on the Milwaukee Summerfest grounds on Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. to work until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday to make sure the festival is ready to go. 

My main grounds job as a volunteer:  I cover the tables with plastic table cloths.

It is harder than it sounds.

It is always cool to be on the inside of the Irish Fest grounds before the affair begins.

Once it does begin, I am a festival photographer--a job I love.

The festival opens to the public at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday night.

Here are The Whileaways on the Lakefront Stage. The Whileaways are Noelie McDonnell, Noriana Kennedy and Nicola Joyce.

Noelie McDonnell

Nicola Joyce

One of my favs from the festival

After their set, The Whileaways had a signing in the merchandise booth and look who came by to say high--Enda Scahill of We Banjo 3.

Yvonne Kane of The Kane Sisters

One of the most unusual bands at Irish Fest ever was Moxie. These young men respect the traditional forms but modernize in a prog rock sort of sound. I found myself fascinated by their efforts. The band includes Cillian Doheny (tenor banjo/guitar/electric guitar), Jos Kelly (button accordion/keyboard), Darren Roche (button accordion/percussion/keyboards), Ted Kelly (tenor banjo/electric tenor guitar) and Josh Sampson (drums).

 

My favorite band at Irish Fest is We Banjo 3 from Galway, Ireland. Galway is the host city this year and the band is one of the ambassadors for the city. The band is made up of two sets of brothers: Fergall and Enda Scahill; Martin and David Howley. 

David

Fergal

Martin

Enda

The Iceman

Not the Iceman

Not the Iceman, either

Never the Iceman

 For years We Banjo 3 has been very generous with stage time. This year they devoted part of their set to bringing up the Galway bands being featured at the festival. The first was the previously mentioned The Whileaways.

Next up from Galway, The Kane Sisters. 

Then it was time for the boys to do what they do best. 

 

 

 

 So that is how the "preview night" of Irish Fest opened. A short night of music but it sure whetted the appetite for what would come the rest of the weekend.