Come October 10, 11 and 12, the Philadelphia Ceili Group hopes to present its 50th annual traditional Irish music and dance festival.
“Hopes to” because it isn’t necessarily a sure thing. Whether it happens is in large part up to you.
The Ceili Group is trying to raise $25,000 to bring the very best in Irish traditional music and dance to the Commodore John Barry Arts and Cultural Center (the Irish Center) because, frankly, that’s what it costs. And the Philadelphia Ceili Group is not a large, well-endowed organization.
“This is a little nonprofit, totally volunteer-run, that has been around and doing its mission for more than 50 years,” says Anne McNiff, spokesperson for the Ceili Group. “The festival itself started 50 years ago, and that has happened every year. Even during Covid, we had an online festival, and the following year we had a hybrid festival. It’s quite an accomplishment at a time when festivals all around the country are going out of business or have gone out of business.”
$25,000, McNiff acknowledges, is a lot of money, but expenses have gone up for everything. Covid also took a toll. During that time, the Ceili Group was unable to sponsor concerts and money-making other events.
“We’re struggling a bit,” she says, “but we are determined to make the 50th anniversary festival something that does the community proud and talks about our legacy and future. It’s an important moment to celebrate the longevity of a small—you hate to say ‘scrappy’—but a small volunteer organization. We have board members who were part of the founding of the festival, and we have their children. Our generational legacy is important.”
And what a legacy it is, starting back in the days when musician-scholar-raconteur Mick Moloney was still in Philadelphia and, as a co-founder, was a driving force behind the first festivals. Over the years, McNiff says, the festival has been a vital outlet for new and up and coming performers. “We’ve really presented all the big performers in traditional Irish music, and often we had them before they became internationally renowned,” says McNiff. “We’ve had all the best and so we are excited to celebrate that. We always laugh that we got them young and then they go on to do so well, we can no longer afford them. That’s a great problem to have had.”
Some of those musicians are no longer accessible because of immigration laws that make it difficult to book musicians who actually are from Ireland to perform in the United States. “Unfortunately, given what it takes to do that, we’re no longer able to afford to do so and many musicians are not able to financially afford to tour the States. So, we miss that,” says McNiff.
The 50th anniversary recognizes and honors the legacy of many of those musicians who are no longer with us and points a hopeful way forward.
So, what will we get for our $25,000?
Thursday night, October 10, is traditionally singers’ night. The lineup for that is still in the planning stages, but this year it will be emceed by none other than Fergus Carey, the colorful owner of Fergie’s, a popular Irish pub on Sansom Street. The following night is a monster ceili—essentially, a big Irish music and dance event.
Saturday is the truly big day. There will be traditional Irish music all day long, with workshops for musicians and dancers, vendors, an evening meal, and activities for the kids, such as face painting.
As for the rest, that’s a work on progress, says McNiff, but it is expected to be as unique as the festival itself. The day culminates in what Ed Sullivan would have described as a really big show. The Consequences, a hugely energetic and creative Irish musical quartet, have been booked for the Saturday night concert.
But there is more—much more.
“We hope to keep a few surprises for our 50th anniversary,” she says. “This year, we are very interested in having more than one or two bands for our grand finale. We want to do it up bigger for our 50th anniversary.”
To help achieve those ambitious goals, the Ceili Group has enlisted the aid of well-known Irish piper Tim Britton. “We are using his expertise to help us pull together performers who really illustrate the wide swath of talent in the Irish traditional music and dance community. At this time, I can’t release their names, but I can say that’s it’s going to be a stellar lineup.”
The festival never would have been the success that it has been, McNiff points out, without the group’s collaboration with the Irish Center. The center, she says, has always kept costs reasonable. At a time when other festivals are struggling due to higher and higher expenses, the Ceili Group Festival has been able to soldier on.
The Ceili Group itself remains committed to keeping prices reasonable for festival-goers. “We are very conscious of the fact that many of the people who come to our festival, who enjoy the festival, who love the festival, might not be able to come if we charged significantly more money,” she says.
As important as celebrating the festival’s legacy is, the Ceili Group is invested in its future as well. Everyone knows parents or grandparents who attended the festival, McNiff says, “and we want to celebrate that and keep that memory alive. But it’s important to engage the next generation.”
If you want to help the Philadelphia Ceili Group meet its $25,000 goal, you can contribute here: https://givebutter.com/PCG50thFESTIVAL.
In the meantime, check out our photo gallery and video to see what the festival has been about all for these years.
