Grazie!
Irlanda in Festa '07, our first festival, was a huge success. Over 10,000 of you came to Bologna's Parco Nord over three nights back in March to celebrate the best in Irish music and culture. Pints of stout were drunk, Irish dishes were sampled (we ran out of Irish stew on the Saturday night, such was the demand!), and craic was had by all as bands like The Modena City Ramblers, The Flaws, Mau Mau, and Interference took to the stage.
Irlanda in Festa '08
We're pleased to announce the return of the festival this year. Irlanda in Festa at Bologna's Parco Nord will run for four nights this year, from the 14th to 17th of March, with concerts, sports events, cultural presentations, and plenty of craic.
The Concerts
For full details of all the musical events for this year's festival, consult the program page. Concerts will be held in both the Palanord and Estragon venues in Bologna's Parco Nord.
Friday 14th March - Giuliano Palma and the Bluebeaters
Consistently one of Italy's favourite live acts, Giuliano Palma and the Bluebeaters will kick off the festival in style with their feel-good blend of ska and pop.
Saturday 15th March - Modena City Ramblers
It wouldn't be Irlanda in Festa without Italy's favourite combat-folk band, who take to the stage Saturday night for a special themed celebration. The band's latest album, Bella Ciao, was produced by Terry Woods of the Pogues.
Sunday 16th March Blood or Whiskey
Blood or Whiskey, from Kildare in Ireland, are one of the foremost punk/trad/folk groups on the scene at the moment. They have played with acts as diverse as the Pogues and the Misfits, and are sure to rock the Festa
Monday 17th March - St. Patrick's Day - Grand Finale
A special jam session, involving more than ten groups, will set the scene for our Grand Finale, a tribute to the memory of MCR guitarist Luca 'il Gabbibo' Giacometti, who was tragically killed in a road accident last year.
Sport
This year's festival opens up to include a number of sports events. In
particular, Sunday night will see the festival play host to an international
tournament of boxing. Ireland vs Italy, with a team from
Trinity College Dublin facing opponents from Bologna's Sempre Avanti boxing
club.
We will also have a giant video screen to show matches from the 6 nations Rugby competition on Saturday 15th. There will be special demonstration Darts matches, with representatives from Ireland's national team present
Last but not least, throughout the weekend there will be exhibitions and lessons in Traditional Irish Dancing
Food, Drink, and Beer!
A focal point of the festival is to celebrate Irish food and drink. The Palanord venue will be converted into a giant customised restaurant and Guinness bar, with seating for up to 1,500 people. Enjoy traditional Irish dishes, like Bacon & Cabbage, Irish Stew, or the ever popular Fish & Chips along with a pint of Guinness while you listen to some great Irish and Italian musicians perform on the Palanord stage. Our chef, Damien O'Shea, brought over for the festival specially from Cork in Ireland, returns with his team to prepare the best in Irish cuisine. Bolognese chef uciano Rimondi will also present a selction of classical Bolognese dishes (tortellini, lasagne, salsicce ai ferri, grigliata mista, friggione).
Culture
Alongside the music, sport, and gastronomy, we have arranged a number of broader cultural events for this year's festival. In the Palanord we'll have a specially setup bookshop, with a broad selection of Irish classics published in Italian. On Sunday 16 March there will be a special literary event, where authors M.J.Hyland and John McCourt will speak
Irlanda in Festa Video
We've set up a youtube channel, where we'll bring you videos from the bands involved in the festival from this year onwards, plus related videos. We'll include bands we like in general - so it's no indication of who will be playing (though you might get some clues!). Enjoy!
