An Ri Ra 2010: Butte Montana's Irish Music Festival

I returned to town early from a backpacking trip to catch the last day of music at An Ri Ra, the Irish festival hosted in our little city of Butte Montana. As a quick nod to some great performers, there were the Dillon Junior Fiddlers, an amazingly talented and energetic group of kids:

 On YouTube, you can see their song/performance of Banshee from An Ri Ra 2008 (someone needs to learn to use a microphone windscreen).

Dubliner Tom O'Carroll was there, with his incredible brand of native Irish wit & music (conveniently he performed on the stage next to the Quarry Brew Pub):

Check out some of his tunes here (professional recordings).

There were also "headliners" like the Makem & Spain Brothers:

They play classic tunes such as the stunningly beautiful Will You Go, Lassie, Go ["Oh the summer time is comin' and the trees are sweetly bloomin'; And the wild mountain thyme grows around the bloomin' heather; Will ye go, Lassie go?"] Give it a listen. I sing it at full voice hiking in the moutnains but you wouldn't want to hear me now would ya?


Dancers of course galore, including the Trinity Irish from Chicago:

Best of all, The Prodigals of "jig-punk" fame were here with the most exciting button-box accordion and bass guitar played lead that I've ever heard:

Here's one of my favorites, Happy Man.

Classes begin next week and the festival season is at an end. It's not the end of summer in Butte America, but you can see it from here.