This is just a quik FYI for those out there that don’t know. There’s an Anual Celtic Fest in Bethelehem PA usually the last motnh of sept. Here’s a Website for it http://www.celticfest.org/
here’s a small list of some of their performers for 2003 Including Gaelic Storm Clandestine, and Danu’
Aoife Clancy Aoife Clancy brings a refreshing voice to music, one that ranges from traditional Irish songs to ballads and contemporary folk. Aoife comes from the small town of Carrick-on-Suir, in County Tipperary, Ireland, where her musical career began at an early age. Her father, Bobby Clancy of the Clancy Brothers, placed a guitar in her hands at age ten, and by age fourteen was playing with her father in nearby pubs. She later moved to Dublin, where she studied drama at the Gaiety School of Acting. After a season at the Gaiety, Aoife was invited to do a tour of Australia. There she performed at festivals and concerts sharing the stage with some of Ireland’s greatest performers, including Christy Moore and the Furey Brothers. Her performances also include a Caribbean cruise with the Clancy Brothers, the Milwaukee Irish Festival and a seven-week tour of the United States with the renowned Paddy Noonan Show.
In 1995 Aoife was asked to join the acclaimed group “Cherish the Ladies”, which is one of the most sought-after Irish American groups in history. For the past four years Aoife has toured extensively doing no less than two hundred dates a year throughout the United States and Europe. She has been a featured soloist with orchestras such as the Boston Pops and Cincinnati Pops and, while performing with Cherish the Ladies, collaborated with the Boston Pops on their Grammy-nominated Celtic album.
Sponsored by Jon Montenegro
The Aoife Clancy Band The band brings together the talented Ms. Clancy with legendary musicians Laurence Nugent on flute and whistle and Brian Hanlon on banjo, guitar, bodhran, and bouzouki. The instruments compliment Aoife’s voice, always adding, never detracting, with a finished product that leaves the audience stunned by its scope and fabric. All done with a sense of humor and style that leaves you with the feeling that they are enjoying it as much as you are!
Sponsored by Beth-Allen Scaffold Equipment Co.
Blackwater Lehigh Valley’s own, Blackwater is a 5-piece playing the traditional and contemporary folk music of Ireland, Scotland, and other Celtic regions. With rich vocal harmonies and dynamic instrumentals, Blackwater presents a diversity of musical styles and old country influences. Built upon many years of performance experience, the band members come together in a new and original sound tailored for main stage, concert, and festival performances.
Allison and Tom Gillespie have been playing Irish and Scottish fiddle tunes together for nearly a quarter of a century. Blazing reels, energetic jigs, soulful airs and powerful strathspeys on the fiddle are expertly accompanied by Tom on guitar and keyboards, and rounded out by Al Keller’s talents on tenor banjo, mandolin and button accordion. Fionna Hennessy adds wood flute and whistles, and Sean Hennessy brings his strong, rhythmic bouzouki and guitar playing to create an eclectic blend of traditional, contemporary and original Celtic music.
Sponsored by Dewalt’s RV
Clandestine The Celtic Classic is fortunate to have with us, for our 15th anniversary year, this talented group of musicians from Texas. This is the sixth year Clandestine performs at the Celtic Classic. After this year Clandestine will no longer be touring and this may well be the last time for Celtic Classic patrons to experience the energy and excitement of a Clandestine performance.
Having evolved out of a pipe and drum ensemble founded in 1991 in Houston, Texas. Highland pipes, fiddle, acoustic guitar, hand percussion, and vocal harmonies combine to create a sound that brings the brilliance of Celtic culture alive for the aficionado and the curious. Clandestine is a high energy band with a diverse repertoire which is firmly rooted in the Celtic tradition. The band features the talents of E.J. Jones on Highland bagpipes, Jennifer Hamel on guitar and vocals, Gregory McQueen on fiddle, and Emily Dugas on percussion and vocals.
Sponsored by City Entertainment Systems
Danu Danú are an Irish traditional music group based in County Waterford, made up of seven young male traditional musicians hailing from counties Waterford, Dublin, Tipperary and Donegal. The group have a strong ethos of loyalty to the tradition from which their music comes and yet still bring a fresh, inspiring approach to their performaces. A wonderfully lively group on stage, a Danú concert is a unique experience, never to be forgotten.
Sponsored by WilliamSigns
Dennis Doyle Dennis is a Celtic harpist, singer and storyteller. He’s performed in Ireland, Japan and throughout North America at most major Irish and Celtic festivals in the last 20 years. He’s performed several times on national television, including the show “Murder, She Wrote” and has consulted and performed background music for many others. He sings in English, Latin and Irish-Gaelic. Every song has a story.
Sponsored by CSI Enterprises, Inc.
Gaelic Storm In 1992, aided and abetted by various shady characters with fiddles, guitars, pipes and other weapons of mass destruction, they started playing a weekly show.
At first, only a few people came… Then word got around and NOBODY came… But eventually something sort of like a pirate horde, a wrecking crew, or a Scottish soccer game broke out in the back room at O’Brien’s every Sunday. It called itself Gaelic Storm. A short three months later, amidst all this mayhem, the band was chosen for the role of “Steerage Band” in James Cameron’s Titanic for reasons, which to this day are in some debate. Somehow, the band survived considerable editing and can be both seen and heard in one of the film’s most memorable and least waterlogged scenes. In the wake of Titanic, and under considerable pressure from the die-hards at O’Brien’s, Gaelic Storm decided to record a CD. In January 2000, Gaelic Storm was joined by Chicago native Kathleen Keane replacing fiddle player Samantha Hunt. Keane brought Gaelic Storm her winning smile, easy-going good humor and multi-instrumentational talents. Gaelic Storm brought Kathleen to Trenton, NJ. The band rocked the first few weeks of the new millennium with a sold-out tour of 21 cities, thrilling die-hard fans and winning new ones wherever across the U.S. Later, after months in the fast lane with Gaelic Storm, Kathleen was reputed to have confessed to close friends that the experience was utterly and completely “an experience.”
Sponsored by Coca-Cola Bottling Company of the Lehigh Valley
Kevin Fredrick Kevin Frederick - Irish language teacher and Adjunct Professor of Literature - learned the Irish language in the gaeltachtaí of Co. Donegal, Ireland, and in the United States. He currently teaches formal non-credit Irish classes at Lehigh Carbon Community College and informal classes at his home in Bethlehem, PA. He also leads Club Leabhar, an Irish-language “Book Club,” designed to build reading and speaking fluency in a conversational environment.
Glengarry Bhoys The Glengarry Bhoys have been called “the band that prevents you from being still”. Together for approximately 5 years this band has taken 175 years of Scottish music in North America and raised it to new heights, with a blend of traditional and contemporary that has brought them to international acclaim. The Bhoys signature sound fuses a central strand of Glengarry heritage with the latest in modern music technology and with influences from other ethnic cultures.
The Glengarry Bhoys debut album, “Home Again” gave notice of an emerging unique Celtic powerhouse to the Celtic world. This was soon followed by “Full Contact Highlanding” which expanded their traditional roots and won them acclaim notice in publications like Dirty Linen; the Scottish Banner; the Ottawa Citizen and the Queen’s news to mention a few. With their profile on the rise, the Glengarry Bhoys began building an international fan base, touring over most of the U.S and Canada.
Their next album, “The Gathering” captured the band’s strong on-stage energy and added a more expanded dimension of their strong song-writing and arrangement talents. The year later saw the Bhoys push the innovative envelope with the release of “Exile” which allowed the penned-up musical release of their Highland emotions, laid out on a solid rock platform. Now with the release of the new “JUICE” CD the Bhoys truly stand alone.
Sponsored by Ryan & O’Carroll’s Irish County Tartan
When exactly is the “last month of september”?
Ooooopps too many guinessessssss (dinner in a bottle). hick What I meant to say was it’s usually held the last weekend in september. It’s a Three day event starts friday, ends sunday night. Bagpipe competitions Gaelic workshops, caber tosses Kilts everywhere, and Guiness by the gallon. I got a couple half yards myself last year 
The year before that I got the band “Brother” from australia, to sign a half yard that at one time was full of Killians Irish red, Now it’s full of Bottle Caps. It’s really a killer time and it’s one of the biggest Celtic Fests in the Nation. Eastern PA if you don’t know has one of the largest consentrations of Irish americans and Scottish americans in the entire nation.
I’m in NY, so this is a possible for me. One thing though - last year I went to something touted as a Celtic fest and there was nought of music or crafts, it was all commercial sales of food and some clothing and tickets on boat trips; very disappointing. It was held at one of the campuses on Long Island. I was sort of hoping for music and some tables where maybe I could see and buy whistles or something like that.
Regards,
Philo
No no this is a REAL celtic fest, not a commercial fest. There’s all sorts of Music usually at least 10 different bands playing at once. Theres a Highland games that has the Caber tosses and stone throws and all that stuff. Theres a Highland bagpipes competition. Tons of pavilions, some selling whistles, and gifts: Kilts, sweaters etc. There’s usually a blacksmith making swords, lots of food. Most of the Shows are public and completely FREE. Sometimes theres private showings of bands that you have to buy a ticket for, but usually these are for bands that will be playing later for FREE. There’s dancing, and fiddle players, and singing and all that stuff. Think of anything celtic related and it’s there. Oh did I mention BEER? There’s lots of BEER. Oh can’t forget the haggis eating contest, for those who like haggis. I personally don’t put anything in my mouth if it smells like it should be burried under a pile of quik lye. People come from all over the contry and Canada to Bethelehem’s celtic Fest.
As long as we’re planning ahead, there’s a wee one-day festival up the road from me in July. This will be their fourth year. LOTS of music, many vendors, much food, much beer, booths with jewelry, whistles, books, and other stuff.
I assume (dangerous, I know!) you may bring your wolfhound or soft-coated wheaten to meet their kins-dogs lolling around in the shade.
http://www.adamscountyirishfestival.com
I’m not associated with them–I stopped in the last couple of years and had a good time. There’s space to get away from the crowd with friends and play some music.
M
Thanks guys; I’ll try to make this trip.
Philo
Oops that reminds me there IS a celtic breed dog show too. WOLFHOUNDS are soooo cool.
Philo,
In a past life I played with the Lehigh Valley Pipe Band and competed at this festival for several years. The musical entertainment is usually of a high standard (I’ve seen Andy Irvine, Patrick Street and Wolfstone, to name a few)but the vendors are nothing to write home about. You might find a decent CD or two for sale but the gear for sale can be found at any of the Oirish festivals around the tri-state area. If you do go, drop me a line. I like Danu and will probably attend.
Lots of talented people on this Board. Definitely let you know if I go. Thanks Paul.
Philo
Oh so no One cares If I go? I see how it is… I’m just the Black Sheep then huh? Come on now there’s usually a few vendurs down by the BIG tents. And if you get hungry you can Always stop by Donnagel Square (probably spelled that wrong) and hit the tea room for some fresh shepards pie and a steaming hot cider. Now, the stuff in that shop is nice, expensive… No whistles usually 
Cyfiawnder,
I live in Warren County, NJ (about ten miles north of P’burg) and I’d rather have a pint of stout at Porter’s Pub on Northhampton (I trust you know where that is) than tea and crumpets in Donegal Square.
Uh, just to clear things up, the list of performers you listed was for last year (I was there.)
My school (St. Gregory’s Academy) goes to the Celtic Classic every year to sing, juggle and listen to the music, so this year will be my fourth time. A great place - this year, unfortunately, the performers don’t look quite as good as they have in years past, but I’m sure we shall discover some real gems.
At any rate, this festival is deffinetly worth going to.
See you all there!
Hey psmithltd. Welcome to the board.
Is your “p” silent? Did you recently leave the fish business?
Wodehouse reference, psmithltd?
Cara
I noticed it first, Cara. 
I noticed it first, Cara. >
This time, mon cherie xox
Woodhouse indeed, my friends. You see, my first name is Philip, and last Smith, so once I discovered my dear Mike & Psmith I knew it was a match made in heaven.
-Philip