Scotland Music Showcase at Milwaukee Irish Fest - A PanCeltic Celebration

The success of the Milwaukee Irish Fest since its founding in 1981 is not letting up.  Organisers are expecting to build on last year’s record attendance with the 2014 “Scotland Music Showcase”.  This major festival has seen such success since its founding that the organisation has established permanent institutions, such as the "Irish Fest Centre" and the “Ward Irish Music Archives”.  The Archives have been described as the “largest public collection of Irish Music in America.”  In addition, Milwaukee Irish Fest Foundation, founded in 1994, has over the years granted in excess of $500,000 to cultural, educational and community based organizations.

The theme of the 2014 Irish Fest celebrates the richness and diversity of Scotland’s traditional music. Beyond the well-known sounds of bagpipes, the history of stringed instruments, such as the harp and fiddle stretch back many generations in Scotland as they do in Wales, Ireland and Cape Breton. Scottish fiddling is the root of American folk music, such as Appalachian and bluegrass fiddling. Milwaukee Irish Fest is excited to welcome eight of Scotland’s contemporary folk bands to the festival as part of the Scotland Music Showcase.  Over 100 Acts are scheduled to appear on 16 stages to a crowd expected to top the 130,000 that attended in 2013. The following are the headliners of the 2014 “Scotland Music Showcase”: 

·  The Red Hot Chilli Pipers – A global phenomenon with a signature “bagrock” style

·  Manran – A Glasgow based group with a powerful blend of Gaelic and English traditional music

·  Skerryvore – A band with a bright, breezy, feel-good sound

·  Dougie MacLean – One of Scotland’s most successful, respected and popular musicians

·  Gria – Four young ladies from Scotland with a unique sound making their first appearance in the United States

·  Dallahan – A thrilling group with a fresh, new sound

·  The ALT – An exciting new collaboration with instrumentalists and singers of the highest caliber

·  Alisdair Fraser and Tony McManus – A Master Scottish fiddler and one of the most admired guitarists on the Celtic scene unite their creative forces in a    musical partnership

About Milwaukee Irish Fest

Milwaukee Irish Fest is North America’s largest celebration of Irish music and culture. The four-day festival showcases more than 100 entertainment acts on 16-stages at Henry W. Maier Festival Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront. The annual festival occurs every third weekend in August. The 2014 festival takes place August 14 to 17.

http://irishfest.com/Entertainment.htm