Copyright The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Arts & Entertainment Watch step dancing, hear fiddlers and eat soda bread at IrishFest Atlanta This weekend’s three-day festival was originally founded by moms 13 years ago to provide young Irish musicians mentorship opportunities. It’s evolved. A céilí, an Irish social dance with live music, will be held on Saturday Nov. 8, 2025 at, the Dublin Stage at Roswell City Hall Grounds. (Courtesy of IrishFest Atlanta) Now in its 13th year, IrishFest Atlanta has grown into a vibrant celebration of Irish heritage, gathering roughly 4,000 people for a three-day festival at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center and Roswell City Hall Grounds. Taking place this weekend, the celebration features a full schedule of Irish concerts, step dancing, social dances, a tea party, soda-bread competition, cooking demo and dozens of educational and creative workshops with visiting professionals from across the U.S. and Ireland. Vendor booths at IrishFest Atlanta on the grounds of Roswell City Hall. (Courtesy of IrishFest Atlanta) This year’s IrishFest lliw oirt lanoitidart eht eht ffo ..thgin kcik ygrene-hgih rof lavitsef eerhT nepO ,desab-ykcutneK hsirI yadirF rooD — — pohskrow lliw nnaelliu eerht rieht euqinhcet hcaet reyalp reyalp sepip no snaicisum lacisum .gninrom stnemurtsni laudividni relddif hcae ikuozuob s’dnab dna a ehT yadrutaS taP ,eraH’O ziL selwonK nareiK sredaorB Patrick Finley, son of festival founder Teresa Finley, is a two-time All Ireland champion on the fiddle. He will teach a beginners workshop on Saturday Nov. 8 at the 2025 IrishFest Atlanta. (Courtesy of IrishFest Atlanta) spohskrow pohskrow pohskrow htiw htiw emit-owt thguat )elyts gnignis regnis edulcni elddif gnicnad ecnad noipmahc noipmahc yb gninnigeb dna a a neelrahS són-naeS yadrutaS kcirtaP rehtO aivilO hsirI .yelniF ,elyoD ,yeldarB desab-atnaltA dnalerI-llA dnalerI-llA dlo( sraey pohskrow lliw lliw lanoitidart deruot emit emit tuohguorht driht rieht eht eht eht hcaet dnoces gnimrofrep no ,thgin srebmem si .stnemurtsni laudividni gnidulcni ni ni ni enildaeh sah ebolg rof eceip-evif relddif demaf hcae .trecnoc yb s’dnab dnab dnab ta dnuora dna dna a a s’adaéT adaéT adaéT yadnuS ogilS yadrutaS .llewsoR nO nísiO caM tI tseFhsirI hsirI ,dnalerI dednuoF eporuE adamraiD ytnuoC atnaltA ,aisA .saciremA 52 Téada will headline the 2025 IrishFest Atlanta on Saturday night, Nov. 8 at Roswell Cultural Arts Center. (Photo: Damien Stenson) spohskrow htiw htiw htiw htiw lanoitidart deruot gnos onaip emitgnol edulcni ni rotaroballoc dna tneminapmocca .)adaéT yadnuS ahtnamaS rehtO hmaiN yevraH yarG llerraF divaD )4102 ohw( a( spohskrow lliw gnitisiv owt eht eht aet aet erutangis lareves ,senocs sehciwdnas .cilbup secnamrofrep ytrap rehto fo fo an lacisum ,gninrom edam edulcni puorg morf rof erutaef stneve ecnad ,strecnoc sfehc ekac yb yb redaorb stsaob ta era dna dna dna dna dna na osla a noiZ noiZ hgiT stekciT kcormahS yadrutaS )llewsoR ycnegeR .)hcaeP nilhguoLcM nwoeKcM htiduJ tseFhsirI hsirI hsirI .dnalerI ttayH ytnuoC ,ellioC eralC ,elcriC hcruhC dnoyeB tsitpaB ,atnaltA samohT( 888( ;pma& 54$ The Irish tea party is a signature event at IrishFest Atlanta. Irish pastries and sandwiches are prepared by two Atlanta chefs. The 2025 tea will take place on Saturday morning Nov. 8. (Courtesy of IrishFest Atlanta) ,)”eel-yak“ lliw laicos gnikam tsoh omed .ecnad íliéc enisiuc gnikooc ,tsetnoc daerb dna na na ,noonretfa a a yadrutaS nO tseFhsirI hsirI hsirI decnuonorp( enoz lliw gnitrops gnitniap ekil gnilruh evah ,llabtoof ylimaf ecaf stneve ,stfarc .eigomac stra dna dna dna cileaG A tI“ tI“ lufrednow elihw gnimoclew owt ot ,seit siht eht eht eht derahs dias secrofnier elpoep ruo no fo fo ,snoitan si lareneg morf esrevid lusnoc ytinummoc seitinummoc esolc ”.ytic ”,noitarbelec tliub dnob neewteb lartsecna osla ssorca a .S.U .tsaehtuoS dnalerI ,emoorG knarF Irish step dancing classes are offered to festivalgoers of all ages at IrishFest Atlanta. The 2025 festival is Nov. 7-9. (Courtesy of IrishFest Atlanta) Festival roots dluow tahw eht detrats ehs reven ti ni denigami rednuof tsrif lavitsef .emoceb nehW asereT yelniF 3102 syaw saw ot ot nos ehs edivorp .sreep fo lacisum pihsrotnem yam gnikool sih ,thgisdnih reh evah elacs-lluf rof rof gniyalp-elddif gniyalp-elddif .lavitsef detaf nezod dliub neeb dna tuoba a a kcirtaP hsirI nI nI yelniF ,1102 Teresa Finley (left) is the founder of IrishFest Atlanta. She also runs Phoenix Irish Arts of Atlanta, a school she opened in 2021 to teach Irish dance and music. (Courtesy of IrishFest Atlanta) ,sraey ohw elihw erew tisiv owt owt koot ot ot ot meht rieht rieht eht eht eht eht pets retsis .gnas .stoor etanoissap fo deretsam si decudortni stnargimmi reh reh depleh ruof dnuof elddif wef ylimaf yreve rethguad ,recnad gnitcennoc nerdlihc srehtorb emaceb stra dna dna na tuoba yehT eekuawliM hsirI hsirI hsirI hsirI hsirI hsirI dnalerI yelniF yelniF .lavitseF s’raey spohskrow lliw ohw saw detnaw gnitisiv owt ot ot siht eht gnihcaet nos ehs deyalp ,nwo fo yllarutan ecudortni gnizilodi lacirotsih sih sih mih .egatireh reh dah tseug elddif .)lavitsef suoiruc rehtorb eb ta ,ydaerla a a nehW elcnU ,nitraM nitraM hsirI hsirI eH s’yelniF yelniF .rD ,gnilwoD dna( I“ tahw naht .dias wenk ni sih eh ”,deneppah sdnah tog elddif retsaf a yelniF gnuoy erehw erew lanoitidart ,emit eht eht eht loohcs etanoissap ylno .cisum cisum .erom edam ni yrgnuh eh sdneirf rof srelddif nezod dednetta ta gniripsa lla tuoba tuoba a ehT ,loohcS kcirtaP cisuM hsirI hsirI hsirI atnaltA atnaltA htiw ot ,dias suoigitserp ro seitinutroppo .snaicisum ekil sdik ni evah tcatnoc emoc seitic ,kroY weN hsirI nI yelniF ,ogacihC notsoB ereH“ ew ”,nwot esoht eht teerts .dias ro fo snaicisum dnik evah nwod t’nod ssorca yelniF )atnaltA ni( ,sraey .spohskrow htiw hcihw saw pu owt koot koot ot ot ot ot yeht eht eht eht eht eht demaet hcaet ekat troppus emos deolis ehs .epahs ees was yltnecer lanoisseforp rehto ,snoitazinagro ytinutroppo denepo fo fo snaicisum smom ni ni ni fi aedi dah lareneg tsrif yllautneve tneve dediced dluoc etalusnoc yb tub dliub gnirb segdirb nrob neewteb sa dna na .noitca tuoba ehS tI tseFhsirI hsirI hsirI dnalerI nI aigroeG deretsloB ,atnaltA atnaltA .3102 ,1102 eW“ tI“ dekrow yllufrednow ”.llew eht ehs .dias ruo ”,ledom lavitsef eroc tliub sa dnuora )spohskrow( gnuoy ,sraey spohskrow ot eht eht .dias sreyalp ,reyalp snaicisum ekil yradnegel decudortni taerg tsrif relddif wef ,resopmoc nottub dna dna noidrocca a a htroN ,yeksimoCcM ziL hsirI hsirI nI yelniF nrob-ogacihC ,llorraC ylliB desab-eromitlaB naciremA Chef Judith McLoughlin from Shamrock & Peach will prepare culinary delights for the 2025 tea banquet at IrishFest Atlanta. (Courtesy of IrishFest Atlanta) sreetnulov ot eht eht emos llams detiurcer yalp fo gnidulcni morf morf ,lavitsef eroc eman-gib sdnab dna osla .kroY ,ogilS weN seidaL s’tseFhsirI hsirI dnalerI hsivreD ytnuoC hsirehC .dlrow .pohskrow now niw erew owt lanoitidart ot ot ot ot eht eht eht eht hcaet detrats ,dias deriuqer yfilauq ,slanoisseforp yalp redro eno edam tsael sdik ni ni ni .tcapmi level-tsehgih rof rof erusopxe snoititepmoc noititepmoc spihsnoipmahc sdnab kcab-ot-kcab ta ta stra dna dna na ehT kcirtaP tsewdiM ,tseFhsirI hsirI nI yelniF yelniF atnaltA ,dnalerI-llA dnalerI-llA .7102 6102 woN“ ohw hcihw er’ew gniyrt ot eht ehs dias snur denepo fo fo txen ”,snaicisum ni noitareneg dliub osla loohcS xineohP hsirI ,yelniF ,strA .1202 semoclew ot eerht eht eno won hcum ti sah nworg morf ,gnidnuof s’lavitsef yad redaorb .ecneidua dna a ecniS ehT“ tI“ htiw hcihw ycnarbiv eht eht eht eht tnelat ,htgnerts sesacwohs dias tuo no fo fo cisum enotselim si ni ni egatireh ereh sah nuf ,doof citsatnaf ylimaf stneve aropsaid yad ,gnicnad radnelac emoceb launna dna dna a a ”,tsaehtuoS hsirI hsirI .emoorG ”.aigroeG lavitseF If you go dna ,teertS ,.tS .llewsoR llewsoR llewsoR llewsoR .gro.atnaltatsefhsirI tseFhsirI lliH llaH ,sdnuorG .yadnuS-yadirF tserroF larutluC ytiC ,retneC .atnaltA strA 059 83
