The Irish Festival is a two day event, September 6 & 7, 2008, featuring an outstanding line-up of music, an Irish Pub, market, vendors, and cultural activities. Gates will open at noon.

Headlining at the 2008 festival will be the bands, Solas and IONA, accompanied by a host of other groups and entertainers.

Solas is an Irish-American musical group formed in 1994, playing Irish traditional music as well as original compositions in the style.

Their name comes from an Irish word meaning "light".

In Irish Music Magazine, Jim Kelly wrote “Here is a band of dazzling individual talents with the discipline to produce a sound that is never less than good and at times breathtaking.” His review was quoted in the following month’s issue by John O’Regan who went on to say “Laurels seem to be bestowed on Solas’ front door and it has to be said that though America has some fine homegrown Celtic bands, none has captured the imagination in the same way Solas has done.

IONA's music is a unique, acoustic weave of the traditional music of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany (France), the Isle of Man, Asturies and Galicia (Spain), as well as their transplants in America. Blending songs, dance tunes, and aires into a rich and stunning tapestry, their style is outstanding in an arena where these traditions are seldom intertwined.

Conceived in 1986, IONA was the musical offspring of lead singer, bouzouki, guitar and bodhrán player Barbara Ryan and wind section, Bernard Argent. With fiddlers Jim Queen (banjo and vocals as well) and Cassie Smith-Christmas and bass guitar player Chuck Lawhorn, IONA has become the leading Celtic group in the Mid-Atlantic region. They are all seasoned performers: entertainers who involve their audiences with the history and cultural backgrounds of the music, with teaching words to the songs -- even those sung in a Celtic tongue, with leading simple Breton dances, with humor, and with every emotion in the spectrum.

Ceann formed as an Irish Rock Band in Pittsburgh in 2005 with the release of their first album of all-original material "Almost Irish." Before that, Ceann was an acoustic trio that played Irish pub music across the northeast. Ceann continue to mix fun Irish music with their popular originals. While some of Ceann's songs revolve around the culture of being Irish Americans many of Ceann's most popular songs have distinctively more contemporary themes. They're songs appeal far beyond the normal reach of Irish music and have given them access to unprecedented markets for an Irish band. As one of the only Irish bands to find success on commercial radio, Ceann's fan base has grown as quickly outside of Irish music circles as quickly as it's grown within them. Their cross market appeal has allowed them to be featured at Irish festivals and at non-Irish music festivals to equal success. Ceann have also become one of the most sought after college music acts in the country.

In two years Ceann have become one of the most successful independent bands in the country. Over the last two years Ceann have played more shows than any other national touring Irish band in the country. They've sold more CD's and have appeared on, or have had their music played on, more radio stations than 80% of all bands releasing CD's on music labels over the same two-year period. They've been singled out by music industry executives as one of the most successful business models for independent music artists.

Keltish is a Wammie-nominated three-to-four-piece band whose players are all of Celtic descent, but all born in America with widely different musical backgrounds. Keltish plays a mix of acoustic and electric instruments, and the tunes chosen are often traditional Celtic tunes with a fun and tasteful modern twist.

Keltish was the first “live” band to perform in Second Life (SL). Second Life is an online society, a 3-D virtual world built and owned by its residents. Keltish plays monthly in SL, performing in Lynn’s living room and broadcasting their sound over the computer to be enjoyed by other SL residents in the US and abroad. The SL concerts take place in the “Blarney Stone”, a fun little online bar in Dublin.

The Irish Inn Mates will give a taste of Ireland, play tunes, sing songs and answer your questions about the music, the instruments and their passion for it all. The Irish Inn Mates include: Betsy O’Malley (banjo, mandolin, vocals), Jesse Winch (bodhran, guitar), Mitch Fanning (fiddle), and, Tina Eck (flute, whistle).

The very best in rollicking Irish music!

Ticket prices are:

• $15.00 in advance for one day (September 6 OR September 7)
• $20.00 at the gate for one day (September 6 OR September 7)
• $25.00 in advance for a weekend pass (September 6 AND September 7)

For your convenience you can purchase tickets here on the web and print them on your printer. The process is entirely secure and we retain no credit card information.

To purchase tickets for The Irish Festival click on the graphic below:

For more detailed information on The Irish Festival, please visit

schedule for Saturday, 6 September 2008

main stage

The Blackthorne Restaurant and Wolfe Tone's Irish Pub will be serving a traditional Irish menu from 12:00pm to 7:30pm during the festival

Irish dancing stage

children’s section

Sponge Bob Moon Bounce
Face Painting
Cotton Candy
Storytelling
Irish Dance

schedule for Sunday, 7 September 2008

main stage

The Blackthorne Restaurant and Wolfe Tone's Irish Pub will be serving a traditional Irish menu from 12:00pm to 7:30pm during the festival

Irish dancing stage

children’s section

Sponge Bob Moon Bounce
Face Painting
Cotton Candy
Storytelling
Irish Dance

For reservations contact us at 540-592-3848

The Blackthorne Inn
10087 John S. Mosby Highway
Upperville, Virginia 20184-1742