Welcome to Seattle Center
Irish Festival Seattle will take place on March 11: 12pm-6pm & March 12: 10am-6pm at the Armory Food & Event Hall. The festival is part of the Seattle Center Festál series.
Seattle Center Festál is a year-round series of 24 free cultural festivals, produced in partnership with community organizations. In 2022, Festál celebrated 25 years of stories and traditions, ushering in a new era of hybrid programming. Learn more about Festál and subscribe to the newsletter for updates.
The festival is produced by the Irish Heritage Club (IHC) and is a highlight of Irish Week. This year, literary accomplishments out of Ireland will be highlighted, such as the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Literature Prize awarded to W. B. Yeats. The festival will also celebrate its Irish roots with musical performances, step-dancing, genealogy workshops, history lectures, craft goods, and more.
SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 12:00pm-6:00pm
Armory Floor
| TIME | PERFORMANCE |
| 12:00pm-12:30pm | Cavort (Irish Music) |
| 1:30pm-2:00pm |
Rowan Fae (Irish Dancers)
|
| 2:00pm-2:30pm |
Grafton Street (Irish Dancers)
|
| 2:30pm |
Parade Closing Ceremonies
|
| 3:00pm-3:30pm |
Haley Prendergast (Irish Dancers)
|
| 3:30pm-4:00pm |
Comerford (Irish Dancers)
|
| 4:30pm-5:00pm |
Carrigaline (Traditional Irish Music)
|
Armory Lofts
| TIME | ACTIVITY |
| 1:00pm |
Basic Irish Genealogy Get some idea of the background of your Irish ancestors' family history. We'll look some of the basic guides to research and major new resources that have recently become available to help you in your search. |
| 2:00pm | The Wild Geese Players of Seattle – with Dubliner George Reilly and other members reading selections from some of Ireland's famous poets and writers, like James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and especially on this 100th anniversary of W B Yeats being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, selections from W B Yeats! |
| 3:00pm |
Beginning Gaeilge (Irish Language) |
| 4:00pm |
Beginning Irish Whistle Class
In this Irish whistle class for beginners, students will learn instrument fingering, breathing/slurring techniques and then a simple tune by ear. No reading of music required, whistles in the key of D will be available to borrow for the class.
|
SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 10:00am-6:00pm
Armory Floor
| TIME | PERFORMANCE |
| 10:00am-12:00pm | "That Irish Guy" - Irish Folk Music w/ Emmett McElhinney |
| 12:00pm-12:45pm |
Carroll-Henderson (Irish Dancers)
|
| 12:45pm-1:30pm |
Fire & Ice (Irish Dancers)
|
| 1:30pm-2:00pm |
Henry's Drift - Songs of the Sea
|
| 2:00pm-3:00pm |
Tara Academy (Irish Dancers)
|
| 3:00pm-4:30pm |
Live Irish Set Dancing w/ the North Creek Ceili Band
|
| 4:30pm-5:00pm |
Dublin Abbey (Irish Music)
|
| 5:30pm | Raffle Draw for Two (2) Aer Lingus Tickets to Ireland |
Armory Lofts
| TIME | ACTIVITY |
| 1:00pm |
Basic Irish Genealogy Get some idea of the background of your Irish ancestors' family history. We'll look some of the basic guides to research and major new resources that have recently become available to help you in your search. |
| 3:00pm |
Beginning Gaeilge (Irish Language) |
| 4:00pm |
Beginning Irish Whistle Class
In this Irish whistle class for beginners, students will learn instrument fingering, breathing/slurring techniques and then a simple tune by ear. No reading of music required, whistles in the key of D will be available to borrow for the class.
|
ART EXHIBIT (Armory Lofts) - All Day
This year's Irish Art Exhibition features works from two artists, Patrick McCarthy and Joann O'Meara. Both artists were born in Ireland, and both display buildings but in wholly different ways. Come and enjoy the connection and contrast of both artist's work.
Joann O'Meara is an artist originally from Ireland, who graduated with a BA in fine art painting from the National College of Art and Design in Ireland. An important focus of her career and lifelong passion is to change how people perceive the world through art. Now residing in Enumclaw, she uses her overlooked everyday surroundings as inspiration and reimagines them into a new and unmistakable manner.
Patrick McCarthy grew up in in a traditional, thatched cottage in Kilcornan, Co. Limerick. Initially a self-taught artist, he later studied at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco where he developed the distinctive style that characterizes his paintings permitting him to capture the beauty and decay of the landscapes, winding roads and green fields. The Irish Week Poster is another example of his style.
DeLorean Auto Exhibit (Outside of Armory) - 1:30pm-2:30pm both days
The futuristic-looking Irish-made DeLorean DMC-12 sports car that was made famous in the 1985 movie 'Back to the Future' will be on display outside the Armory at the Seattle Center. 8,500 DeLoreans were manufactured in Belfast in 1981 before the company went bankrupt. Pacific Northwest DeLorean Club members are a community of enthusiasts dedicated to preserving the DeLorean heritage by bringing the community together for social events and to exchange technical expertise. Visit pndc.org for details.
COOKING DEMOS (Armory Balcony) - 12:00pm-4:00pm both days
Join Annamarie Kirkpatrick at the Irish Cooking Demonstration Booth on the Upper Level in the Seattle Center Armory from 12:30 pm–4:30 pm both Saturday & Sunday. Demonstrations, sampling, discussion and recipe sharing.
This year, Annamarie will demonstrate how to cook her award-winning Irish Soda Bread, Colcannon, Potato Pancakes and black and white sausage. There will be six live demonstrations, three each day, from 12:00pm-1:00pm; 1:30pm-2:30pm; and 3:00pm-4:00pm. Irish Soda Bread, Colcannon, Potato Pancakes, and black and white sausage will be demonstrated during each session.
VENDORS (Armory Floor) - All Day
