ICONS Festival Celebrates The Best Of Irish Music And Culture

So it's September and summer is gone. But that doesn't mean fun times are over - certainly not with the 17th annual ICONS Festival ready to offer a weekend of outstanding Celtic music and enjoying activities for all ages and at very affordable prices.

ICONS, which takes place Sept. 12-14 at the Irish Cultural Center of New England in Canton, Mass. (about 30 minutes south of Boston), will showcase some of the world's most popular and acclaimed performers in the Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, French Canadian and other Celtic-based music traditions, including Liam Clancy, Solas, Lúnasa, Luka Bloom, The Tannahill Weavers, Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill, Le Vent du Nord and Crooked Still, plus a once-in-a-blue-moon pairing of Jerry Holland and John Doyle.  A healthy contingent of Boston and New England-based acts also will be on hand, such as the trio of Seamus Connolly, Joe Derrane and John McGann, along with Annalivia and special guest John Whelan, The Boston Kiltics and the Boston Celtic Music Fest Showcase.

Gaelic, one of the world's oldest and richest languages, will once again be in the spotlight at ICONS, through song, dance and spoken word. And if you want to delve into the increasingly popular field of genealogy, the Irish Cultural Center, in conjunction with Tiara - an organization dedicated to assisting individuals in genealogical research - will provide workshops on exploring family names and the roots of one's heritage.

Families will find plenty to like about ICONS, especially in the festival's Tir na Nog area. "Tir na Nog" is Gaelic for "Land of the Young," and at ICONS' Tir na Nog children and adults can enjoy events and activities that appeal across the generations:

From storytelling to step dancing, music, literature, sporting demonstrations, genealogy, history, and workshops, the festival now in its 17th year, will once again be one of the biggest gatherings of its kind in the US.

"The 2008 ICONS Festival will once again be a celebration of the wealth of Irish culture and its connections to other cultures around the world," said Sean Grant, Executive Director of the Irish Cultural Centre of New England.

"In 2008, we are once again celebrating the best of Irish music in our line-up," said ICONS producer Brian O'Donovan.  "From the traditional ballads of Liam Clancy to some of the hottest new Irish bands on the scene, we are showcasing the wide diversity of Irish music and dance. We look at the festival as a continuum, a way to showcase the best of Irish culture and the arts to New England."