Echoes of Erin

Celebrate the music that has sustained waves of Irish emigrants on their journey to this “Isle of Hope.” The strong narrative character of the Irish song tradition illuminates the soul of every emigrant: what it means to leave behind everything one knows and loves, perhaps forever. These songs, which saw the Irish through the hard times of “No Irish Wanted Here,” live on in the revered tradition of the “party piece” every Irish child learns as soon as he or she can speak. Area performers are featured in songs and stories, jigs and reels.