Kansas City Irish Fest 2018
News
02 September 2018
The Kansas City Irish Fest was founded in 2003 and is now one of the largest Irish cultural festivals in the U.S.
The Consulate General of Ireland hosted a “Pop-Up Consulate” at the Kansas City Irish Fest on 31 August to 2 September. The “Pop-Up Consulate” was set up in the Kansas City Irish Center’s Cultural Café to answer festivalgoers’ questions about visiting Ireland, Irish citizenship, the Irish passport service and much more.
The Kansas City Irish Fest is one of the largest Irish cultural festivals in the U.S. attracting approximately 100,000 attendees each year.
The festival, which began in 2003, is now a major gathering for the Irish American community in the Midwestern region of the United States. The three-day festival included a number of performances by well-known musicians, Irish dance groups and comedians from Ireland and the Irish American community in the United States.
The history of the Irish in Kansas City dates back to the mid-1800s as detailed in Pat O’Neill’s book, ‘From the Bottom Up – the Story of the Irish in Kansas City’. In his book, Pat, who was one of the founding members of the Kansas City Irish Fest, points out that the three-day celebration promotes an awareness and appreciation of the city’s unique Irish heritage and positive influence on Irish culture.
Vice Consul Paul Breen with Pat O’Neill, author of the “From the Bottom Up – The Story of the Irish in Kansas City”
The Consulate General of Ireland, Austin was represented by Vice Consul Paul Breen, who also visited Kerry Browne and John McClain at Browne’s Irish Marketplace during the festival. Browne’s Irish Marketplace is the oldest Irish business in North America founded in 1887 and a central point within the Irish community.
Vice Consul Paul Breen with Kerry Browne and John McClain of Browne’s Irish Marketplace