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A Chairde (Dear Friends),The North Texas Irish Festival has been a Dallas tradition since 1983. Some say it is one of the best-kept secrets in Dallas, so we are not surprised if you say that you haven't heard of it! Actually for a secret, the NTIF is the largest cultural event held in Fair Park. The three-day event attracts upwards of 30,000 people and its physical size is second only to the State Fair of Texas. The Festival is predominantly a music event with four large stages featuring international musicians from Canada and Europe, plus a great selection of local and regional entertainers. We cater to almost every taste from the high energy Celtic rock bands such as The Elders, to the very traditional Irish tunes of Danu; from the incredible vocals of Cathie Ryan and Aoife Clancy to the sing-along pub ballads of Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers. Equally well represented are the colorful traditional and modern Irish dancers with their hand embroidered dresses and fast foot tapping rhythms. We are very fortunate to have some of the finest dancers in the country right here in our local schools and they delight our audiences with continuous performances on our dance stage. In addition we run dance workshops throughout the weekend and encourage everyone to enjoy the Saturday night Ceili, or Irish dance party. Cultural presentations on our Tara Stage have included such masters of the Irish language as playwright Mac Uibh Aille, the storytelling of the Armagh Rhymers, painting workshops by the Milwaukee/Irish painter Patrick Gallagher and tales and songs of old Dublin from John Gleason. Each year we also feature a number of music workshops that allow visitors the opportunity to understand the difference between a fiddle and a violin, or just exactly how do you play a bodhran? Add to that vast array of musical and dance talent, our Urchin Street area set aside specifically for children’s activities such as story telling and dance instruction; over 130 vendors of traditional Celtic wares; dozens of Irish food vendors; the compulsory glasses of true Dublin Stout, Irish Whiskey tasting; and a warm smiling welcome from the over 500 volunteers and you have the North Texas Irish Festival. What is no secret is that events such as NTIF do take an extraordinary amount of hard cash to produce. Even though we are a grass roots Dallas-based 501(c)3, we get very little of our funding from the City. In addition, we pay a substantial amount in rent and fees for the use of Fair Park. We work hard to maintain a budget for musicians, equipment, contracted services and transportation that is reasonable, while at the same time maintaining the standard of a high quality event that now ranks NTIF as one of the top ten Celtic festivals in the world. Check the links to the right to find out more about the various sponsorship levels. Let us add that we do encourage sponsors at all levels to enhance their financial support by inviting their employees or staff to volunteer at the festival and make it a corporate wide family activity. We are happy to assist in providing logos or designs for employee T-shirts or other promotional give-aways. Complimentary booth space, either inside or out, is offered to all sponsors. Go mba seacht bhfearr a bheas tú bliain ó inniu! Ádh mór! Sláinte The SCMA Board of Directors |
The North Texas Irish Festival is a production of the Southwest Celtic Music Association |
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Claddagh Presenting Sponsor |
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| Connemara Sponsor | ||
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Dingle Sponsor |
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| Waterford Sponsor | ||
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Boyne Sponsor |