Irish music fills Rock Hill’s Main Street Thursday

Ireland is renowned for a grand musical heritage. So, the sounds of the Emerald Isle naturally fill Irish celebrations everywhere including St. Patrick’s Day on Main, Thursday in downtown Rock Hill.

The eighth annual event is a street festival delighting in all things Irish – from music and dancing to the legend, lore of Ireland and the “wearing of the Green.”

Lynda Dyer Hart, president of Linda Dyer Hart Productions presents this annual burst of early springtime glory. She is also executive director for Charlotte’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Foundation. “Get out and have fun,” Hart says advises. “Be Irish for a day.”

Based in Tega Cay, Hart speaks energetically about the Rock Hill event. “I love it, and it grows larger every year, ... This is family-oriented fun, so bring the kids, bring the whole family for a colorful blast of excitement.”

The Federal Clan Kings along with Carolina Ceili bring the spirit of Irish music to life for this year’s event. A returning regional favorite, The Federal Clan Kings are led by Irish-American brothers Michael and Lenny Federal, blessed with the skills of traditional storytelling and tunes. The clan also features Rusty Barkley, Dennis Johnson and Jim Brock. Lifelong musicians and area favorites, they add assorted expertise to traditional tunes, original Irish songs, as well as to the lore of Celtic legends.

Carolina Ceili (pronounced “kay-lee”) joins in with their brand of Irish revelry. From fiddle tunes, traditional ditties and haunting ballads to Irish jigs and reels, this Asheville/Atlanta-based quartet offer Irish-inspired mystique marked by lush, four-part harmonies from Maggie Anderson/vocals; Laurie Fisher/fiddle; Marcos Harkness/mandolin; and Darlyne Cain/guitar. Crowd-pleasers with plenty of personality, Carolina Ceili also add contemporary arrangements of old favorites to their upbeat style.

Two schools of Irish Dance: Rince na h’Eireann Dance School and Walsh Kelley School of Irish Dance will join the festivities with several displays of their energetic skills during the evening. There will also be over 25 vendors, plus a large Kid’s Zone.

Join the fun of St. Patrick’s Day in downtown Rock Hill, 4:30-9 p.m. Thursday. For information, go to onlyinoldtown.com. Find more on the music at thefederalclan.com and carolinaceili.com.

Music elsewhere

Friday: Tantrum at Sandbar Grill, Rock Hill; The Oneppo Brothers Band at Luke’s Grill, Rock Hill; Dust & Ashes, The Long Canes, Temperance League, Motel Glory at The Courtroom at Gettys, Rock Hill; Mike & Chase at The Handle Bar Tavern, Catawba; Early Ray – Rayen Belchere with Gary Greene & more at The Rusty Rudder, Lake Norman.

Saturday: Chubby Knuckles at Empire Pizza 2, Newport-Rock Hill; Karaoke Konnect at The Handle Bar Tavern, Catawba; The Oneppo Brothers Band at John’s Place, Fort Mill; Analog Daze at Beef ’O’ Brady’s, Baxter, Fort Mill; DeCarlo at Patriot Taphouse & Grill, Fort Mill; Shotgun Saints at Stooges Pub & Grub, Charlotte.

Wednesday: Bucky Covington at Bundy Auditorium at USC Lancaster.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 1:13 PM with the headline "Irish music fills Rock Hill’s Main Street Thursday."