of the Green

from Dublin Life August/September 2012

Safety First year-round planning helps maintain safety and security at City events

IT’S BEEN MORE than a quarter-century, but Kitty Munger still remembers standing in the kitchen of her newly-built Indian Run Meadows home, reading a story in the newspaper about the effort to connect Dublin to its namesake across the pond.

Local resident Mary Margaret McLernon was trying to set up a sister city relationship between the two, Munger remembers.

“When Dublin, Ohio was celebrating its first year as a city (in 1987), Dublin, Ireland was celebrating its 1,000th year as a city,” says Munger, director of communications for Wendy’s. “She wanted to bring Irish cultural events to Dublin, Ohio.”

Munger, a competitive Irish step dancer, was intrigued and connected with McLernon. They became the core of a small band of volunteers calling themselves the Dublin 1/1000. The group reached out to the Columbus Feis (pronounced fesh), an annual step dancing competition.

“We’d heard (they) were looking for a new home,” Munger says. “They wanted a new place to go that maybe was airconditioned, and through people being in the right place at the right time, we worked to get the Feis moved to Dublin (Coffman) High School.”

The first Dublin Irish Festival, held in 1988, featured the Columbus Feis and a concert by traditional Irish band The Chieftains.

“It started with a musical group and some vendors, just like that, and it’s grown year after year after year,” Munger says.

Twenty-five years later, the event has practically exploded. More than

100,000 patrons are expected at the 2012 Dublin Irish Festival Aug. 3-5, says Dublin Events Administrator Mary Jo DiSalvo.

The 25th annual event runs 4 p.m.-midnight Aug. 3, 11 a.m.midnight Aug. 4 and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Aug. 5. Kicking off the Festival is the IGS Energy Dublin Irish Festival 5K and Kids Fun Run/ Walk at 7 p.m. Aug. 2 in Historic Dublin.

This year’s Festival will feature more than 75 vendors selling Celtic goods, not to mention 65 different music acts on seven stages.

“Vendors that come here have to go through a selection process so that we know that the items they’re bringing are authentic Irish goods,” DiSalvo says.

And for the first time, the Festival will host the International Highland Games Federation Women’s World Team Championships on Sunday, Aug. 5.

Also new this year is the Irish Authors’ Corner, a meet-and-greet with five Irish-American authors from 5-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. Authors Arthur Cola, Jay Dolan, Mary Carter, Larry Kirwan, John O’Brien Jr. and Kevin O’Hara will also hold readings from their works at other times during the festival.

The Pet Palace Celtic Canine area, featuring Irish dog breeds as well as grooming and training demonstrations, long has been a family favorite. This year, for the first time, guests will be able to see all eight Irish breeds.

“There’s new, there’s old, there’s the traditional things that people have always liked in our Irish Cultural area and the workshops where they can get very up close and personal with the people who make instruments and tell stories,” DiSalvo says.

The Irish Festival couldn’t have grown into the event it is today without the involvement and support of the City of Dublin, Munger says.

After about five years of the volunteer group running the Festival, the City stepped in and offered to take over the planning, promotion and execution.

“We had big decisions to make,” says Munger. “This was our baby. This was our thing we created, and we wanted to make sure it retained its focus on Irish culture.”

“They’ve done such an outstanding job every year,” Munger says.

Irish Dance School

“Every year it gets better.”

The City’s involvement has been indispensable, says Kay McGovern, another Festival Founder.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with the City of Dublin and I think they’ve done a marvelous job,” says McGovern, who was on the board of the Columbus Feis 25 years ago. “It’s very emotional every year when I see the crowds. It started out just as a dream and it turned into all this.”

Just as she does every year, Munger plans to reserve a spot at a table where she can listen to the traditional bands.

“I’m a big fan and have been forever and ever,” Munger says. “I sit and watch all the great musicians.”

And, of course, as a former dancer herself, she’ll watch the dancing.

“Over the years, a person’s knees give out, so I haven’t danced in a while, but I still love it,” she says.

Tickets are $10 per day for adults and $8 for seniors 60 and older, military and students with a valid ID. Children 12 and under are free.

The gates open at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 5 for Sunday Services and breakfast. Entrance is free with the donation of a non-perishable food item. Donations benefit the Dublin Food Pantry.

For more information on the 25th annual Dublin Irish Festival, visit dublinirishfestival.org.