The Seventh Annual ‘Great Irish Hooley’ Music Festival returns to Raglan Road in Disney Springs for Labor Day Weekend! If you’re wondering what a “Hooley” is, then wonder no more! It’s a traditional Irish social celebration combining music ranging from traditional to rock tunes with entertainment and fun for the whole family (no cover charge).

Mark your calendars for August 31-September 3 and start preparing for this high-voltage Irish music festival serving up a colorful live playlist of traditional Irish, Celt grass, folk, blues and soul into the wee hours each night. Plus, the Raglan Road ‘Great Irish Hooley’ will feature Celtic face-painting  and the opportunity to learn some traditional Irish dance steps throughout the festival– no experience necessary!

You’ll find entertainment inside and outside the Pub. The Grand Room stage inside the Pub will feature crisp acoustics and stunning video choreography.  Bands also will play outside on the pub’s patio stage, where you can enjoy dinner, drinks and toe-tapping entertainment.

This year’s Hooley entertainment headliners include:

• JigJam — The multi-award-winning Irish quartet will bring their captivating brand of “CeltGrass” (a.k.a. I-Grass) – blending the best of traditional Irish music with Bluegrass and Americana. (Friday through Monday)
• Lisa Canny Band – The outrageously talented Lisa Canny, 7-time All-Ireland champion on harp and banjo, is an emerging Irish force blending pop and hip-hop with traditional Irish rhythms. (Saturday through Monday)
• Billow Wood – Known as Flat Out when they played Raglan Road in 2016, this male/female four-piece band fuses their unique brand of instrumentation with multi-vocals and harmonies for a blend of Irish and folk music. (Monday)

The Raglan Road Irish Dancers, of course, will perform throughout the ‘Great Irish Hooley’.  Plus champion Irish dancer Ciaran Keating, Raglan Road’s show choreographer, will host an entertaining workshop that traces the origins of Irish dance from earliest jigs and reels through contemporary times.

Additional music acts throughout the long weekend will include:

• Strings & Things — Strings & Things are an original Irish folk/trad crossover four-piece band from Tipperary/Galway. Over the years together they have created their own original sound and produced a variety of crossover songs by putting their own stamp on them.
• The Byrne Brothers — An exceptionally talented traditional Irish music family from Donegal. They are Luca, 13 (button accordion); Finn, 11 (banjo, mandolin and whistle); Dempsey, 8, (whistle and bodhran); and father, Tommy (guitar, Uilleann pipes, fiddle, whistles, bagpipes and bodhran). Their show combines traditional Irish tunes with modern dance beats, and they love to interact with every audience.
• Reel Republic –- Hailing from the southwest corner of Ireland, Reel Republic are four seriously talented musicians revving up audiences with a solid spectrum of Irish tunes and songs.
• TradGad – Three talented lads from Kerry, Dublin and Edinburgh charm Raglan Road audiences singing and playing guitar, fiddle, mandolin, uileann pipes, tin whistle, banjo and bazouki.
• High Road – Three talented musicians hailing from Dublin, Kilkenny and Glasgow meet in the middle to play a crowd-pleasing symphony of traditional Irish tunes and songs.
• Aaron O’Grady – An Irish import who will entice and beguile with his eclectic mix of Irish music.
• The Raglan Road Irish Dancers — Plucked from the cast and stages of the world’s greatest Irish dance shows, the Raglan Road Irish Dancers perform throughout the Great Irish Hooley.

Remember, this is a family-friendly event; kids of all ages are welcome to join in the fun. The complete entertainment schedule will be posted at  www.raglanroad.com closer to the event.

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Would you like to attend the Great Irish Hooley at Raglan Road? Please let us know with a comment!