NORTH TEXAS IRISH FESTIVAL 2003
It
seems all the roads at NTIF led to...RIVENDELL???!? I certainly did an
immediate double-take when I spotted this roadsign! It was a sign (pun
intended): I just KNEW NTIF was going to be great fun, then.
After all, if the Festival sign painters were having that much fun
simply making signs for it, then the rest of the Festival just had to
be AWESOME, too!!!
My favorite singing pirate group, THE CORSAIRS (Above)! Of course, the real reason I always go to see The Corsairs is not so much for their music -- which's always GREAT,
don't get me wrong -- but for their improv humor and adlib zaniness
which they throw in during each number. Alas, they held it down to a
low roar at NTIF, mainly since the Irish Festival is more of a
family-oriented event. For my money, tho, the very best time to see
them in action is their last show on the last day of Scarborough!
Almost GUARANTEED to be totally over the top, outrageous and definitely NOT PC -- especially when they've been drinking Guiness all day!! Ya just gotta love these guys!!!
Another great band was the IRISH ROGUES, playing on the Star and Harp Pub Stage in the Automobile Building (Above). Not only was their music great, but I also happened to like the stage, which's why I took that picture! (Photo, Below): the Irish Rouges doing the "Rambling Bog" with a VERY
young tenor vocalist! Amazingly, he went through the entire Bog Cycle
without missing a beat -- and there had to be at least two dozen items
in that list!!!
Of
course, I couldn't leave NTIF without seeing some Irish Step Dancing!
So among the many schools of Irish Dance performing there that weekend,
I managed to catch some members of the Shandon School of Irish Dance
doing a number on the Emerald Stage (Photo, Above). Aye, it wasn't LORD OF THE DANCE
for sure, but it was right good and lively!! If nothing else, I love
the sheer energy of it all, even if I can't do it myself!!! Then there
was the Dallas Scottish Country Dancers on the Emerald Stage, doing a
Scottish Country Dance (Photo, Below). Now, hey: I could do
that! It's not high-impact like Irish Step Dancing -- more like
skipping in time to the music!! All I'd have to do is manage to
shoehorn it into my schedule of work, faire and fossil-hunting!!!
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Standard Disclaimer: This
webpage is strictly an *Unofficial* look at the North Texas Irish
Festival held every March in Dallas, TX since 1982. The author of these
pages is in no way, shape, manner or form connected with the North
Texas Irish Festival (WEBSITE: www.ntif.org)
and/or any of the sponsors associated with this event. All opinions
expressed are strictly this author's own. Unless noted otherwise, all
photographs are copyright (c)2000-2004 by George Laking.
This Page Created 15 January 2004
