Date of Event

March 2, 2012 -
March 4, 2012

Event Location

Fair Park
1st Ave and Parry Street
Dallas  , TX 75214
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Description of Event:

NTIF 2012 is the 30th Annual North Texas Irish Festival to be held at Fair Park in Dallas. The Festival welcomes professional arts and crafts vendors and merchandise businesses that offer quality products. We started life on March 3, 1983, when a small group of like-minded musicians created a small gathering at Nick Farrelly's Lounge (generally called the NFL Bar). The event was known as the ""First Texas Ceili."" Ceili (pronounced kay-lee) means a visit or gathering in Gaelic and is understood to involve musical entertainment and dance. The following year we moved home to the historical Fair Park where we have been ever since. In addition to being our 30th festival, we also picked the theme of Harps and Fiddles, since these two instruments, probably more than any others typify the music of Ireland. There are many varieties of harp found throughout the world, the oldest originating in Egypt some 4,000 years BC. The folk harp or Celtic harp is small to medium-sized and usually designed for traditional music; it can be played solo or with small groups. It is prominent in Welsh, Breton, Irish, Scottish and other Celtic cultures within traditional or folk music and as a social and political symbol. The medieval fiddle emerged in 10th-century Europe, deriving from the Byzantine lira, a bowed string instrument of the Byzantine Empire and ancestor of most European bowed instruments. The best-known Irish regional fiddling traditions are from Donegal, Sligo, Sliabh Luachra and Clare. The harp is also featured on the famous Irish light beer, Harp, the flag of Leinster and, prior to joining the Euro, the Irish currency. Hours: Friday, 6:00-11:00pm; Saturday, 10:30am-11:30pm; Sunday, 11:30am-7:30pm