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It's been eight years since I've gone to the Dublin Irish Festival. Dublin is one of Columbus' upscale suburbs...though in Columbus the Burbs aren't like they are in some places (well now they are more so than when I lived there a decade ago). Columbus spread like cancer in central Ohio and swallowed up all these little outskirts towns so you have these 'burbs with 'historic' districts then the crappy housing plans of today. Dublin was out of my price range when I lived in Columbus but if I stayed in Columbus and built up my medical practice that's where I had my eye on.
CC, one of the biologist who had just left the college told me that she didn't like the festival because it was small and crappy. That surely wasn't the festival I remembered. I pointed out that it's the second biggest one in the country next to Boston. Well we were both a little right, me moreso than her. It wasn't quite like I remembered it with more food booths than vendors opposed to what it had been. But it wasn't small and if it hadn't been so damn hot and humid (temp and humidity both in the middle 90's) I might have gone earlier, not to shop but to do all the other things they had like musical work shops, cultural work shops and Irish in film.
The vendors were cut down from what I remember, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. THere's only so many silver necklaces you can look at, most of them from the same manufacturers. There was a huge tent near one of the two main gates with about four rows of vendors (and it smelled. Oh god, did it smell like sweat under there). It was right next to the big stage so I looked around then headed out with items for the holidays already in mind.
I did run across a living history encampment of "Brian Boru's Ireland' complete with raiding Vikings. It was too damn hot to look at live fires for cooking and blacksmithing though. This was closer to the other gate where there were more individual vendors including some different stuff including little bits of stained glass 'suncatchers' ( yes those became gifts), stamped copper (too expensive for my usual gift price range) and several wood workers. Very few potters though.
I went back to the main vendors, picked up some nice pieces including a crescent moon set with a moonstone. I'll make them into jewelry for the holidays (the moon is MINE). One vendor had a lovely Morrigan statue which I've not seen the like of before. For one, Morrigan isn't a popular goddess to rendor. Secondly she was done in deep blood red, pretty appropriate for her but she wasn't in my price range either. I also picked up for me a porcelain charm, birds of prophecy. I'm not sure why. I'm not a huge bird person but the charm insisted it belonged with me so...
And i managed to snag one of the few remaining seats for Gaelic Storm. By now my hair was totally wet with sweat and I was regretting not getting the 5$ BIG lemonade...though really it was more expensive than beer. Sheesh. Gaelic Storm (probably most famous for their music in The Titanic though their sixth album is currently #2 on the world music charts) put on a great show. Most everyone was trying to clap along but i was so sweaty my hands stuck together half the time. They got us up dancing for teh encore (which at this point I'm glad I had on black shorts because everyone around me looked like they had peed themselves, it was such a sweaty day).
It was well worth the trip up there. I did stop for a late...i'm not sure what since i did the big meal at lunch time knowing how late I'd get out of the festival (and oh, Macaroni Grill 4 little shrimp in your shrimp portofino is NOT worth 10$) but i'm not sure how what Chiles described and what I got jived. I got an enormous salad thing I'll be eating for days. I almost managed to sneak in time at Borders (since I'm now remembering all the cut acrosses and side roads to everything.) Bleach 14 and Godchild 2 were out so whee.
CC, one of the biologist who had just left the college told me that she didn't like the festival because it was small and crappy. That surely wasn't the festival I remembered. I pointed out that it's the second biggest one in the country next to Boston. Well we were both a little right, me moreso than her. It wasn't quite like I remembered it with more food booths than vendors opposed to what it had been. But it wasn't small and if it hadn't been so damn hot and humid (temp and humidity both in the middle 90's) I might have gone earlier, not to shop but to do all the other things they had like musical work shops, cultural work shops and Irish in film.
The vendors were cut down from what I remember, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. THere's only so many silver necklaces you can look at, most of them from the same manufacturers. There was a huge tent near one of the two main gates with about four rows of vendors (and it smelled. Oh god, did it smell like sweat under there). It was right next to the big stage so I looked around then headed out with items for the holidays already in mind.
I did run across a living history encampment of "Brian Boru's Ireland' complete with raiding Vikings. It was too damn hot to look at live fires for cooking and blacksmithing though. This was closer to the other gate where there were more individual vendors including some different stuff including little bits of stained glass 'suncatchers' ( yes those became gifts), stamped copper (too expensive for my usual gift price range) and several wood workers. Very few potters though.
I went back to the main vendors, picked up some nice pieces including a crescent moon set with a moonstone. I'll make them into jewelry for the holidays (the moon is MINE). One vendor had a lovely Morrigan statue which I've not seen the like of before. For one, Morrigan isn't a popular goddess to rendor. Secondly she was done in deep blood red, pretty appropriate for her but she wasn't in my price range either. I also picked up for me a porcelain charm, birds of prophecy. I'm not sure why. I'm not a huge bird person but the charm insisted it belonged with me so...
And i managed to snag one of the few remaining seats for Gaelic Storm. By now my hair was totally wet with sweat and I was regretting not getting the 5$ BIG lemonade...though really it was more expensive than beer. Sheesh. Gaelic Storm (probably most famous for their music in The Titanic though their sixth album is currently #2 on the world music charts) put on a great show. Most everyone was trying to clap along but i was so sweaty my hands stuck together half the time. They got us up dancing for teh encore (which at this point I'm glad I had on black shorts because everyone around me looked like they had peed themselves, it was such a sweaty day).
It was well worth the trip up there. I did stop for a late...i'm not sure what since i did the big meal at lunch time knowing how late I'd get out of the festival (and oh, Macaroni Grill 4 little shrimp in your shrimp portofino is NOT worth 10$) but i'm not sure how what Chiles described and what I got jived. I got an enormous salad thing I'll be eating for days. I almost managed to sneak in time at Borders (since I'm now remembering all the cut acrosses and side roads to everything.) Bleach 14 and Godchild 2 were out so whee.
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