Memories of Milwaukee Irish Fest

Promoting Donegal in the USA

The Milwaukee Irish Fest is the highlight of the social calendar for many in the US. It is widely recognized as the largest celebration of Irish music and culture in the United States. The four-day festival is held in August each year on the shores of Lake Michigan. It showcases more than 100 entertainment acts on 17 stages and features the sounds, tastes and culture of Ireland. More than just a festival, the Milwaukee Irish Fest organization is passionately committed to igniting a love of Celtic culture in all people. What is truly special about Milwaukee is that the entire festival is organised by over 4,000 volunteers who give their time, year after year, to ensure that it is always such a successful event.

Check out this cool video by Aer Lingus.
It captures the spirt and magic of Milwaukee IrishFest

TEAM DONEGAL TOURISM

This is the third year that Donegal Tourism has been represented at Milwaukee IrishFest and it’s great to see the growing interest in our county as a tourism destination. My first of eight visits to the event was in 2011, when Derry and Donegal were showcased. It is exciting to note that Donegal will be the headline act at Milwaukee 2020. Congratulations to Barney Mc Laughlin and Sarah Nolan from Donegal Tourism for their intricate negotiations in securing this excellent opportunity to present our beautiful county to over 130,000 people from all over the US.

Rockhill House, Donegal Tour Guide, Irish Music Tours and Cathaoirleach Donegal County Council, Nicholas Crossan were also present to fly the flag for Donegal. Other representatives at the festival were White’s Hotels and Tours, Edel MacBride, Rathlin Knitwear and Bundoran based Institute of Study Abroad. I was delighted and proud to see the Byrne Brothers, originally from Mountcharles, Co Donegal, going down a storm with the American audience.

Prior to IrishFest, Donegal Tourism hosted an event in Chicago, engaging with major American tour operators and the Irish Diaspora. It was a lovely evening of celebration of all that is great about Donegal, showcasing the county’s unique tourism offerings. There was a great response to the forthcoming Donegal Connect event and the timing was apt following the recent, highly successful #LoveDonegal day celebration.

Presence in the US market is part of Donegal Tourism’s marketing strategy aimed at increasing its ever-growing visitor numbers to the county. Much progress has been made in this regard, thanks to the collaborative effort of all concerned.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Donegal Tourism for inviting me to join them on this trip. I am honoured to represent Donegal at every opportunity and I genuinely believe that now is our time to shine. Let’s do it together.