12th Great Irish Hooley Boutique Music Festival Brings Top Talent, New Eats and Drinks to Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant Labor Day Weekend
Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant will host the 12th annual Great Irish Hooley roots revival music festival beginning Friday, Aug. 30 and continuing through Monday, Sept. 2. Top Irish, Canadian and American bands will rock Raglan Road’s indoor and outdoor stages with traditional favorite jigs and ballads, Celt grass, folk mainstays, and pop tunes. There is no cover charge. On stage throughout the weekend-long Hooley party:
Bandits on the Run – These Brooklyn-based indie-folk-pop-Americana headliners—Adrian Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn– are known for their genre-defying sound that’s received accolades from NPR’s All Songs Considered, American Songwriter, NPR Weekend Edition and the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project. The trio has been busy producing EPs, composing music for TV and film, and touring the globe from the Cambridge Folk Festival to Milwaukee Summerfest.
Cassie and Maggie – Two sisters from Nova Scotia light up the stage with traditional and contemporary Celtic instrumentals and vocals. Irish Music Magazine says the talented sisters “are among the top musical acts in demand on the Irish/American/Canadian scene.”
The Byrne Brothers – Extraordinary father-and-sons quartet from Donegal, Ireland, are back by demand, telling stories through their music, singing and Irish dancing.
The Connemara Ramblers – Sam Carey and Orla Leavy delight audiences with their fresh Irish sounds.
Men of Aran – Colin Farrell (fiddle and whistles) and Dave Curley (banjo and vocals) are legends in the Irish trad music world.
Northern Crossing – Three-piece trad Irish ensemble from Glasgow, Downpatrick, and Belfast produce a vibrant live show of music and song.
Raglan Road Irish Dancers – The pub’s award-winning Irish dancers kick up their heels and defy gravity before your eyes.
To pair with the Irish vibes and in keeping with the Hooley spirit, Raglan Road will debut new dishes, beers, and whiskeys. In addition to its All-Day Menu, the restaurant will serve its weekend Rollicking Raglan Brunch Saturday through Monday, Labor Day.
When you hear the Gaelic word “hooley,” you know you’re in for plenty of fun at a lively, family-friendly party. The Great Irish Hooley begins Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. Celtic face painting is complimentary from Friday evening through Labor Day. And on Sunday and Monday, Raglan Road’s Irish Dance Troupe will invite guests to join them in a lively ceili step dance. Ceilis, dating back to the Celts and Druids who inhabited Ireland in the 1500s, are usually a main event of local celebrations in Irish and Celtic communities.
“At Raglan Road, our Hooley is all about finding a reason to party!” says general manager Rachael Conroy. “Labor Day weekend is the perfect time to celebrate the last vibes of summer during a festival of unique Irish music, dance, and food.”
A consistent TripAdvisor Hall of Fame honoree and multi-award-winning restaurant, Raglan Road is widely known for its beer-battered fish and chips, Shepherd’s pie with a contemporary twist, and frequently refreshed menu of first-rate pub cuisine. Its broad array of exclusive locally crafted beers is created jointly by our Raglan beerheads with the best of Florida’s craft brew masters.
Reservations are recommended; call 407/938-0300. Check out raglanroad.com, and plan to join us for the Great Irish Hooley!
Owned and operated by Irish partners John Cooke and Paul Nolan, Raglan Road features traditional Irish dishes and new food and beverage creations with a Celtic twist. The restaurant’s warm interior of aged walnut and mahogany woods from old Irish bars and churches was built in Ireland and shipped to Orlando. Live entertainment nightly includes a suite of shows featuring Irish bands and dancers. Guests also can enjoy shows beginning at noon during the weekend Rollicking Raglan Brunch. Food is served from our All-Day menu daily from 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday Brunch is served from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant is located at Disney Springs in the Walt Disney World Resort, 1640 E. Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Visit www.raglanroad.com or call 407/938-0300. Follow us @RaglanRoadPub
