Celtic Celebration at Old Sturbridge Village

 

Old Sturbridge Village will on  March 14 and 15, celebrate St. Patrick's Day weekend with daytime "Celtic Celebration" events, "complete with Irish music, food, step dancing, stories, and Scottish bagpipe music," according to a release.

"Irish musicians will demonstrate the difference between jigs and reels and tell the story of the Irish experience through song."

 

Also, the release said, a "Village historian portraying 19th-century Irish immigrant Mary Culligan will explain why so many Irish immigrants came to America, and what life was like for Irish families once they arrived.  She will also answer questions about popular Irish myths, like whether or not corn beef and cabbage was originally the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal."

 

Also in the release: Irish band Full Gael will perform a full concert of Celtic music at 7 p.m.  March 14 ($12 per person; $10 for Old Sturbridge Village members). Doors open at 6 p.m. and favorite Irish foods and beverages will be available for purchase, including Bangers & Mash, corned beef sandwiches, Guiness Stew, beer and wine.

 

 Lodging packages are available at the Village’s own Old Sturbridge Inn and Reeder Family Lodges, located adjacent to the museum. For all times and details: 800-SEE-1830; www.osv.org.         

 

"Most of the 30,000 Irish who came to Massachusetts between 1820 and 1830 were skilled workers, not destitute peasants. After building factories, canals, and railroads in England, many came to do the same work here. When those projects were finished, some swelled New England’s rapidly growing urban populations, while others sought farm work in the countryside. Many more Irish immigrants came to New England to escape the potato famines of the 1840s. "