Break out the bagpipes.
By Kat Bryant
Grays Harbor News Group
Ocean Shores is bracing for the 16th annual Celtic Music Feis (pronounced fesh), a weeklong celebration of Celtic music and culture.
Scheduled acts will be here from all over the globe. This year, along with several popular returning acts, the famed Celtic Tenors — a trio of classically trained vocalists — are coming in from Ireland.
In addition, a French group called Doolin’ will be making its first appearance here.
“They play all Irish music, and they are amazing,” said event organizer Chris Doyle, general manager of Galway Bay Irish Pub.
Traditional storyteller David McDonnell also will entertain visitors, and members of the Seattle Irish Dance Company will accompany musicians at various times.
About 2,000 people attended last year’s festivities, and Doyle says he expects about the same number this year.
The kickoff dinner will be held Monday at the 8th Street Ale House in Hoquiam. Seats for that private affair, featuring Hank Cramer, Rick Dougherty, Carter Junction and Stefan Roland, were sold out far in advance.
The public festivities begin Tuesday afternoon at Galway Bay, with seven acts performing from 3 p.m. to around midnight. On Wednesday, the pub will host music from noon until late.
After that, the entertainment options open up wide.
From Thursday through Saturday, 26 acts will perform multiple times from 11 a.m. until late into the night at both Galway Bay and the Ocean Shores Convention Center. With four stages at each venue, visitors will be able to pick and choose which performers to enjoy at any given time.
Vendors also will be set up at the Convention Center from Thursday through Sunday, offering a variety of foods and wares. And of course Galway Bay will offer its full bar and a limited menu at the pub during the festival.
On Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m., Guinness representatives will serve up imperial pints in gravity glasses. Patrons who buy a pint will be allowed to keep the glass.
And, in another first for the Feis, Five Farms of County Cork, Ireland, will be offering tastings of its single-batch Irish cream liqueur, according to Doyle. Times had not yet been set at this writing.
The festival will wrap up on Sunday, with the final act finishing around 4 p.m. at the Convention Center and later that evening at the pub.
Tickets of all types are available online, with costs varying widely.
All-access passes, which cover admission at both venues for multiple days, are going for $75 to $185.
If that’s beyond your budget, it’s a good idea to check the schedule online to see when and where your favorite groups are playing. One-day passes limited to a single venue range from $20 to $50.
A few important points to keep in mind:
• You’ll pay at least $10 more per person at the door if you don’t purchase your passes online.
• Events at the Convention Center are for all ages; at Galway Bay, attendees must be 21+.
• Children 12 and younger get into the Convention Center free.
For the complete festival schedule, visit celticmusicfeis.com.
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The musical lineup, in alphabetical order:
Biddy on the Bench
The Bold Doherty
Burren Band
Carter Junction
The Celtic Tenors
Coming Up Threes
Hank Cramer
Cul an Ti
Daimh
Peter Daldry
Doolin
Rick Dougherty
Heavy Hammer
That Irish Guy
The Kilted Man
Molly’s Revenge
Oliver Mulholland
O’Jizo
Angus Richardson
Stefan Roland
Seastar
Seven Nations
Stark Raving Plaid
Stout Pounders
Courtesy photo Doolin’, a group of French musicians, will perform at the 2019 Celtic Music Feis in Ocean Shores.
Photo by Kat Bryant | Grays Harbor News Group The Marketplace at the Ocean Shores Convention Center offers something for all tastes and budgets.
Photo by Scott D. Johnston | For Grays Harbor News Group Japanese group O’Jizo made its first appearance at the festival in 2018 and is scheduled to return this year.
Courtesy photo Ireland’s famed Celtic Tenors are set to appear this year.
Photo by Scott D. Johnston | For Grays Harbor News Group Japanese group O’Jizo made its first appearance at the festival in 2018 and is scheduled to return this year.
