Parent Organization of Milwaukee Irish Fest Rebrands as CelticMKE
New name better reflects the organization’s year-round commitment to promoting and celebrating Irish and Celtic culture
Milwaukee Irish Festivals, Inc., home of Milwaukee Irish Fest, is excited to announce that it is rebranding the organization under a new name, CelticMKE. The refreshed name and logo better reflects the organization’s mission to preserve, promote and celebrate all aspects of Irish, Irish American and Celtic cultures through year-round programming and events.
“What started as a festival 35 years ago has now grown into a year-round organization with global reach and influence,” said Patrick Boyle, executive director of CelticMKE. “Our organization is a leader in promoting Irish and Celtic culture here in Milwaukee and around the world. We feel the new name and branding better represents who we are today and where we see ourselves down the road.”
CelticMKE will continue to bring its signature event, Milwaukee Irish Fest, to the lakefront each August. The event is the world’s largest celebration of Irish music and culture and attracts people from all over the globe. The four-day festival brings in hundreds of musicians and artists to perform on 17 stages at Henry Maier Festival Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront.
In addition to the festival, CelticMKE is home to a wide variety of year-round events, concerts and programming aimed at providing opportunities for the public to learn about and enjoy the music, culture and history of Ireland, Northern Ireland and other Celtic nations. Year-round programming includes a school of music, summer school, choir, lecture series and a foundation, which has granted more than $500,000 to non-profit entities in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Canada and the United States since its inception in 1994.
CelticMKE is also home to the John J. Ward Irish Music Archives, which contains the world’s largest collection of Irish, Irish American and Celtic music recordings and ephemera.
“As musical and cultural traditions of the Irish and Celtic diaspora blended over the past few decades, Milwaukee Irish Fest has been at the forefront of the trend,” said Ed Ward, founder of Milwaukee Irish Fest. “CelticMKE remains passionately committed to honoring older traditions, as well as to finding new and modern interpretations of Irish, Irish American and Celtic music, dance and culture.”
For more information about CelticMKE and its year-round programming, visit the new website, www.celticmke.com.
About CelticMKE
Through original programing and events, CelticMKE aims to preserve, promote and celebrate all aspects of Irish, Irish American and Celtic cultures, and to instill an appreciation of these cultures in current and future generations. CelticMKE produces the world-renowned Milwaukee Irish Fest, August 18 – 21, 2016, along with a variety of Celtic-themed classes, lectures, concerts and cultural heritage projects.
