Ireland Day 4

Great day today!  Thought I'd give you a flavor for the festival in Cork, Ireland, we participated in.  The festival started with a parade, led by a brass band.

 Lucy Wu and Natalie Clark joining street dancing in the photo on the right above.

After the parade, the orchestra adapted (no chairs for violas and violins; violins playing on the steps) to fit in the performance space in front of The Firkin Crane, an unusual round building that is home to three Irish dance companies.  Again a program of music from Phantom of the Opera, Sound of Music, Rocky and Star Wars was well received.  There was what our guides call "soft rain" while the Jazz Septet performed under a tent behind the Butter Museum, but it didn't stop the  crowd from appreciating their American jazz set, sandwiched in between Over 60 Irish singers and folk music.  

Students and adults enjoyed time to walk around and enjoy the very family oriented activities. There was a wild animal booth set up and one of the chaperones told me she enjoyed having snakes wrapped around her neck...nothing I would ever choose to do.  I noticed several of our students with face paint art.  I climbed the bell tower which is emblematic of Cork and the view from the top was worth it.  You can see the Firkin Crane in this photo and get a feel for this part of Ireland.  Cork has a population of about 150,000 and is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland.  

The students took advantage of the food at the festival. . . ice cream, crepes, Lebanese wraps, charcoaled sausage, churros, and more, but all seemed to have an appetite for the burgers or vegetable moussaka back at the university dining hall tonight.  What a great group of students and chaperones!