Since 2008, the Romanian-Irish Cultural Association initiated the annual open-air celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in Bucharest – an event that enjoyed a special attention from the press and the public. The 5th edition is slated for 17 March 2012, starting 5.00 PM, in the Lipscani-Smardan area of the historic center of Bucharest.According to organisers, on the specially located stage will perform Romanian, Irish and Hungarian artists, which will dance and will evoke the good-natured, cheerful and “green” spirit so characteristic to the Irish. As of 4.00 PM, in the proper opening of the show, the artists invite the public to participate in a unique mini-parade that will march through the main streets of the Old Center, to the specific tunes of bagpipes and drums. Starting 5.00 PM, the stage will be “occupied” by the trainees of the Dance School led by Anne Marie Cunningham (a former member of the Riverdance company), more precisely by several bands: Celtic Fire – Tasnad – Satu Mare, Tir na nOg – Miercurea Ciuc, The Sky – Iasi, and Irish Way – Bucharest. The festival will also include a show of medieval and Celtic music with bagpipes and archaic instruments, performed by the Bordo Sarkany band of Hungary. The Embassy of Ireland in Bucharest invited as special guests the Irish band ‘The Amazing Apples,’ which will delight the public with their authentic traditional Irish tunes. The end of the show will belong to the Blackbeers and their Celtic rock with Irish-punk influences.
