Wednesday, March 17, 2010

‘Tis the Season To Be Irish

On Saturday we went to the Tallahassee Irish Festival and Parade. Tallahassee has been a little slow in getting on the St. Patrick’s Day bandwagon and so this is what I called a baby festival. It will grow, though, I think.

The music was provided by this local band, with a unique style that was fun and refreshing. I have never heard a rock band with a bagpipe.

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It was a breezy---no, WINDY!----day. Looking at this picture now and noticing the flair of the sound guy’s kilt, I may have just missed a shot that might have been a tad more interesting had I aimed the camera just a little lower.

Oh, well.

There was a lively group of Irish step dancers performing.

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And then there was the parade.

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The spectators were sometimes spectacles themselves.

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There was even an Irish Setter.

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And there were Irish Wolfhounds.

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I was not really familiar with these large dogs. They were originally used to hunt wolves that attacked sheep herds. These were both females;  the males grow one third larger and weigh 130-160 pounds. These were very gentle dogs.

The festival was worth going out for and nice that it was all free, except for the $5 glasses of beer and other food, which we passed on. I hope the celebration will grow.

3 comments:

Daniel said...

A. The band wasn't Enter The Haggis, was it?
B. Is the use of dogs to hunt wolves a form of fratricide? Lupicide by fratricide?

S N B said...

A. They are called Scots on the Rock. They are local.
B. Uh, maybe!

Anonymous said...

The Wolf hounds are impressive.
Good that they are even tempered.