By: Mickayla Beckett
With all of the festivities and business in Cincinnati during autumn, it may seem a bit surprising that a non-themed concert could be completely packed. For many of the Irish-descended or Irish-interested people in Cincinnati, however, it seems that a concert was the best place to be. The concert was a stop in Loreena McKennitt’s 2016 world tour, and it was indeed completely packed at the Taft Theater on the 2016 Halloween night.
Loreena McKennitt, a Canadian with an Irish background and a love for the Celtic heritage generally, had only one concert in Cincinnati on this tour. Perhaps that was part of the attraction that drew people from their festivities to the event, or perhaps it was the night itself: sunset of All Hallow’s Eve would be the beginning of Samhain’s festival for the end of harvest. It would have been a day of feasting, music, and games in ancient Ireland and was also considered a time when the borders between this world and the otherworld weakened. With a history like that, perhaps an event centered on the rich history of Ireland made perfect sense. Playing the song “Samain Night” may have set the mood even more.
The concert featured plenty of music and stories, some from McKennitt’s life and travels and others from ancient myth, poetry, and sources contemporary to Irish events such as the Easter Rising of 1916, the centennial commemoration of which was a major part of Irish life. As such, the concert not only entertained but taught as well. The myths and legends of the bonny swamps, Anachie Gordon, and Brian Boru were paired with stories of red-haired mummies believed to be pre-Celtic being found in an ancient Chinese burial ground. McKennitt wove an atmosphere of learning with careful choices in music and literature. In the true Irish spirit, she also made sure to stress the future and the importance of making choices to take care of people, the environment, and our world as a whole. It was an experience that hints at the power a seanachie, or storyteller, may have had on the ancient Celts.
For some of the distant descendants of the Irish people, it may have been the closest they could get to connecting with their ancestral culture in the middle of a Cincinnati autumn and perhaps that is why the standard hours we set for Halloween celebrations were spent listening and feeling rather than eating candy or partying. Instead of all that, All Hallows’ Eve was spent nurturing the soul-felt connection to ancestors and heroes long gone.
The Irish filmmaker, Jim Sheridan, directs the 2002 film, In America. This film tells the story of a family of Irish emigrants who struggle to find their way in New York City after the loss of their young son. With the help of his two daughters, Jim Sheridan wrote this film based upon their lives. When Sheridan was 17, his younger brother, Frankie, died from a brain tumor. As a way for Sheridan to grieve and honor his late brother, the character Frankie is included in the film. The family’s struggles with poverty and immigration in America are taken from Sheridan’s experiences when he moved his family to New York City in the 1980s. Sheridan has notable accomplishments in film, writing or directing such movies as My Left Foot, The Field, and In the Name of the Father. Collectively, these films received 13 Academy Award nominations. 
Growing up, one of my biggest dreams was to be a professional dancer. I attended classes until I was about six-years-old for tap and ballet and my best friend was an Irish dancer as well. It wasn’t until I was 16 when I was re-watching the amazing videos of me dancing my little heart out in front of a handprint-stained mirror that I came to a life altering revelation: I have no rhythm. None. The passion to dance that is present within my heart was never correctly transferred to my feet. Although crushed, I have decided to place this unseen potential into something more productive: discovering the relationship of modern tap dancing to traditional Irish step dancing. 
As human beings, we’re engineered to like food. Some of us even have favorites, though I never could decide on one myself. Food is something that unites people because we all need it, we all make it, and we all eat it. Naturally, with the high Irish immigrant population in the United States over the decades and the enduring attachment Americans have for Irish heritage, there are a number of Irish pubs and restaurants around. Of course, there is a distinct difference between authentic Irish pubs and Irish-themes pubs, which is important to consider when analyzing the impact and success of Irish pubs. According to “The Irish Pub Concept,” a website that specializes in supporting and increasing the number of authentic Irish pubs in the United States, authentic Irish pubs tend to be more successful than their inauthentic namesakes. The website contains an economic comparison showing higher profits with the authentic Irish pubs, even if they had less money initially put into them. It’s hard to find exact statistics for how many of each may be in the country, but this particular website gives a good idea on how to tell the difference between the two: the authentic Irish pub is much more likely to be open during the day for food and it is much more likely to have an environment that promotes gathering, socializing, and conversing when compared to the themed pubs. 