Irish-style revelry: Territt and membership chairman Trevor Flaherty looking at pictures of last year’s celebration in the association magazine.
IRISH culture and traditions will once again be celebrated during St Patrick’s Festival 2015 in Penang from March 5 to 8.
Organised by the Penang Irish Association, it will feature a colourful lineup of events themed ‘Irish Myths, Legends and Folklore’ and should give locals a good taste of the Emerald Isle.
Association president Maggie Territt said the programme would start with an Elvis tribute artiste performance at Healy Mac’s in Straits Quay around 9pm on March 5.
It will be followed by the annual St. Patrick’s Ball in Eastern and Oriental Hotel (E&0) Penang at 7pm on March 6.
The highlight will be the St. Patrick’s Street Parade in Straits Quay on March 7, starting around 4pm, which will see participation from various groups and performances by acts specially brought in from Ireland.
“We’ll have a U2 tribute band, Joshua Tree.
“Our Elvis impersonator is returning by popular demand while we’re also bringing in Eddie Lenihan, a traditional Irish storyteller whom generations have grown up with on radio and TV,” she pointed out at press conference at the E&O.
There will also be Irish traditional dancers from Singapore’s Inspiration Dance School as well as local band Penang Celtic Fusion to keep the expected crowd of thousands entertained.
An all-day long mini exhibition on Irish history will be held at Strait Quay’s main lobby on March 7 and 8.
The association’s book, titled ‘Ireland - Penang: Bridging Friendships’, which is co-written by Territt and vice-president Barry Leddy, will also be launched on March 8.
“It gives insight into the long-standing connections between the people of Ireland and Penang, dating back to 1794. It contains some intriguing human interest stories,” she noted.
The 144-page book will be sold at RM80 during the event.
After that, it can be obtained at Healy Mac’s, an Irish pub, as well as Uncle Albert’s, a restaurant specialising in traditional English fish and chips, in Straits Quay.
Territt said all proceeds minus costs would go to the association.
Presently, there are already 400 orders for the eagerly anticipated book.
St. Patrick’s Day, which honours Ireland’s patron saint, has been celebrated in Penang since 2001 through the annual ball before the parade was started last year.
“It will be a weekend of bringing Ireland to Penang.
“It will provide an opportunity for people of our two countries to celebrate, share and network in a fun-filled and family-friendly atmosphere,” Territt said.
For more information, call Territt at 012-4625596, or email to penangpia@gmail.com.
