Kells St. Patrick’s Irish Festival

PRESS RELEASE

Kells 40th Annual St. Patrick’s Irish Festival - SEATTLE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –February 1st, 2023

Every year thousands of people from around the world flock to Kells St. Patrick’s Irish Festival. This year is no different at our iconic Kells Irish Restaurant, located in Seattle’s Post Alley, for this 40th annual celebration!

Starting on Wednesday 8th of March, (What would have been our founder, Joe McAleese’, 90th birthday) the festivities will include live Irish music, dancing, traditional foods and so much more! Our festival will start up Wednesday, March 8th straight through to Sunday, March 20th. This tented area will provide extra room for our revelers in Post Alley (which will be closed to through traffic) to celebrate all things Irish. There will be activities in our 3 inside areas, back bar, front restaurant, and banquet facility. We will have something for everyone.

As always, our menu offers an array of traditional dishes like corned beef, authentic Irish stew, Ballycastle Sausage Rolls and Ethna’s Irish Soda Bread (baked daily on Kells’ premises). For a real taste of Ireland, you can enjoy a tantalizing selection of beers from our own Kells Brewery in Portland – choose from Kells Lager, Kells Pilsner, Kells Irish Red Ale, Kells IPA, Kells Pale Ale or Kells Irish Stout.

So why not join us for great food, excellent company and much celebration this Saint Patrick’s Day?! We look forward to welcoming you and your friends to this epic event.

Admission details and live music line-up are provided in the schedule below.

#kellsirish

With music and events beginning on Wednesday, March 8th and running until Sunday, March 19th, we have something for everyone.

SCHEDULE

Kells St. Patrick's Irish Festival Lineup

Celebrating 40 Years of Irish Tradition!

Wednesday: March 8th - 40th ANNIVERSARY KICKOFF! Kells opens at 11:30AM. Founder and patriarch Joe McAleese' birthday and day of remembrance. Entry is FREE (21+ w/ ID after 9PM)

Thursday: March 9th Kells opens at 11:30AM and Music begins @ 9 PM Performer (Mairtin O hUigin & Darrin Cahill) Entry is FREE (21+ w/ ID after 9PM)

Friday: March 10th Kells opens at 11:30 AM, Music begins @ 9 PM Performer (Stocious-Mairtin O hUigin & Darrin Cahill) Entry is FREE (21+ w/ ID after 9PM)

Saturday: March 11th Kells opens at 11:30 AM and Music begins @ 1 PM. Performers (Stocious-Mairtin O hUigin & Darrin Cahill and Stark Raving Plaid). 12PM Tullamore dew Irish coffee station. St. Patrick's Day Parade 12:30 PM. 1 PM Teelings tasting and class. 3 PM Jameson HAPPY HOUR. 4PM Guinness personal pints. 6:30 PM Raffles. Entry is FREE (21+ w/ ID after 9 PM).

Sunday: March 12th St. Patrick’s Fun Run at 8:30 AM. Kells opens at 9 AM and Music begins @ Noon. (Stocious-Mairtin O hUigin & Darrin Cahill) Entry is free (21+ w/ ID after 9PM)

Monday: March 13th Kells opens at 4 PM

Tuesday: March 14th Kells opens at 4 PM and Music begins @ 9 PM. Performers (Stocious-Mairtin O hUigin & Darrin Cahill) Entry is free (21+ w/ ID after 9PM)

Wednesday: March 15th Kells opens at 11:30 AM and Music begins @ 9 PM Performers (Buck Mad Boys & Stocious) Entry is free (21+ w/ ID after 9PM)

Thursday: March 16th Kells opens at 11:30 AM and Music begins @ 9 PM Performers (Buck Mad Boys & Stocious) Entry is free (21+ w/ ID after 9PM)

Friday: March 17th - St. Patrick's Day - Kells opens at 10 AM and Music begins @ noon. Performers (Stout Pounders, Buck Mad Boys, Stocious and Vertigo Zoo). Entry is $20 - FREE Festival t-shirt provided for all PRE-purchased passes (while stock lasts). No reservations - passes available directly from Kells from March 1st. Pre-purchase at Kells $20

Saturday & Sunday: March 18th & 19th Kells opens at 11:30 and Music begins @ 7 PM. Performers (Buck Mad Boys, and Stocious) Entry is free (21+ w/ ID)

BAND BIOS

Get to know the bands

STOCIOUS with Mairtin O hUigin

Born in Belfast, Mairtin O hUigin is the youngest son of three. His mother is from Ballymena and his father from Glenravel in County Antrim, where he has lived most of his life. Years ago Mairtin joined a band from South Derry called Celtic Rogue where he was joint lead vocalist. He has spent many very happy years traveling all over Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the US. These days, most of his gigs are local and you can usually catch him at the Central Bar in Cushendall. Mairtin, born in Belfast the youngest son of three. His mother from Ballymeana and his father from Glenravel in County Antrim,where he has lived most his life. Years ago Mairtin joined the band Celtic Rogue from South Derry where he was the lead vocalist. He has spent many happy years traveling and singing all over Ireland as well as Europe, Australia and the US. He has played and sang with many Irish singers including The Wolfe Tones, The Dublin City Ramblers and more recently Damien Dempsey.. Always an entertainer and crowd pleaser..

Buckmad Bhoys

The Buckmad Bhoys are Cormac Duffin and Declan Keenan from Co. Antrim in N. Ireland and have been playing together for four years. A Buckmad Bhoys show takes the audience over the edge with their own personal twist on Irish traditional music fusing it with rock, jazz, blues and punk. They released their first album Darkness & Light in 2016 it is available on iTunes as well as many other download sites or can be bought at their shows as a hard copy. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram. This is a band you won’t want to miss so get yourself down to Kells Irish Pub, Seattle during St Patrick’s week and let the Buckmad Bhoys help you party hard.

Stout Pounders

Stout Pounders is a Seattle based Celtic Folk Rock band. Since 2007, the band has brought new energy to time tested Scottish and Irish Folk music while mixing in originals with influences ranging from ska to metal. Stout Pounders are great for pub atmospheres or large festivals. The band plays regularly around Seattle and has been the house band of the Seattle St. Patrick's Day Dash since 2009. The band is Darin Wallace (lead vocals, bodhran), Marc Wallace (guitar, mandolin), Christian Hoffman (banjo, bouzouki), Jimmy McKnight (great pipes, whistles, accordion), Tianna Byrtus (fiddle), Amber Crea (drums), Phil Tsai (bass).

Vertigo Zoo

From working class roots in Dublin Ireland, U2 emerged to become one of the best selling groups of all time. Vertigo Zoo (VZ) captures U2’s incredible body of music and their spirit of sincerity unlike any other tribute act. U2's music was created to be played LIVE, and Vertigo Zoo brings you to the front row of an intimate concert experience!

Vertigo Zoo brings you early releases like “Gloria”, I “Will Follow” and “Electric Co.”; Burning anthems like “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, “New Years Day”, and “Pride (In the Name of Love)”; Soulful classics like “One”, “Bad”, “With or Without You”, “Angel of Harlem”, “Who's going to Ride Your Wild Horses”, and “One Tree Hill”; Rockers like “Vertigo”, “Bullet the Blue Sky”, and “Desire”, plus many more and some unexpected surprises. They would never claim to be "Even Better Than the Real Thing", but here is what the fans say:

"I could have been fooled that I was at a U2 concert..."-P.T.
"These guys are easily the best local live band I have seen in years. Anyone who enjoys U2 needs to make the time to check them out (and bring their dancing shoes)!"-R.M.
"Go see 'em. Fantastic Show!!!"-B.F.
"The band was Fantastic and the lead singer was so good."-P.T.
"Had an amazing evening!"-G.P.
"AMAZING SHOW!!!!"-Z.C.

Come see Vertigo Zoo and you will be convinced “It’s a Beautiful Day” after all.

Stark Raving Plaid

Stark Raving Plaid is an exciting Celtic rock band that brings smiles, dancing, laughter and energy wherever they go. There is a strand of Celtic pride that comes from honoring ancient tradition with an infusion of musical irreverence, fun and mischief. Centuries old songs can sound fresh and their own new material is right at home with the pub classics. They are familiar and approachable like an invitation to join new friends at the bar but dazzlingly accomplished and sophisticated in their musical craft.