Event Press Kit
Experience a day of Celtic culture at the Ceili of the Valley’s fourth annual Samhain Celtic New Year Festival. Samhain, pronounced “sow-in” (“ow” like in cow), is a Gaelic festival that marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. It is traditionally recognized on November 1 and considered the Celtic New Year.
Samhain Celtic New Year Festival When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, October 27, 2019 Where: Spinning Room at Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St. SE Cost: $10 adult and $5 students. Free for children younger than 12. Information: [email protected] or visit www.celticfestival.info
2019 Samhain Celtic New Year Festival Press Kit | 1 Event Highlights:
● 2016 was the inaugural Samhain Celtic New Year Festival
● The only event of its kind (focusing on Celtic culture) in the Willamette Valley
● A hands-on educational event featuring demonstrations, workshops, speakers, live music, vendors and more
● Recognizes the seven Celtic nations (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany,
Galicia and Isle of Man)
● 2019 event features headlining band Na Rósaí ● Features traditional foods such as Scottish Cock-a-leekie soup, Welsh Bubble & Squeak soup and Irish Potato Soup, plus scones, shortbread, tea, coffee and more.
● Made possible with support from Fred W. Fields Funds of the Oregon Community Foundation, AFSCME Local 2067, Duncan Construction, Real Systems, Capitol Toyota, The
Summit Group of Oregon, S&A IrishPdx.com, Bliss Sequoia & Huggins Insurance, Salem Health
& Hospitals, Friends of CVS and KMUZ Community Radio.
Ceili Dancing at the 2018 Samhain Festival
2019 Samhain Celtic New Year Festival Press Kit | 2 Headline Band:
Na Rósaí - Portland Based Traditional Irish Music
Na Rósaí performs traditional Irish, Appalachian, Scottish, and Breton tunes and songs featuring fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes, bouzouki, and whistles. Their focus has been exploring the links between the musical traditions of the Celtic regions and North America by arranging tunes from the two regions with a traditional sensibility. Na Rósaí is Irish Gaelic for “The Roses” in honor of Portland, the City of Roses.
In 2010, Erik Killops returned to Portland, Oregon, after studying Irish Fiddle at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Shortly after his homecoming, he met recent New Hampshire transplant and bouzouki player Richie Rosencrans and California native and piper Preston Howard at sessions around town. After realizing common musical interests they began a weekly performance at a local pub. In the autumn of 2012, flute player Conor Ó Bryan moved to Portland from Chico, California and immediately joined the ranks of the group.
2019 Samhain Celtic New Year Festival Press Kit | 3 Organization Overview:
The Samhain Celtic New Year Festival is organized by the Céilí of the Valley Society, a Salem-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and perpetuating Irish heritage and culture in the Willamette Valley primarily through social events that incorporate music and dance. An all-volunteer organization, the society teaches weekly classes, and holds dances with live music on the second Friday of the month. For more information, visit www.ceiliofthevalley.org.
The Céilí of the Valley Society’s purpose is: ● To educate the public about Irish dance and culture by providing public access to the same; ● To research the history of Irish dance and preserve that cultural knowledge through educational outreach to the public; ● To nurture and develop Irish dance callers and musicians for the purposes of ensuring the continuation of a vibrant cultural community; ● To enhance the community by creating a cultural organization dedicated to Irish music, dance and other Irish cultural activities; ● To support the local Irish community and to enhance relationships between the local Irish, Scottish and other Celtic cultural communities in the Salem area and the larger Willamette Valley of Oregon.
Learn the social dances of the seven Celtic nations at the Samhain Celtic New Year Festival
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The Samhain Celtic New Year Festival is organized by the Ceili of the Valley Society, a nonprofit organization that can be found dancing and sharing culture at events throughout the Willamette Valley
Contact and Connect:
Email: [email protected] or [email protected] On the Web: celticfestival.info Facebook: facebook.com/orcelticfest Twitter: twitter.com/orcelticfest Instagram: instagram.com/orcelticfest
2019 Samhain Celtic New Year Festival Press Kit | 5 Press Release:
Celebrate the Celtic New Year
Step into a world of Celtic culture at the Ceili of the Valley’s fourth annual Samhain Celtic New Year Festival 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in the Spinning Room at the Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St. SE.
Honoring the seven Celtic nations (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, Galicia and Isle of Man), the event is a day of immersive live music, speakers, workshops and educational hands-on activities that are fun for the whole community.
Learn about Celtic history and heritage. See demonstrations of art, cooking and dance. Take part in a workshop for fiddle, whistle, uilleann pipes and bodhran. Listen to stories of the wee folk and faeries. Visit the children’s area for opportunities in printmaking, clay working, coloring, knot creation and more, plus don’t forget to step outside where kids can take part in mini highland games and test their skills at the caber toss, sheaf toss, and welly throw.
This year’s headlining band is the traditional Irish group Na Rósaí. Na Rósaí performs traditional Irish, Appalachian, Scottish, and Breton tunes and songs featuring fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes, bouzouki, and whistles. Their focus has been exploring the links between the musical traditions of the Celtic regions and North America by arranging tunes from the two regions with a traditional sensibility. Na Rósaí is Irish Gaelic for “The Roses” in honor of Portland, the City of Roses.
Come hungry and ready for lunch as Celtic culinary delights, such as potato soup, cock-a-leekie soup, and bubble and squeak soup (prepared by local eatery Sassy Onion), as well as other sweet and savory treats, will be available for purchase.
Festival admission is $10 adult and $5 students. Free for children younger than 12.
Keep an eye on www.celticfestival.info for more information about the festival. Interested in being a sponsor, vendor or performer? Contact us at [email protected].
The Samhain Celtic New Year Festival is supported by Fred W. Fields Funds of the Oregon Community Foundation, AFSCME Local 2067, Duncan Construction, Real Systems, Capitol Toyota, The Summit Group of Oregon, S&A IrishPdx.com, Bliss Sequoia & Huggins Insurance, Salem Health & Hospitals, Friends of CVS and KMUZ Community Radio. ______
The Samhain Celtic New Year Festival is organized by the Ceili of the Valley Society, a Salem-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and perpetuating Irish heritage and culture in the Willamette Valley primarily through social events that incorporate music and dance. An all-volunteer organization, the society teaches weekly classes and holds dances with live music on the second Friday of the month. For more information, visit www.ceiliofthevalley.org.
2019 Samhain Celtic New Year Festival Press Kit | 6