NTIF 2007 Performers

Changes for 2007

The major change for 2007 is that we are bringing back the In The Tradition stage. This stage will be located at the eastern end of the Centennial Hall, in the location previously occupied by the Tara stage.

The Tara stage will be relocated to the eastern end of the Automobile building, across from the Urchin Street stage. If this has left you confused, check the festival map in the program when you arrive.

The benefits to this are that we are now able to accommodate more featured musicians and have space for more workshops. All workshops will take place on the Tara stage, which will be configured as a more intimate, educational setting. The Play and a number of featured musicians will perform on the In The Tradition Stage.

International Headliners

The selection of headline musicians has always been one of the more difficult tasks for our Entertainment Coordinator. Every year we strive to secure a good mix of modern, traditional, ballad, rock, familiar and new.

This year we intentionally selected the majority of our musicians from the long list of favorites that you have been requesting each year. Only one band, Gráda, is new to the festival. All others represent the very best in Celtic music from the US, Canada, Ireland and Scotland.

Featured Musicians

I said that the toughest job was selecting the headline bands. That was not altogether true. We are truely blessed here in North Texas with some of the finest Celtic musicians in the country. Not just in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area, but also Austin, Houston, Mississippi and Louisiana. Add to that the fine bands that send in applications to play at NTIF from almost every state in the nation plus Canada and even Europe.

This year over 70 bands and musicians sent in applications or made enquiries about playing on our stages. We only have space for a little over 25 bands, so the selection process got a little heated at times!

This year we especially wanted to honor many of the local musicians who, in some cases have played every one of the previous 24 festivals. Others maybe just 20, some 10 or 15, but those musicians are the ones that stuck with us through some of the bad years; played benefits; donated product to sell and raised funds to pay down the debt.

However, in true NTIF tradition, we also wanted to bring in new and exciting bands that local audiences are unlikely to see or hear except at NTIF.

Dance

Our Emerald stage will again host a wide variety of traditional and modern Irish dance from local schools and dance groups from Texas and the southwest. In addition we will have a number of Ceili workshops lead by certified Irish dance instructors and a Saturday night Ceili where all dancers are welcome.

Workshops

The popularity of our Workshops has risen so much over the past few years that they are being moved to their own area. Bring your own instruments and learn new techniques or styles from some of our international and local. This is a rare opportunity to learn from some of the very best.