The Irish Fair of Minnesota offers entertainment of all varieties. For Irish music lovers, we present many styles of music on three stages. Internationally acclaimed headliners and a variety of the best local and regional musicians perform throughout the weekend.

If you are an entertainer and would like to perform at Irish Fair, please send information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Enjoy hurling, gaelic football, rugby, soccer and sheep herding on our Sports Field!  

2013 Headliners

Gaelic Storm

Gaelic Storm steps back into the ring with the dazzling #1 Billboard World Album Chicken Boxer, a heavyweight record that comes out swinging with a mix of empowering anthems and traditional ballads. With catalog sales of more than 1 million, the group has now had three albums debut at #1 on the Billboard World Albums Chart, 2008's What's the Rumpus?, 2010's Cabbage, which remained parked in the top slot for three consecutive weeks, and 2012's Chicken Boxer. Chicken Boxer is the fifth album to be released on the band's own label, Lost Again Records, and showcases the incomparable songwriting and accomplished musicianship of a band that has made their mark bringing fans to their feet two hundred days per year. The group's ability to deftly incorporate a rock sensibility into their sound affords them rare crossover appeal. In recent years, they've performed on the same bill with acts ranging from Zac Brown Band and the Goo Goo Dolls to Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett, at events as varied as the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Milwaukee's Summerfest. With their signature acoustic production, Gaelic Storm blends indie-folk and world grooves with Celtic tradition to serve up a ringside seat for fifteen rounds of pugilistic poultry pounding sound. In other words, Chicken Boxer will knock you out.

THE TOSSERS

Blown in from the South side of the Windy City, THE TOSSERS have been undisputed champions of Irish drinking anthems for well over a decade. Their whiskey-drenched melodies will have you filling up your glass and dancing in the aisles. Formed in 1993, the six-piece Celtic punk band of Chicago, IL has been proudly spreading their Irish gospel across the globe, with no plans of slowing down.

Impressed with their punk-infused Irish jigs, THE TOSSERS landed a deal with fellow Chicagoan Tony Brummel’s powerhouse independent label, Victory Records. Determined to make a name for themselves, the band released their debut album on the label titled The Valley of The Shadow of Death in 2005. Likened to folk legends FLOGGING MOLLY, the album was greeted with rave reviews, shelling out a comprehensive list of party ballads fit for the thirstiest Irish pubs. Comprised of vocalist Tony Duggins, Rebecca Manthe on the fiddle, Bones on drums, bassist Peter Muschong, whistler Aaron Duggins, and Mike Pawula on guitar, THE TOSSERS upped their Midwest charm to change the folk music scene forever.

The Belfast Cowboys

(None of the Van Morrison songs covered on the CD "The Belfast Cowboys" appear here due to copyright limitations. Hear song clips at our CD Baby page: http://www.cdbaby.com cd/belfastcowboys ). The Belfast Cowboys is a nine-piece band that plays the music of Van Morrison. Born on St Patri...

Wild Colonial Bhoys

Minneapolis-based Celtic rock powerhouse Wild Colonial Bhoys is excited to announce the release of Heads or Tails, their first release for the bandʼs independent label, Steel Creek Records, and their fifth overall. This doublealbum represents their first release of new material since 2007ʼs acclaimed Irish in America.

Effortlessly weaving their signature blend of edgy rock with traditional Irish music-inspired hooks, the Bhoys have created their strongest album to date. The songs are upbeat and catchy, and show the bandʼs range and talent.This is the Bhoys at their best--whether playing as a five-piece rock act or as their notable two-man acoustic guitar duo, Wild Colonial Bhoys know how to put on a show, as this album proves.

Boiled In Lead

For over 25 years, BiL have been innovators in bringing “folk music” kicking and creaming to rock audiences (and rock music to screaming folk audiences!) BiL’s many instrumental dance tunes incorporate global influences, rhythms, and melodies that are guaranteed to keep the feet moving. Original songs stick in the mind long after the concert is over. The players improvise freely yet stay in sync, playing a vital mix of original and traditional material. The group and the individual musicians have won over 20 Minnesota Music Awards, and toured throughout the US and in Europe. With the return of original lead singer Todd Menton and the addition of world-travelling eclectic instrumentalists Dean Magraw and Marc Anderson, the highly-identifiable BiL sound surges forward. Enthusiastic, powerful, technically brilliant, playing a wealth of instruments with extreme dynamics, Boiled In Lead routinely demolishes genre labels and enchants audiences of all ages.

Katie McMahon

Katie McMahon is probably best known for her exquisite soaring soprano solo in the original Riverdance single, which topped the charts in Ireland for three months. Her voice was described by the Irish Times as "poetry, perfection and purity". Before her work in Riverdance Katie, a born and bred Dubliner, was classically trained in voice and harp and studied Italian and Drama Studies in Trinity College. During a break from her studies, Katie joined the vocal group Anuna and is a featured soloist on their first two CDs.

During this time she has formed her own band and troupe of Irish dancers. They are in great demand all over the States and play Irish traditional music with a Classical edge. Two of the many celebrities who have enjoyed Katie's performances are President Clinton and Bono (U2), who pulled her aside afterwards and kindly told her that she had "an amazing voice".

Recently, Katie was awarded best folk and acoustic artist by the Minnesota Music Academy. She has also been touring the world with the group Secret Garden as their lead singer & harpist. In 2009 she was nominated as one of the Top 75 Women of Influence in the Irish America Community by the Irish Voice.

FullSet

All accomplished young musicians in their own right, FullSet create a stunning and unique sound that is full of energy and innovation, whilst all the time remaining true to their traditional roots. Having received critical acclaim for their debut release, even being compared to supergroups such as Danú & Altan by respected Irish Music Magazine. FullSet are set to thrill audiences throughout the world in the future.

Having received great acclaim for their debut album “Notes At Liberty”, FullSet are quickly becoming one of the most well known bands in the Irish music scene today. In October 2011 they were honored by being announced as the winners of the RTÉ/RAAP Breakthrough Annual Music Bursary Award. Having been shortlisted along with 12 other groups in 4 different categories ahead of a field of almost 800 other groups and artists. This has given the group huge exposure and the opportunity to begin work on a second album.

Screaming Orphans

The Screaming Orphans are the four Diver sisters from Bundoran, Co. Donegal, Ireland. They have carved a great reputation of being a captivating and entertaining live band in Europe and America combining their own original pop/rock music with the Céilí tradition style of music that was inherited from their family roots. From an early age, the Diver sisters performed with their mother Kathleen Fitzgerald (a well-known céilí singer in Ireland) and when they hit their teenage years, they formed their own pop/rock band, the Screaming Orphans, which led to a signing by Warner Music UK.

As of 2013, the band has released 9 albums of both original pop/rock and traditional Irish music. The Screaming Orphans split their time between New York City and Donegal.