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Northern Ireland featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Northern Ireland featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Rediscover Northern Ireland
http://www.rediscoverni.com/

Smithsonian Folklife Festival
http://www.folklife.si.edu/index.html

Orange and green under one roof
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news?articleid=2987807
By Staff reporter

THERE are few forums in Northern Ireland that bring together groups as polarised as the Orange Order and the Gaelic Athletic Association.
But at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival they will be rubbing shoulders as part of a unified bid to sell the Province as a must-see destination for travelling Americans.

Delegates from the Grand Lodge and the GAA will be among around 150 representatives from all walks of life who will tell Americans what ‘Norn Iron’ is really like.

It’s not just a hard sell that’s driving the local contingent at the festival but also the desire to put across a picture of all aspects of life here, in all its rich tapestry and texture.

It’s about reaching beyond the outdated stereotypes generated by years of the Troubles and celebrating a new Northern Ireland, whose divided society is slowly but surely coming together.

Representatives from the linen industry, Harland and Wolff with its links to the Titanic legend, genealogists and mummers – Ulster Scots story tellers – will join historians, musicians, artists, craftmakers, chefs and even farmers to stake their place at the festival.

Orange banners and other artefacts depicting the culture of
the Order will be found among the countless items on display in Washington, not too far from sports equipment used on pitches by the Comhairle Uladh Cumann Luthchleas, or the Gaelic Athletic Association.

Figures like Orange Order Grand Master Robert Saulters will encourage Americans to take in a parade during any future sojourn to Ulster, while Gavin Duffy, hurling stick maker from Belfast, will be on hand for a demonstration of his craft.

Musicians like The Low Country Boys will provide a flavour of Ulster-Scots sounds, while Armagh musician Roisin White will perform a traditional Irish repertoire.

Steps, jigs and reels from the fast-moving feet of dancers representing both the Irish and Ulster-Scots traditions will add movement to the festival.

Other participants include Islandmagee milliner Maureen Patterson and bodhran maker and bog oak sculptor Eamon Maguire, from Belfast.
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