Irish Fair draws many to rediscover Celtic roots

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- Foot-stomping music, a generous splatter of green and

the aroma of corned beef and beer.

It was indeed a piece of Ireland gift-wrapped in a few acres of

grass-covered fairgrounds for thousands of Orange County Irish Americans

who wanted to cherish their roots, rich history and culture.

More than 15,000 people came to the 2nd annual Irish Fair and Celtic

Marketplace at the Orange County Fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday,

officials said.

The tremendous response is partly because of the dearth of such events

in Orange County, said Allyn Anderson, event organizer.

“There is a huge population of Irish Americans in Orange County,” he

said. “And the folks here are in a sense Irish-deprived.”

The event featured Irish tap dancers a la Riverdance, musicians,

artists, a parade, a Civil War reenactment and even a dog show featuring

Irish terriers and wolfhounds.

It is an opportunity for local Irish Americans to get in touch with

their homeland, Anderson said.

“A lot of it can be educational for children as well as adults,” he

said. “They are all Americans. But they’re all here looking for a little

something they can call their own.”

It is to feel that sense of belonging that Jim Froelich of Lake Forest

said he brought his two children to the fair.

“My mother is Irish,” Froelich said. “And I think this will help us

all learn something about where she came from.”

Events like the fair mark the coming together of the old and the new,

said Pat Conroy, a Costa Mesa resident. Her husband, Francis, is a first

generation Irish American.

“It’s a matter of pride,” he said. “You like to carry over your

heritage, wherever you are.”