The City of Oulu, Finland, the northern frontier of Irish music, is the proud host of the annual Irish Festival of Oulu, which was first held in 2006.[1] The festival brings the hooley (party) to Oulu with world class bands and Irish culture. The event took place for the fifth time from September 30 to October 3, 2010. Organized by The Irish Music Society of Oulu, the festival celebrates the richness of Irish culture including dance, poetry, story telling, an Irish Wolfhounds parade, and plenty of world-class traditional Irish music. The 2009 event included Irish movies as well as presentations on Irish poetry and music. Also various workshops were held in singing, bodhrán, tin whistle, guitar, fiddle and uilleann pipes. A Family Fair introduced people to Irish dog breeds, Connemara ponies, Gaelic games, storytelling and much more.
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The Irish Music Society of Oulu is the organizer of the event, which usually lasts for 4 days. The festival, taking place all around Oulu, is held in early October. Poetry events are included as optional courses in English Philology by the University of Oulu.[2]
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2006
The society organizes Irish dance courses during the festival. Traditional Irish dancing is a major pastime in Ireland and has become a regular activity for many dancers in Northern Finland too. Whether jigs, reels, or set dances, you have the opportunity to expand what you have learned thus far or beginners can learn the basics while having a great time and making new friends.