News release

Nova Scotia Gets Rave Reviews at Irish Fest

Tourism, Culture and Heritage (Dec. 2003 - Jan. 2011)

Some 130,000 visitors at the Irish Fest in Milwaukee last weekend had an opportunity to experience Nova Scotia's unique Celtic culture first hand.

Tourism, Culture and Heritage Minister Len Goucher said the promotion was successful and productive by all measures for the province's Celtic musicians, artists and cultural representatives.

"People embraced our province and Celtic culture from the moment the gates opened right through to the farewell concert when Tommy Makem and The Irish Rovers reunited on stage and sang Farewell to Nova Scotia with our musicians in front of tens of thousands of people," said Mr. Goucher.

This was the first time Nova Scotia participated in the Milwaukee Irish Fest, the largest festival of its kind in the world. As this year's featured attraction, the province had more visibility and performance opportunities than any other participant, providing an excellent opportunity to promote Nova Scotia and its Celtic culture to people with Celtic roots or interests.

According to festival organizer Jane Anderson, the partnership with Nova Scotia was a huge success.

"The response from festival-goers to Nova Scotia's presence was incredible," said Ms. Anderson, executive director of the Irish Fest. "Nova Scotia offered people something new, innovative and exciting -- it was a great way to bring music and tourism together. People can't say enough about it; they want more of Nova Scotia."

Nova Scotia's presence at the festival was based around an exclusive performance stage and cultural village. The Celtic Roots stage area was constantly overflowing with people who were drawn in by the unique sound of Nova Scotia's Celtic music. Beolach, The Cottars, J.P. Cormier, Dave Gunning, Jerry Holland, Mary Jane Lamond and Buddy MacDonald entertained the crowds with their lively music, dancing and story-telling during the day and at the popular Nova Scotia Kitchen Party each night.

"I've been playing festivals for about 25 years all over the world and this was best response I ever got from an audience," said singer/songwriter Buddy MacDonald, whose wife Wilda also attended the festival as a representative of the Nova Scotia Gaelic College. "It was such an intimate crowd, like playing in a concert hall. I made a lot of contacts and was approached by a festival buyer from Texas who was very interested in the whole concept of what we were doing."

Wendy MacIsaac, a fiddler and stepdancer who performs with Beolach and Mary Jane Lamond, agreed.

"I think having the extra boost from the cultural village and the tourism side made a big difference and certainly created a lot of hype," said Ms. MacIsaac, who was joined at the festival by her husband Steve Moore, a sound engineer with Beolach, and her one-year-old son Angus, who proudly sported a Nova Scotia tartan vest. "I felt the audience really enjoyed what we did and there were a couple of Irish festivals in Texas and Kansas that were interested in booking us."

The Nova Scotia cultural village, a cluster of tented booths alongside the Celtic Roots stage, was home to Celtic artisans, cultural representatives and Nova Scotia tourism.

Artisans Ryan MacNeil, of MacNeil Woodwinds, and Kathi Giberman, of Patternworks, who displayed and sold their high-quality products on site, could not keep up with demand.

"I have never seen anything like it," said Mr. MacNeil, who creates wind instruments and plays pipes and tin whistles with Beolach. "The interest in my product completely exceeded my expectations. I sold out after the first day and had to direct people to my website to place orders. It never would have been possible for me to get into this market without the support of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage."

Ms. Giberman boasted record sales of her original Celtic art designs and has already been booked for another festival in Pittsburgh as a direct result of her participation in the Irish Fest.

Representatives from the Atlantic Craft Trade Show, Celtic Colours International Festival, Nova Scotia Gaelic College, Judique Celtic Music Interpretive Centre, Music Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Highland Village Museum, and Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo were also busy networking with festival buyers and music industry representatives to develop export opportunities for their products.

"I think bringing everything together in one place made all the difference," said Joella Foulds, artistic director for Celtic Colours International Festival. "It helped people make the connection between the music and the place. There was such a sense of teamwork from everyone involved -- it was wonderful."

The event also provided an excellent opportunity to promote Nova Scotia as a great place to visit and experience the province's Celtic culture first hand. Nova Scotia officials met with a number of dignitaries from Ireland and the United States, including the Irish minister of Gaelic affairs and the governor of Wisconsin. Department representatives also met with the Irish airline Aer Lingus and Irish media at a reception organized by the Canadian consulate that brought buyers and sellers together.

"We were very excited about the high level of interest in visiting our province," said Mr. Goucher. "This promotion demonstrates how wrapping a tourism promotion around a cultural activity can generate a strong response."

The tourism booth was packed from morning to night with people wanting to learn more about Nova Scotia and how they can visit."

Longtime festival-goer and journalist Bill Margeson called Nova Scotia's promotion a major coup.

"This was the best promotion of its type we have seen," said Mr. Margeson in his review of the Milwaukee Irish Fest on LiveIreland.com. "I can not tell you the number of people who have now been made aware of this incredible area and are planning to go."

Culture is a $1.2-billion industry in Nova Scotia, employing more than 28,000 people either directly or indirectly. Tourism is a $1.3-billion industry employing more than 33,000 people in the province. For more information on culture and tourism in Nova Scotia, see the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage website at www.gov.ns.ca/dtc .