It was a beautiful way to kick off the summer with the 13th Annual Rockaway Beach/Breezy Point Irish Festival!
On June 6 and June 7, the Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 21 pulled it off once again, creating a welcoming community event showcasing Irish culture. Only having since March to plan, with the uncertainty of St. Camillus’ future hanging in the air until it was announced the beloved church would be staying open, the lads were able to pull it all together in no time. And this year, they dedicated all proceeds right back to their event host, St. Camillus Church, to help give the church a boost.
The event featured vendors, food, drinks, face painting and bouncy houses for the kids and plenty of live music. Bands and performers on Saturday included Rockaway’s own Irish Mutts, featuring Bobby Butler and John Bernstein, the Breezy Point Pipes and Drums, New York Celtic rock band Sheridan Rúitín, the O’Malley Irish Step Dancers, The Narrowbacks and U2 Tribute Band Unforgettable Fire brought out a crowd to end the evening. On Sunday, the bands included The Night Visitors (formerly the Highland Rovers), local favorites, The Knobs, world-renowned Celtic rock band, Barleyjuice, and finishing off the weekend was Blackstone, New York’s premiere classic southern rock and blues band.
At the end of the event, the lucky winners of the 50/50 were drawn with five $1,000 prizes and a whopping $26,000 grand prize given out, with the rest of the proceeds going back to St. Camillus.
“This year we wrapped up our 13th Annual A.O.H. Division 21 Rockaway Beach/Breezy Point Irish Festival,” A.O.H. Div. 21 parade chairman John Moroney said. “We were finally blessed with beautiful weather. It was a great weekend of celebration of the Irish heritage and culture. A special thanks to the St. Camillus Church for their continued support for this event. We thank all those that attended and supported this event especially all the businesses and organizations that were banner sponsors. Lastly, a big thank you to the musicians and bands that played this weekend. They were phenomenal. We look forward to next year’s festival. God bless you all.”
Story and Photos
By Katie McFadden
