By Donald Wittkowski
Yes, indeed, Sea Isle City has the luck of the Irish.
Amid a sea of green clothing, shamrocks and green, white and orange flags, the annual Irish Weekend festival unfolded Saturday under gorgeous weather that seemed to be a gift from St. Patrick himself.
The festival started 11 years ago, when Mayor Leonard Desiderio challenged the local business community to come up with new events to draw visitors to the beach town after Labor Day weekend, the traditional end to the peak summer tourism season.
Although it started modestly, attracting about 2,500 visitors in its first year, the Irish Weekend festival has since swelled to 10,000 to 20,000 people to become one of Sea Isle’s most popular fall weekend events.
“It has grown nearly 10 times,” said Jimmy Bennett, owner of LaCosta Lounge, the bar and nightclub complex that hosts the privately-run festival.
The Celtic celebration features live Irish music and dancing, plenty of food, an array of vendors and, of course, the “wearing of the green.” It wraps up Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at LaCosta Lounge, at the corner of John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Landis Avenue.
LaCosta lined up a collection of traditional Irish bands, from both the United States and Ireland, for the weekend. The headliner on Friday and Saturday was Derek Warfield & The Young Wolfe Tones, described by Bennett as the “original rebel band” from Ireland.
Founded by singer, songwriter and historian Derek Warfield, the Wolfe Tones took their name in recognition of the lawyer Theobald Wolfe Tone, a revolutionary figure and leader of the 1798 rebellion in Ireland.
The Florida-based band West of Galway entertained the crowds with traditional Irish music on Saturday and is scheduled to take the stage again on Sunday. West of Galway guitarist Bernie Green said there is one thing that tells him whether his band is connecting with the audience.
“Smiles,” Green said. “That’s exactly what I’m looking for.”
Green – yes, that is his real name, not something made up for the Irish festival – humorously called the event the “largest kitchen party” his band plays at every year. This is the 10th year West of Galway has performed at the festival.
“It brings the whole community together,” Green said. “For years, some people told me that things were over at the shore after Labor Day. This festival is proof that isn’t true.”
Among the festival-goers were Lisa Redding, of West Chester, Pa., and her fiance, Michael Kwapisz, of Boothwyn, Pa. They were joined by members of Michael’s family, including his mother, Frances Kwapisz, his brother, Stanley Kwapisz, and Stanley’s wife, Margie Kwapisz.
The Kwapisz family was in Sea Isle for the weekend to celebrate Frances’ 87th birthday. They are regulars at the Irish festival. On Saturday, they were looking to buy some green clothing sold by an Irish-themed vendor.
Margie Kwapisz, of Aston, Pa., proudly wore a T-shirt that is a keepsake from the very first Irish Weekend festival in 2007.
“I love it,” Margie Kwapisz said of the festival. “I really like to hear the Irish music and see the dancers. Over the years, it’s gotten better and much bigger.”
