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FESTIVAL
HISTORY |
John
O'Brien Sr. founded Cleveland's Irish Cultural Festival
in an effort to showcase, and thereby preserve the
many traditions of his native land.
Enlisting a group of incredibly dedicated
volunteers, John finally realized his vision for
a festival in 1982. During its two day run, that first festival drew more than
3,000 visitors.
The festival committee met soon after the
crowds dispersed to evaluate and develop the event
for the following summer. Their continual dedication
has since produced one of the premier Irish festivals
in the United States.
The exponential growth of the festival stands
as testament to this. In 1985 the event expanded
to three days. In 1991, it finally outgrew the
small wooded venue used during its first 9 years,
and so relocated to The Berea Fairgrounds, where
annual attendance figures now number over 30,000.
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