On behalf of the Irish Cultural Society of the Pacific Northwest, welcome to the web site for the Sean-nós NW Festival and the Féile Portland Weekend of Irish Language and Culture!  We've expanded our offerings and are now sponsoring workshops in both Olympia AND Portland!  We hope you will join us for both!  We're trying to offer a variety of topics to keep things fresh and interesting. 

2017 Sean-nós Northwest Festival Lineup Announced!

We are thrilled to announce our guest instructors for the 2017 Festival, which will again be held at The Evergreen State College in Olympia. This year we are pleased to welcome:

• Pa Sheehan -- Gaeilge and culture
• Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde -- sean-nós singing
• Colleen Raney -- traditional singing and bodhrán
• Shannon Dunne -- sean-nós dance
• Randal Bays -- fiddle
• Felim Egan -- accordion 

Of course, we will also have offerings from our regular volunteer instructors as well.

As in previous years, we will plan to have a Friday evening social event (yet to be determined). Workshops will run all day Saturday and Sunday, April 8-9, 2017 in the Communications Building at TESC. 

Please click on the Festival link above for more details!

PDX Language Intensive Starting January 28th!

Join instructor Brian Ó hAirt* in shaking off the winter's ice and snow and brushing up on your Irish language skills with monthly language intensives that utilize traditional & non-traditional classroom methods.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED--NO WALK UPS, PLEASE!
To register, email me at Brian@languagehunters.org or text (314) 974-7073 w/your name and skill level(s). Space is limited to 6 people per class.

FUTURE INTENSIVE DATES: Satuday, February 25th and Saturday, March TBA.

QUICK DESCRIPTION:
Absolute beginners: 10-11 a.m. ($20)
Advanced beginners: 11:15-1:15 p.m. ($30)
Intermediates: 1:30-3:30 p.m. ($30)
(add additional session for $20)

LEVELS DESCRIPTIONS:
Absolute beginners: Someone who has not studied Irish, or who has studied very little Irish. Cannot read or pronounce Irish with any confidence.

Advanced beginner: Someone who has studied Irish and feels somewhat comfortable with rote questions and responses in basic, everyday situations. Can read and pronounce Irish with limited confidence but needs correction often.

Intermediate: Someone who has studied Irish for extended periods of time and feels comfortable with basic Q&A and can work their way through some unfamiliar linguistic territory. Can read and pronounce Irish with confidence with limited need for correction.

Sean-nós Dance Classes in Olympia are returning soon

We're currently on a break, but will return to offering beginner-level sean-nós dance classes in Olympia if there is enough interest. Let us know if you want to join us!

Sean-nós Northwest Festival

April 8-9, 2017

The Evergreen State College, Olympia