Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School

Whether you want to try sean-nós dance for the very first time, or you’re a seasoned set dancer looking to perfect your battering steps, we have a spot for you on the dance floor this August! 💃 🎶

Check out our 2026 Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School dance lineup featuring returning favorite Ronan Eastwood and celebrated Dublin dancer Caoimhe Ní Mhaolagáin. We even added a brand-new “Steps for Sets” workshop based directly on your feedback from last year!

⏰ Reminder: Our early registration discount expires on June 30th! Sign up for our email list to get your discount code and hit the link in our bio to register to save $25 on each class.

At the heart of Irish music is rhythm you can feel.

Learn the fundamentals of bodhrán with Amy Richter at the Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School this August.

Whether you’re completely new to the instrument or looking for a welcoming place to get started, you’ll learn the rhythms that drive jigs and reels.

Beyond technique and rhythm, students will learn how the bodhrán fits into Irish traditional music, developing the listening and accompaniment skills that help make great music with others.

Amy Richter is a two-time Midwest Fleadh Cheoil champion, toured internationally with Danú, and a longtime faculty member of the Milwaukee Irish Fest School of Music. She brings decades of performing and teaching experience to the classroom.

☘️ No experience necessary
🥁 Limited loaner bodhráns available

Whether you’re picking up a tin whistle for the first time, learning alongside other young musicians at Celtic Kids Camp, or joining a slow session to build confidence playing with others, Brett Lipshutz helps students take the next step in their Irish music journey. ☘️

Join Brett at the Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School this August for beginner tin whistle classes, Celtic Kids Camp, and daily lunchtime slow sessions.

🎶 Learn new tunes
🤝 Meet fellow musicians
☘️ Build confidence playing Irish music

Over his almost 40 years of playing whistle and flute, Brett has taught flute and whistle in programs such as the Grand Canyon Celtic Arts Academy and the Association Irlandaise in Paris, France. He recently co-founded Isteach is Amach, an international LGBTQ collective of trad musicians, singers and dancers.

👉 Registration is open

Give your child a summer experience they'll remember. ☘️

Celtic Kids Camp combines music, crafts, culture, and creativity in a hands-on program designed to engage curious minds and move young feet. Recommended for ages 7 to 12.

Campers will sing, play, create, learn, and have fun while exploring Irish traditions in a welcoming environment.

📅 August 11–13, 9:30am to 4:00pm each day
☘️ Save $25 when you join our email list and register by June 30

👉 Registration is open:

CKC0: Celtic Kids Camp Full Week Instructor: Various

“Music was something that could connect up the secret and sacred things within without our knowing or understanding.” — Tommy Sands ☘️

In his class The Music of Healing at the Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School (August 11–13), Tommy Sands explores the power of music to connect people across divisions and difficult times.

Inspired by experiences growing up during the Troubles in Northern Ireland—and by a song written with Pete Seeger—the class reflects on music not just as art, but as a force for understanding, memory, and healing.

👉 Registration is open (link in comments)

Learn Donegal fiddle from one of its leading voices. 🎻

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh joins the Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School this August for intermediate and advanced fiddle classes, August 11–13, 2026.

A native of the Donegal Gaeltacht of Gaoth Dobhair, Mairéad is renowned for her powerful, expressive playing and deep connection to the Donegal tradition. A founding member of Cairdeas na bhFidléirí and Altan, she has spent decades helping preserve and share the music of her home region.

🎻 Plus: join us Monday evening for a special Tunes & Talk event featuring conversation, tunes, and songs from Mairéad’s musical journey in partnership with the Ward Irish Music Archives.

👉 Registration is open, save $25 off each class registration with your early discount code from our email list

Take your bodhrán playing to the next level this August. 🥁

Join Anna Colliton—one of the leading exponents of the bodhrán—for intermediate and advanced classes at the Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School.

A performer with Eileen Ivers and Come From Away, Anna is known for her distinctive, imaginative style—and for helping players move beyond patterns into confident, musical accompaniment.

Across both levels, you’ll explore:
• tonal variation and control
• syncopation and groove
• building strong, flexible rhythm for jigs, reels, and more

🗓 August 11–13
👉 Registration is open: link in the comments!

Aran knitting, straight from the source.

We’re excited to welcome Dublin-based knitwear designer and textile specialist Ryan Daniel Koenig to this year’s Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School.

Through his work, Ryan brings together traditional Aran techniques, Irish wool, and the history behind the craft—teaching not just how to knit, but how to understand the tradition.

This summer, he’ll lead:
• Beginner + intermediate 3-day classes
• A Friday sampler workshop
• Sessions for Celtic Kids Camp

Whether you’re picking up needles for the first time or building on your skills, this is a chance to create something meaningful while connecting to Irish heritage.

🧶 See slides for class details
🪡 Register via link in bio

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Here’s a little gift: our first instructor announcement for the 2026 Irish Fest Summer School!

Members of Altan will teach Irish music classes. Their 3-day classes take place August 11, 12, and 13, 2026.

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh Intermediate Irish Fiddle and Advanced Irish Fiddle

Clare Friel: Intermediate Irish Fiddle and Advanced Irish Fiddle

Martin Tourish: Tune Composition

Cathal Ó Curráin: Bouzouki and Sean-nós Song

Mark Kelly: Irish Guitar Accompaniment

We can’t wait to welcome these masters of traditional Irish music to Milwaukee!

Registration and accommodation information will be available in early 2026, so be sure to sign up for our email list (link in comments).

Any guesses who’s teaching in 2026? 👀🎻

We’re announcing the first Irish music instructors for the Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School (August 10–14, 2026)—and email subscribers hear it first.

⏳ Sign up by noon (CT), December 16
👉 Link in the comments.