A free festival celebrating all things Irish will take place in Bedford town centre this Sunday (16 March) to coincide with St Patrick’s Day festivities.
Organised by the Queen’s Park Community Organisation (QPCO), it’s a response to many years of requests from the town’s Irish community, calling for the Bedford to celebrate the country’s patron saint.
The event is part of QPCO’s Back To Our Roots project to give underrepresented groups or communities a platform to share their culture and visions, with their aim of making Bedford a more inclusive town.
Bedford’s diversity means that it has a large Irish community, and after many generations of living in the UK, descendants still feel a strong connection to the country and their Irish heritage.
The town has a number of Irish bands, dancing groups and there are still a handful of Irish pubs left.
Marie-Ange Comerford-Raillon, Director of QPCO said: “I have lived in Bedford for more than 30 years, and I have not seen a free outdoor St Patrick’s Day event organised in the town centre, despite there being a wealth of Irish culture and tradition in the heart of Bedford.
“We have had a lot of feedback from the Irish community over the years, who have told us this is something they would like to see, which is why we were so keen to make this happen.
“We’ve really enjoyed working with the Irish community in bringing the first Irish festival to the town.
“We’d also like to give a big thank you to The Harpur Trust in supporting the event with their sponsorship. We look forward to seeing as many people as possible join in the celebrations.”
From midday, Harpur Square will host some of Bedford’s best-loved Irish bands, including The Barrys, The Black and Gold, Out of the Hat, Also-rans and Chris Law.
Irish dance school Stuart Irish Dance Bedford will also showcase their talents and run a taster session inside the Harpur Suite. Irish food will be served in the Harpur Centre and The Kings Arms pub on St Mary’s Street, and drinks will also be available in the square.
Samantha Hughes, a local musician and vocalist who has been heavily involved in the planning and is part of The Castle pub’s monthly Irish Folk Night, said: “I’m extremely passionate about Irish culture so when the opportunity arose to get involved in, I jumped at the chance.
“It’s been an honour to gather some of Bedford’s finest Irish bands and musicians and create this incredible lineup. It’s such a wonderful opportunity to have a St Patrick’s Day party here in Bedford. We have a rich Irish community, and what better way to share this with the whole town than on the weekend of St Patrick’s Day?
“Being second-generation Irish, I’ve been heavily involved in the traditional Irish music scene here in Bedford for over 25 years and started my musical journey learning the tenor banjo at the Bedford Comhaltas branch, which has sadly since folded.
“Irish music and Comhaltas took me all over the UK and Ireland, as I competed in many All-Britain and All-Ireland Fleadh competitions.
“I was fortunate enough to win five All-Britain titles on the banjo and mandolin, as well as being placed runner-up twice in the All-Ireland Fleadh on the mandolin.”
Over 10 years ago, Samantha set up a monthly traditional Irish music session at The Three Cups to give a platform to the town’s Irish musicians.
The event has now moved to The Castle on Newnham Street and takes place on the first Thursday of every month.
“The event took some time to grow and gain popularity, but it now speaks for itself,” said Samantha.
“We now host an average of 15 musicians a month, some local and others who come from across the country. To have gone from a monthly event to this town-wide celebration of Irish culture is a dream come true, and I cannot wait to share our wonderful music, dancing – and of course Guinness – with the rest of Bedford.”
You can find out more information about the festival here.
