Irish Heritage Month kicks off in Calgary

Irish Heritage Month kicks off in Calgary The Irish Cultural Society of Calgary held the “Green Tie Affair” Sunday to celebrate all things of the Emerald Isle.

There was plenty of 'Craic’ and ‘Ceoil’ in Calgary on Saturday. That’s live music and good fun, in case you were wondering. The Irish Cultural Society of Calgary held the “Green Tie Affair” to celebrate all things of the Emerald Isle. That included a live band, traditional dancing and costumes.

“We’re Irish, and we celebrate everything, really,” said Fintan Ryan, president of the society. “This has been going on since 1989 -- so  there's a long heritage to this as well.”

This event happens in Calgary every year in the run up to St. Patrick's Day. There were special guests like the mayor and representatives from the Irish government. And it serves a strong Irish population in our city.

“Twelve per cent of Canadian people have Irish heritage. So it's no wonder that we're celebrating the huge amount of Irish people who have been here for generations and all of the new arrivals that are still coming and contributing to Canada,” said Cathy Geagan, Consul General of Ireland to Western Canada.

More than 120 people came out to enjoy the evening.