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Irish Festival In Shrewsbury, PA | Desiree R Heltzel-Baylin
It’s been 3 months since we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in York County. Now we are celebrating the Irish with a festival of food, music, and fun.
It’s not St. Patrick’s Day, but Saturday, June 17, 2023 will feel like it at The Markets at Shrewsbury in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania in southern York County.
All across America during the summer, Irish festivals will take place. That’s because 32 million people in the United States identify themselves as Irish.
The Grounds at The Markets At ShrewsburyPhoto byPenn-Mar Irish Festival
Pennsylvania, with its roots rich in Irish ancestry, ranks 6th in the United States as having the most Irish Ancestors in it. Number one on that list is New Hampshire and here you thought it was Massachusetts, didn’t you?
In fact, the city with the largest population of Irish living in it will surprise you. The list for the most Irish cities is quite surprising and two of them are right here in Pennsylvania, but not ones you would expect them to be.
Ocean City, NJ – comes in at having 30.22% and the largest population of Irish living there, more than any other city in the United States. The two cities from Pennsylvania that made it in the top 25 are Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA at 20.51%, which came in 8th and Bradford, PA at 18.17%, which came in 23rd. Surprisingly, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area came in at 20.80% and was ranked 7th in the nation. Even Chicago’s green river didn’t help them get into the top 25 list.
How many of you can consider yourself a wee bit Irish anyway? No, it’s not based on red hair or green eyes. It really is genetics and those bloodlines run deep according to the United States Ancestry Data. The question is, is that data correct? It is data relied upon by the public, not them. According to their data, 25.75% of adults in the United States have had an Irish ancestor.
Does that mean 25% of America is Irish, no? It just means somewhere along the way someone had a relative that was Irish in their family. Very realistic of course with all the rich European history.
It is no surprise at all that the states holding top spots for the most Irish are on the east coast and they rank:
- New Hampshire – 20.2%
- Massachusetts – 19.8%
- Rhode Island – 17.6%
- Vermont – 17.0%
- Maine – 16.6%
- Pennsylvania – 15.6%
With all these festivals popping up all over the place and one right around the corner next Saturday, here’s how you can attend.
When: Saturday, June 17, 2023
Penn-Mar Irish Festival located on the grounds of The Markets at Shrewsbury in southern York County 12025 Susquehanna Trail, Glen Rock, PA 17327
Hours: 10:30 am to 9:00 pm
There will be live music from musicians in Pennsylvania, Maryland, including special guests from Ireland, Canada and other parts of the United States, as well as Irish dancers, Irish food, photography, jewelry, and more.
There will be children’s activities hosted until 6:00 pm.
It is advisable that you bring lawn chairs and blankets
Tickets for the event are $20.00
Children 15 and under are free
For complete information and how to get tickets please visit pennmaririshfestival.com
