The Irish Gaelic Circle and Andy McGann branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann invite you to a Lá na Gaeilge (Irish Language & Heritage Day) on Saturday, April 18, 2026 from 9 am to 4:30 pm (check in at 8 am). Classes will be offered in Irish (3 levels), as well as workshops of Scottish Gaelic & Songs, Tin Whistle, Céilí Dancing, creating a Celtic craft, a lecture on some aspect of Irish culture, and a seisiún to round out the day.
The event takes place at St. Peter’s R.C. Church Parish Hall, 104 Main Street, Danbury, CT 06810. There is ample free parking at St. Peter's. Morning coffee & refreshments, and lunch, will be provided to attendees.
The cost, which includes refreshments and lunch, is $60 per person. Registration is available by clicking the button below.
For more information, please contact John Feeney at 203-417-1700 or jfeeney51@att.net
We have some outstanding Irish language instructors and workshop leaders at our event!
Hilary Sweeney (Irish language) - Hilary is currently the external examiner and advisor for Irish at Vassar College, NY and Irish Language advisor at Sacred Heart University (SHU), CT. She is formerly a lecturer in Irish at New York University, SHU, and SUNY Purchase, and has taught at many Irish Cultural Organizations' events in the US and Canada.
Rath deHoust (Irish language) - Rath has been teaching the Irish Language with Daltaí na Gaeilge and at Brookdale Community College for more than 20 years. She proudly wears her fáinne óir, a small gold ring awarded for fluency, and travels to the Gaeltacht (Irish Language speaking areas of Ireland), yearly to study and improve her proficiency in the spoken language.
Caroline Bennett (Scottish Gaelic and songs) - Caroline has received gold and silver medals for traditional Gaelic song at Regional Mòds and composes original Gaelic poetry and songs, which have been featured in a series of programs and interviews with new Gaelic singers and songwriters presented on the BBC by Gillebride MacMillan. Her Gaelic poetry has won first prizes in Gaelic Poetry competitions from the Department of Gaelic Studies at St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia and the Gaelic Society of Toronto, has been short-listed in the Gaelic Poetry category of the Wigtown Poetry Prize, and was published in an anthology of Gaelic poetry from Cape Breton. Caroline performs Scottish and Irish music in New York and CT individually and with her group “Caledonia”, and is passionate in her study of the Gaelic language and traditional song.
Brian Reynolds (Céilí Dance workshop) - Brian began set dance lessons in 1990 from Pat & Joan Kennedy at the IACC in New Haven. In 1992, he began teaching at the AOH in Danbury and continues to teach at the GAC in Fairfield on Thursday nights (open to public at no cost). Brian is very committed to keeping Irish culture alive.
Bill Devlin (tin whistle workshop) -Bill has been playing Irish flute seriously since the 1990s, took lessons with the late Jack Coen in the early 2000s, and has attended numerous workshops at Catskill Irish Arts Weeks. In 2017 Bill took over the whistle and flute class at the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center in Danbury, Connecticut, which continues to the present. He participates in sessions throughout Connecticut, including the GDICC monthly sessions and the weekly Bulls Bridge sessions in Kent, CT.
Elizabeth Popiel (Celtic Corner craft workshop) - Elizabeth is an accomplished scenic designer for stage, TV and film. Her prior craft works include puppetry, ceramic sculpture & scene painting which she cultivated as a professor for 30 years at SUNY Purchase, Colgate and WCSU.