CelticFest Mississippi

Kilts with the Official State of Mississippi Tartan will be available at CelticFest MS this year from our kilt vendor, St. Kilda USA! 😎

Happy Independence Day and Semiquincentennial Birthday, United States! ❤️ 🤍 💙 🇺🇸 🎆 🎆 🎆

The United States has embraced tartan as a colorful way to celebrate its rich history, diverse landscapes, and regional heritage. While America has no single official national tartan, dozens of states, military organizations, universities, historical societies, and cultural groups have created distinctive tartans that reflect their unique identities. From the forests of New England to the deserts of the Southwest, these woven patterns tell stories of place, tradition, and pride.

Many American tartans draw their colors from state flags, official seals, native flowers, wildlife, or significant historical events. Others commemorate military service, patriotic milestones, or the nation's Scottish heritage. Together they form a fascinating collection that demonstrates how the ancient art of tartan design has found a home across the United States, celebrating both local identity and the shared spirit of the nation.

Visit the link below to explore these remarkable American tartans and discover the stories woven into each design!

Happy 250th! 🎉 🇺🇸

https://www.curiousandunusualtartans.com/us-tartans

Curious and Unusual Tartans
Celebrating tartan in all its unexpected forms.

Exciting NEW & RETURNING vendors are filling up spaces for CelticFest Mississippi Traditional Music Festival & Highland Games 2026 Check out the LIST here! And if you're interested in joining us there are still spots available.
REGISTRATION is ONLY through our WEBSITE!

2026 VENDORS & DEMONSTRATORS | CelticFest Mississippi REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN FOR VENDOR SPACEMorbid's Talons FalconryMorbid’s Talons exists to honor the ancient partnersh

Congratulations to Metro Glass LLC! They have been a wonderful sponsor for CelticFest and we’re delighted they are being recognized for the great work they do!

🏆 We’re proud to share some exciting news!

Metro Glass LLC has been recognized by BusinessRate as the:

🥇 #1 Auto Glass Shop in Ridgeland, Mississippi
🥇 #1 Auto Glass Shop in Madison County, Mississippi
🥈 #2 Auto Glass Shop in the State of Mississippi

This recognition means the world to us. As a locally owned, mobile-first auto glass company, we work hard every day to provide high-quality windshield repairs, replacements, and ADAS recalibrations backed by honest pricing, professional workmanship, and exceptional customer service.

Earning the top spot in both Ridgeland and Madison County—and being ranked among the very best auto glass shops in Mississippi—is a direct reflection of the trust and support our customers place in us. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has chosen Metro Glass and recommended us to their friends and family.

Thank you for helping us achieve these incredible milestones.

We remain committed to raising the bar for the auto glass industry and delivering the dependable, professional service that Mississippi drivers deserve.

Whether you need a rock chip repair, windshield replacement, door glass replacement, or ADAS recalibration, you can trust an award-winning team to get the job done right.

Experience Mississippi's top-rated mobile auto glass service today.

Congratulations Máirtín de Cógáin!🫶

Máirtín de Cógáin, a renowned singer, dancer, story-teller, and master of the bodhrán, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Irish Artist in America Achievement Award by the Traditional Irish Music Education Society (TIMES). The award, which recognizes individuals who have advanced the teaching and performance of Irish music in the United States, will be presented at the 23rd Annual O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat on October 22-25 in
Midlothian, Texas.

“We are pleased to honor Máirtín with this award,” said TIMES Executive Director Ken Fleming. “His entire life has been devoted to Irish cultural arts, and his many talents, which besides music and dance, include storytelling, acting and playwriting, make him a unique performer and educator and a worthy recipient of this recognition.”

Máirtín was born in Carrigaline, a small town south of Cork City in Ireland. He hails from a musical family, but it was his family’s love of dancing that captivated Máirtín from an early age. His father, Barry Cogan, organized monthly céilís, but he is also an excellent storyteller, a talent that young Máirtín would inherit. He credits his dad as the person who
most shaped his approach to performing.

Despite his growing success as a singer, dancer, and storyteller, Máirtín would find himself at sessions on the outside looking in at the “golden circle of music” that included his musician friends. His mother, Aislinn, recognizing his yearning to be in that circle, presented him with a toy bodhrán while waiting for a lift home from their Comhaltas Branch and sent him off to learn from De Danann alumni Eric Cunningham, and later, Colm Murphy. Within a few months he had acquired a brand new drum, and, to his surprise, found himself teaching classes. He had finally found his instrument, and his professional journey both as performer and teacher began.

He dabbled in playing a number of instruments during his youth — whistle, fiddle, bagpipes, and accordion — but those interests were soon outweighed by the discovery of a gift for singing. Máirtín became an avid collector of songs, learning the Sean-nós style from Danni Maichi Ua Súlleabháin and later being influenced by other famous singers such as Séamus Mac Mathúna and Ciarán Dwyer. Having grown up in an Irish-speaking home and sharing his parents’ love of the “Teanga na Gael,” Máirtín expanded his knowledge by earning a degree in Irish language from University College Cork.

Since those early days, Máirtín has toured the globe with The Máirtín de Cógáin Project, The Fuchsia Band, Galilean and several years with The Voice of Cork, Jimmy Crowley, his friend and mentor and a central figure in the Irish folk scene since the 70s. De Cógáin has performed and taught bodhrán, singing, storytelling, Irish language and folk dancing at many festivals and music camps in the U.S. Along with his experiences as an actor in movies such as “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” and numerous theatrical productions, some of which he has co-written, Máirtín has kept himself busy.

Today, as a resident of California, Máirtín remains active in preserving and sharing Irish arts with whomever he can. He currently produces a podcast, The Ballad Lounge, with Rory Makem, which explores the history and impact of the great songs of Ireland. He still performs gigs with various ensembles, teaches at music camps and festivals, organizes musical Bus Tours of Ireland, and, whenever he can, savors a good session, sitting inside that “golden circle of music” with his friends, with his bodhrán in his hand, a song in his head, and story ready to tell.

Previous Irish Artist in America Achievement Award recipients include Kevin Burke (2010), John Doyle (2011), James Kelly (2012), Brendan Mulvihill (2013), Joanie Madden (2014), Mick Moloney (2016), Liz Carroll (2017), Séamus Connolly (2018), Rose Conway Flanagan (2019), James Keane (2020), Randal Bays (2021), Brian Conway (2022), Colin Farrell (2023), Liz Knowles (2024) and Billy McComiskey (2025).

For more information about TIMES, go to www.irishtradmusic.org. About the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, go to www.oflahertyretreat.org. TIMES is a non-profit organization based in Richardson, Texas whose mission is to “assist and encourage people in their learning and playing of traditional Irish music through culturally unique, educational programs and performance events.”

SAVE THE DATE Oct 10-11 Bobby Cleveland Park at Lakeshore
On the Rez in Central Mississippi
CelticFest Mississippi Traditional Music Festival & Highland Games 2026

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Are you a Smith, a Wilson or a Brown?

These were the three most common surnames in Scotland in 2025.

Find out how many people in Scotland share your family name 👉bit.ly/Surnames25NRS

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