The Irish Cultural Society of the Pacific Northwest is pleased to present the 14th annual Sean-nós Northwest festival, returning to beautiful Portland, Oregon May 1-4th, 2025. Sean-nós Northwest is an event dedicated to promoting and celebrating the deep cultural practices of Ireland including sean-nós singing and dancing, other vernacular dance forms, traditional instrumental music, and the Irish language - An Ghaeilge. 2025’s festival will take place at venues in the Alberta Arts District of NE Portland, featuring an intimate public concert, invigorating social dance, and engaging daytime workshops. We’ve also scheduled convivial community events at some of Portland’s most celebrated public houses! We welcome special guests Dáthaí Sproule (singer), Anna Lethert (dancer), Danny Diamond (fiddler), Jackie O’Riley (dancer), and Scot Éamonn Ó Muilleora (language instructor) who will be sharing their talents, stories, and insights into their respective traditions. Participants of all levels are welcome from the uninitiated to knowledgeable practitioners. Registration is currently open at www.seannos.org/snnw with a variety of festival passes to accommodate everyone’s level of participation. Spread the word, invite a friend, but DON'T MISS OUT on Sean-nós Northwest 2025. Bígí linn a charge! An Ghaeilge agus fáilte.
Festival Guest Bios:
Dáithí Sprouleis a seminal figure in traditional Irish music, having helped pioneer and popularize DADGAD tuning in Irish music. However, he started out his career in the influential group Skara Brae with Mícheál, Tríona, and Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, whose father's family was from the Donegal Gaeltacht of Rann na Feirste. Dáthaí would visit this community every summer as a teen to learn Irish, which has greatly influenced his singing as well. He is also well known for his former work with the internationally renowned Irish band Altan. He brings with him many gifts to share at this year’s festival.www.daithisproule.com
Anna Lethert is a sean-nós dancer with passion and skill in other Irish vernacular dance traditions as well. She has performed at festivals throughout the USA, Ireland and Europe, with acclaimed artists such as Altan, Lankum, Liz Carroll, Dáithí Sproule, and the Friel Sisters. She spent a decade in Ireland, teaching and performing, and in 2016 and 2017 was a presenter and performer with the Tunes in the Church traditional/folk concert series in Dublin. Anna regularly performs with her husband, fiddler Danny Diamond, who also joins us at this year’s event.
Jackie O’Riley has spent the past 20 years ardently seeking out steps from the old-style step dance, sean-nós dance, and set dance traditions, and is now a respected performer and teacher, with a unique repertoire that includes older steps she’s collected from masters and field footage, and original material she’s composed. She founded O’Riley Irish Dance, a unique, non-competitive dance program for kids and teens now in its 14th year. Jackie continues to travel the US, Canada, and Ireland teaching and performing her unique repertoire. We are delighted to welcome her back to this year’s festival! www.jackieoriley.com
Danny Diamond's knowledge of fiddle music rests on a deep and unique family store of traditional tunes, versions, and musical styles. Rooted in the traditions of the north of Ireland, Co. Donegal in particular, his playing also carries influences from Sligo, Clare, and Sliabh Luachra fiddle music, as well as the uilleann pipes and accordion traditions. This background in musical practice is reinforced by a broad knowledge of the history and contexts of Irish traditional music, gained through 10 years working as a music archivist with the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin, Ireland. www.dannydiamond.ie
Scot Éamonn Ó Muilleora is American-born but comes to this year’s festival with deep reverence and extensive relationships with the people and communities of Donegal. He is a gifted musician on pipes and flute and performs with the Tír Chonaill Trio, the Gaulway Ramblers, and others in his community. Scot is also an instructor of the Irish language with particular affinity for, you guessed it, the dialects of Donegal.
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