An Ri Ra Festival – Butte, MT
Photos - Walter Hinick -Montana Standard
The Irish festival celebrates the Irish culture in Butte
Montana every year in August. This year there was no admission charge and the
main stage was at the Original mine yard. This mine was the first mine
established in Butte. They have restored the head frame and buildings along
with landscaping the grounds to accommodate an audience. The stage is
underneath the head frame which all makes for an unusual setting. Perhaps not
so unusual for Butte. There is a ‘Social Bridge’ to Ireland; and to quote from
another blog, socialbridge.wordpress.com, Jean writes, “Every time I pass the main evidence of the mining works,
which are located overlooking the sea at Tankardstown, my mind crosses the
ocean to Butte, Montana. We know that many of the miners emigrated to Butte
when the mines closed in Bonmahon. I often wonder how it was for those who
settled in Butte and if many of their descendants have any real sense of the
incredible beauty of the landscape in the area around Bonmahon”.