James E. McGreevey
Governor

William D. Watley
Secretary of Commerce

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Karen Wolfe - 609.292.2523

IRELAND COMES TO THE GARDEN STATE AT THE
THIRTY-THIRD ANNUAL NEW JERSEY IRISH FESTIVAL

Festival to be held on Sunday, June 22, 2003

Woodbridge, N.J. (June 20, 2003)—Visitors looking for a taste of Ireland can come to the Garden State’s thirty-third annual New Jersey Irish Festival for a sampling of Irish music, dance, food and shopping. The event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 22, 2003 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey.

Festivities will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the celebration of the Eucharist with Reverend Terry Loughran of Limerick.

Irish entertainment will feature performances by “Off Kilter” from Disney’s EPCOT Center, Tommy Makem, The Makem Brothers, The Bantry Boys, Willie Lynch and Pat Roddy, The Davis Academy of Irish Dance, a bagpipe competition and display, a march of the Massed Pipe Bands, and more.

“This festival celebrates the Garden State's Irish heritage and is just one of many multicultural events that takes place in New Jersey," said Nancy Byrne, executive director of the New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism. "Ethnic festivals pay tribute to the diversity that makes our state a melting pot of culture, language and heritage."

The event will also provide fun for visitors of all ages including an Irish shopping village, Irish food courts, Children's Playland and an exhibit by the Irish American Cultural Institute.

Advance ticket sales are available for $10 per person. Tickets will also be sold at the gate for $12, and children under the age of 10 can enter at no charge. For more information on the event or to order tickets, please contact Joan Faux at 732-785-9039.

More information on other cultural events and festivals in New Jersey can be obtained by contacting the New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism at 609-292-2470. Parties interested in receiving a free copy of the 2003 New Jersey Travel Guide can contact the office at 1-800-VISITNJ (847-4865) or visit the New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism’s Web site at www.visitnj.org.