20 Years of Walking the Walk, Together
“One of these mornings you’re gonna rise up singing.
Yes, you’ll spread your wings and you’ll take to the sky.”
— Ella Fitzgerald
The 20th Annual iIrish Festival Focus issue has arrived. For two decades, iIrish has been proud to highlight the richness of our shared Irish and American culture—its music, its people, its traditions—through every season of the year.
But there is something about summer.
Maura O’Connell’s Summerfly captures that feeling perfectly—a sense of freedom, memory, and possibility that seems to stretch from June through September, lingering long after the days themselves have passed. It reminds us how deeply those moments shape us, often in ways we only come to understand years later.
This month also marks the 25th anniversary of the passing of Tom Byrne (May 28, 1920 – May 30, 2001), a beloved music teacher and friend whose influence continues to resonate across generations. Whether Irish or not, so many felt his warmth, his passion, and his encouragement. His legacy endures not only in memory, but in the lives he helped shape.
I still recall one St. Patrick’s Day vividly—Tom bearhugging me on a rickety yellow school bus as we traveled from West 65th to East 18th Street after Mass at St. Colman’s. We were part of the WSIA marching unit, heading downtown through the cold, carried forward by a shared excitement that no weather could dampen. Those are the moments that stay with us.
As we look ahead, there are also opportunities to create our own guideposts. May 5 is Primary Election Day—an important reminder to stay engaged, to participate, and to ensure your voice is heard. Even when the impact may not be immediately visible, participation itself carries lasting value. Don’t whine, if you don’t vote.
Don’t whine, if you don’t vote.
This issue is filled with ways to connect and engage. The National Day of Prayer is May 7, followed by Mother’s Day on May 8. Festival season begins in earnest and continues through September. The Cleveland GAA season kicks off with the 7-a-Side tournament on May 16 at the WSIA, promising another exciting year for men, women and youth players. And on May 30, the Walk for Hunger at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo offers a meaningful way to give back.
Inside these pages, you’ll find even more opportunities—to gather, to celebrate, and to make a difference.
iIrish is made in America. We have always been green and are proudly Irish, all year long.
