Michigan Irish Music Festival hosts Andy Irvine & more

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The 84-year-old Celtic folk singer Andy Irvine will play the Muskegon festival for the first time in a decade, joining dozens of other top-shelf acts this weekend. The story, schedule and more.

‘Never Tire of the Road’: That enduring attitude will bring Andy Irvine back to Muskegon this weekend. (Courtesy Photo)

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Irish folk singer-songwriter Andy Irvine’s return to the Michigan Irish Music Festival in Muskegon this weekend has been a long time coming.

“The reason I stopped coming to the States for about nine years or so was my total dislike for the visa situation,” Irvine told Local Spins in a Zoom conversation from his home in County Wexford in southeastern Ireland. That hiatus included the COVID years.

But thanks to assistance from a New York arts center, he traveled to the United States last year, did a successful tour, and now has a three-year U.S. visa. That clears the way for Irvine to play the local festival for the first time since 2016.

And the timing works out perfectly. Irvine’s latest album, “Devoted,” a collection of Woody Guthrie songs, was released earlier this month.

Packed House: Irish music fans will be back in full force this weekend. (Photo/Tim Reilly)

“I hope to perform at least some of those songs at each of my three concerts there,” said Irvine, who’s scheduled to play three unique sets — 7:45 p.m. Friday (Sept. 18) on the Kerry Stage, 5:15 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 19) on the Cork Stage and 2:30p.m. Sunday (Sept. 20) on the Cork Stage.

Scroll down for the complete festival schedule, with details online here.

Guthrie was a strong influence on the young Irvine, and the Irishman corresponded with the seminal American folk artist before Guthrie’s death in 1967.

On the new release, Irvine covers classics such as “Pastures of Plenty” and “1913 Massacre.” He concludes the album with his own tune, “Never Tire of the Road,” which borrows a chorus from Guthrie’s theme “You Fascists Are Bound To Lose.”

STILL GOING STRONG WITH MULTI-INSTRUMENTAL CHARM

Irvine is a multi-instrumentalist: Although he plays more instruments than this, the four that he usually brings along are the guitar-shaped bouzouki, a mandola, octave mandola and bass bouzouki.

“My wife is traveling with me, and that allows for more luggage,” he mused.

Irvine has collaborated with dozens of other folk artists over the decades, was a founding ember of bands such as Sweeney’s Men, Planxty and Mozaik, and crossed paths with the great Pete Seeger. But Irvine’s own songs have endured, including songs such as “The West Coast of Clare” and “The Blacksmith,” a song he often uses to conclude his performances.

The artist has a theory on the strength and attraction of traditional Irish music.

Good As He’s Ever Been: Irvine (Courtesy Photo)

“First of all, I think it’s good music and good poetry,” he stated. “And I would say there’s a kind of honesty about it that doesn’t exist in more popular music. Most Irish musicians and bands aren’t striving to be number one on the hit parade playing folk music.”

His experience is impressive. Irvine says he’s been “treading the boards” since 1964. At 84 years old, he says he’s still going strong.

“It’s a dangerous thing to say, but I seem to be as good as I’ve ever been. I still get along and I’m not as fit as I once was. But I am aware of the fact that I’m 84.”

The annual festival at Heritage Landing — the state’s largest celebration of Irish music and culture — is about more than just Celtic songs, reels and jigs.

The four-day event features dance performances, Celtic wares in a marketplace, Celtic food, demonstrations, and lectures/discussions covering topics such as the history of Celtic mythology and tales from the Emerald Isle. The Michigan Irish American Hall of Fame Presentation is set for 11:30 a.m. Saturday on the Grafton Stage.

Festival passes are $70, available online here. Day passes are $25 Friday, $40 Saturday, $20 Sunday, with $10 tickets for the Thursday “Pub Preview Party.”

VIDEO: Andy Irvine (Live)