Dublin, Ohio

Yes, indeed, Dublin is in Ohio. Not all that far from The Columbus, Ohio, but quite a distance from the River Liffey. The Dublin Irish Festival is Ohio’s biggest and we looked forward to it.

We were at the author’s corner most of the weekend. On Sunday, we tried to answer the question “Why The Great Hunger?” at the cultural tent. ClanDonnell is described a wee bit online.

As far as we know, there aren’t any ‘black pools’ anywhere near Dublin, Ohio. ‘Dublin’ means ‘black pool’ in the native Irish language, which is how the other Dublin got its name.

Interestingly, there were NO Irish among the original settlers of the town. Per legend, one of the owners of a large tract of land in what is now the town’s Historic District hired a surveyor to subdivide the land. The land owner gave the surveyor naming rights. The surveyor was born in Dublin, Ireland, and named the Ohio town ‘Dublin’.

This is indeed one of the bestest festivals anywhere. We had a wonderful time in Dublin, Ohio. We were welcomed by all despite our Michigan roots. It is one of the most professionally done festivals, with a great corps of volunteers and extraordinary music.

We’re looking forward to a return trip in 2016.

All photographs by Linda McDonnell (except for the one with her in it).