Music, comedy make Blackthorne Celtic Festival a hit
Grace, Cooney are crowd-pleasers
The Daily Mail
Sept. 7, 2009

Irish music could be heard all over the Blackthorne Resort in East Durham this weekend, as dancers, singers and instrumentalists performed for hundreds this weekend at the resort’s first Celtic Festival.

“It has gone phenomenally,” Blackthorne co-owner Jennifer Handel said of the event Sunday afternoon.

She estimated that 1,000 people had come to the resort solely for the weekend of entertainment.

Among the musical acts were Derek Warfield and the Young Wolftones, the Amerscot Highland Pipe Band and harpists as well as students from the Michael Farrell’s School of Irish Stepdancing.

The festival was to be closed by a six-and-a-half-hour concert by Black 47, Derek Warfield and the Gobshites, ending at 4 a.m. Sunday.

Handel said her husband and resort co-owner Dale had worked especially hard to book Irish comedian Brendan Grace for a Sunday afternoon show. Grace was scheduled to perform again later Sunday in Ireland, she said. The artist was flown in and performed, then left and flew back into Ireland, she said.

The effort’s paid off; Grace’s act brought many fans to the festival.

Maureen Schultheis said she and her husband, Gunther, had come to the festival from Pittsfield, Mass. to see Grace and famed singer Andy Cooney share the stage.

“They were great,” the Irish-born Schultheis said.

The couple came to the area just for the day but were sure to arrive in time for what Schultheis called a “wonderful” 10 a.m. Sunday Mass.

Leo Dolphin, of Glendale, N.Y., called seeing Grace and Cooney “fantastic.”

Dolphin, who’s parents came from Sligo, Ireland, said he and his wife, Irene and their son were visiting nearby Cairo for the weekend and had also enjoyed a trip to Windham during their stay.

Jennifer Handel said she and her husband decided to hold the festival at their Irish-themed resort on Labor Day as a way to bring visitors to the area in early September. She said many festival-goers were staying in several different motels, guest houses and resorts in the area. Cars filled the resort parking area and were parked along both sides on Sunside Road.

Handel wasted no time is saying whether the festival would return next Labor Day weekend.

“Absolutely,” she said.