Ploughboy Nation 2, a free concert celebrating all things Irish, took place Sunday at the Danbury Ives Center. Organized by Michael Scalia, Kevin Stanton and Ploughboy's frontman Patrick Hearty, the all-day event included area bands and dancers.
The event was sponsored by the Danbury Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH). Dozens of volunteers from the AOH and the Ladies AOH served burgers, hot dogs, desserts and, of course, beer.
Colleen and the Boys kicked off the day with rock tunes followed by Traveling Danburys, an acoustic duo consisting of Tim Sheehan and John Perry of i95 FM. Gilleoghan Irish School Of Dance performed two sets of dances and announced news of their expansion into Ridgefield and New Farifield.
The Knox Sisters, a teen duo from Carmel, N.Y., recently added a third member on keyboard- Pete Miller of Katonah. Now a trio, the group played a wide variety of songs ranging from Michael Jackson to Sam Cooke.
Celtic Cross Pipe and Drums made a grand entrance, marching down the hill and up to the stage. Playing traditional Irish songs, this drum corps had the crowd feeling like it was St. Patrick's Day all over again.
The Ale Hounds, a Celtic folk group from New Haven, rocked playing Irish songs with a modern flair.
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Danbury's own Mighty Ploughboys wowed the crowd with an amazing stage show of originals, rock standards and lots of classic Irish tunes. Coming out for two encores, Mighty Ploughboys left the crowd wanting more.
Plans are in the works for a new CD by the band and event organizers are already excited for next year's Ploughboys Nation 3. For more information about the band or to hear their album Hat City Irish, click here.
