“The Irish are coming!”

That is the phrase that was being used to describe the arrival of the Ceol Oirghialla Traditional Ensemble from Dundalk, Ireland. The ensemble consisted of five students and two professors from the Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT.

Daithí Kearney, director of the Ceol Oirghialla Traditional Music Ensemble at DkIT, taught sophomore MacKenzie Sammons and senior Abby Jones how to do Irish dances after chapel services on May 1.Laura Price

“The people are really friendly,” Fiachra Meek, one of the Irish students, said. “The first thing that happened, when we came in, about two or three people came up and asked us where we wanted to go. Then, I knew I liked America.”

Eibhlís Farrell, head of music and creative media at DkIT, agreed.

“Lovely campus here and everyone has been so friendly,” Farrell said. “The hospitality has just been incredible.”

The group members first visited New York, where they met with another college in Long Island. They had the opportunity to perform at the American Irish Historical Society on Fifth Avenue.

They arrived in Kansas late on April 29. The next day, they attended chapel and afterward they played music, while Daithí Kearney, director of the ensemble, taught some Baker students how to ceili dance. They also performed at the Symphonic Winds Concert, which was Director of Bands Ray James’ final concert.

Most of Irish group thought the Kansas landscape reminded them of Ireland, with the rolling green hills, fields with cattle and farms.

Farrell said she lived in the Irish countryside and seeing the landscape was a welcoming sight.

“I’d love to come back,” Farrell said. “Just the big, wide open spaces. So clean. Cities at home tend to be much smaller…”

Farrell composed a piece for the Symphonic Winds entitled “Crossroads.”

For most of the Irish students, this was their first time traveling to United States. Kearney has performed at many honorable venues, though, including playing for the President Barack Obama in the White House.

Farrell attended college in New Jersey and said, “New Jersey is very different form here. I think here it’s much nicer.”

Farrell said she read an article in the Baker Orange while she was here about how men and women do not have equal pay and thought it was “appalling.” This was news to her, because, in Ireland, if men and women aren’t paid the same, it is considered sexual discrimination.

The recent tornado warnings made them nervous about their flight to Kansas. Another thing they found strange was Baker’s Greek traditions.

“We don’t have fraternities or sororities in Ireland, so it’s strange to us,” Meek said, “something we have never seen before.”

Meek is finishing up his second year at DkIT and is thinking of getting a Ph.D., so he can teach. Meek has family in the United States but did not have a chance to see them, though he really wanted to.

“I will come back. There’s no question about it,” he said.