Kingston’s Hooley on the Hudson again draws visitors to enjoy Irish themes

By William J. Kemble
Originally published on Sunday, September 2, 2018, Daily Freeman, Kingston, NY

Green was the fashion color of the day on Sunday as thousands of people came to the Strand to dance, drink and delight in Irish culture put on display during the 17th edition of the Hooley on the Hudson.

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The one part of Irish tradition that could be shared with adults and children was the story telling of Karen Pillsworth, who told tales that have lessons attached at the end.

She noted preservation of oral skills is important in an age of cyberspace, technological advances, and people becoming disconnected from each other by participating in an electronically connected age.

"I go back to the Hooley a few years ago where the (Irish ambassador to the U.S., Anne Anderson) came and she stood up and she said that the one thing she was so thrilled with was that Kingston and the Hooley was keeping alive the spoken word, because that was what Ireland was all about," she said. "Yes, there’s music, but the stories are really it.

"Stories are our culture, how we jot things down ... and in the beginning, we were prepared for children, but it has always been more adults and that warms my heart."