Celtic rock echoed down the block as attendees made their way into the Caloosa Amphitheater on Jan. 25 to celebrate the annual Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival.
Among the festival lineup was Ed Harder, a member of the Guns N’ Hoses Pipes and Drums of Southwest Florida, a performance group that honors first responders. Harder said the music reflects generations of Celtic customs.
“It’s all about family, and it’s about tradition,” Harder said. “The Irish were suppressed for many years, and when they came to this country, they took the jobs no one else wanted — coal mining, police work, firefighting. When someone passed, they would bring in the pipes to play.”
Between sets of Irish bagpipes, vendors lined the grass field, selling traditional clothing, food, crafts and other cultural items. Gayle Baker, owner of Rampant Lion Celtic Traders, sold Celtic teas and souvenirs. Baker, who is Irish and married to a Scottish man, said their heritage runs deep. She and her husband have operated the business since 1986.
“Everyone needs to know where they come from,” Baker said. “Every culture has a tree of life. The roots are where you came from, and the branches are what’s ahead in the future.”
Baker said Celtic identity in modern times is often misunderstood.
“The Celts were a race of people made up of different subsets — the Scottish, the Irish, the Welsh, the Breton,” she said. “The culture includes their religion, their artwork and their way of life.”
Fort Myers Events Manager Brian Craig, who organized the festival, said fostering that sense of connection was the event’s main goal. Whether attendees came for entertainment or education, Craig said the festival was designed to appeal to a wide audience.
“It hopefully can be educational as well as cultural,” Craig said. “Whether you’re here to drink a Guinness, or here to learn or teach your kids some culture, we have a little bit for everybody.”
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