Please be aware that this year’s schedule is unusual; see “Schedule” heading below.
We have been invited to return to the Dublin Irish Festival for our 16th year, providing a Sunday Druid Service to celebrate the Feast of Lughnasa. This ritual is truly what a public, accessible Druid ritual can look like, and we’re pleased to present it each year. This year we return to the beginning of our cycle of the Tales of Lugh by telling the story of the selfless labor of his mother, Tailtiu, on behalf of her peeople.
This rite is free and open to the public! (There are, however, specific considerations this year to ensure you can attend for free; please see the “Schedule” heading below.)
This rite will also be streamed over Zoom, and we strive to weave all attendees into our magic, no matter how they join us. We invite remote participants to pray at their home shrines along with us if they have them, or in the shrine of their heart if they do not.
Schedule/Zoom Info
Longtime Lughnasa attendees will be aware that we typically begin ritual at 10am, along with the other Sunday Services. Earlier this summer, Irish Festival organizers informed us that they needed to schedule us unusually late: our 2026 ritual will begin promptly at 11:45am.
This ritual time poses some difficulties, because the Dublin Irish Festival is a paid event. On Sundays, admission before 11am is free due to the Sunday Services, but we’re concerned that with the later start time some ritual attendees may not arrive before that cutoff.
Festival organizers have promised us they’ll resolve this problem in 2027. For this year, as attendees, there are two ways for you to attend for free.
The easiest way: get there early
Even though our ritual doesn’t begin until 11:45, you can certainly still arrive before the 11am free-admission cutoff! In the interim period feel free to drop by one of the other services, grab breakfast from one of the food vendors, or simply relax on the festival grounds.
If you cannot arrive before 11am
Festival organizers understand that we have a large and loyal community at our high days generally, and at the DIF Lughnasa ritual specifically, so they have sent us a number of complimentary tickets to distribute to those who need them. If you are not able to arrive on-site before 11am, we will do our best to provide you with a comp ticket, but please email us immediately at threecranes@threecranes.org — we cannot leave a ticket at the gate for you, so the more lead time we have to arrange something, the better!
Zoom information
If you can’t make it in-person, we’d love to see you via Zoom. Exact timing for the Zoom meeting will depend on how quickly we get things set up, but we’ll get it up at running as quickly as we can, some time between 11:15 and 11:45am.
Meeting ID: 337 362 382
Passcode: 477818
Location
This ritual is part of the event schedule for the Dublin Irish Festival, a large music and cultural festival hosted by the City of Dublin, Ohio, at Coffman Park. Our ritual will be held at the Celtic Crossroads Stage, formerly known as the Celtic Music House — this is the same stage where we’ve been for a number of years, but renamed. It is on the east side of the park, between the East and Southeast entrances.
Once inside the festival, you can follow the signs to the Celtic Crossroads Stage. You can also consult the festival map — look for the Celtic Crossroads Stage near the creek crossing, just at the southern edge of the purple area.
Coffman Park is located in Dublin, OH and is about 1 mile from I-270, Exit 17A. Follow the signs for parking and shuttle service. While the festival does get very crowded, there is typically plenty of parking space available, especially if you are arriving before 11am. There is extensive information about parking and transportation on the Festival’s Getting Here webpage. Bear in mind that all parking, including accessible parking, is at least a half-mile from the stage, so give yourself time.
What should I have with me?
Because of the nature of the venue and the large attendance at the ritual, there will be no public offering rounds at this ritual, but rest assured that we will offer to the Kindreds and to Lugh on behalf of all present. There is also no potluck (but there are plenty of food vendors!).
Attendees at the Sunday Services are invited to bring a non-perishable food item; all items brought to the gates, as well as all moneys collected at the Sunday Services, will be donated to the Dublin Food Pantry.
