It’s no great insight to say that the Irish love a good party, and are past masters at staging memorable shindigs that masquerade under the general title of a good old Hooley. It has been a tradition since people first started making note of traditions, and a new one is about to kick off in our favourite Disney Springs location.
Raglan Road made its debut in 2005, and still seems as fresh, inviting and entertaining as it did 20 years ago, and one of the reasons why is its strong dedication to authenticity in all aspects of its offerings, from the food and drink to the décor and entertainment.
That is especially true when it comes to their special event for the Labor Day weekend (the last “bank holiday” of summer in the US). From Friday to Monday (Aug 29 to Sept 1), the Great Irish Hooley will serve up a wonderful mixture of live music and carefully curated menu items to make the occasion go with a swing.
And from our sneak preview on Thursday (Aug 28), we can definitely attest to the fact that Raglan Road will once again be THE place to be for anyone just arriving or those who are here and will be staying through the start of next month. On parade will be new menu items and new drinks, including an exclusive craft beer on tap that is sure to excite real ale aficionados, as well as an eye-catching array of musical acts. Put simply, there’s a hell of a Hooley in prospect!
Just to start with, there are fully seven different groups lined up on either the Main Stage, Hole in the Wall Stage or Patio Stage throughout the long weekend, making for a heady concoction of traditional Irish and folk music frolics from noon to 11pm, headlined by the highly talented Strings & Things, a fresh high energy Tipperary Neo-Folk band, mixing trad and folk with a twist. Their unique sound and high stage energy always delivers a raucous evening of music and song.
We were treated to two of the acts, both new to Raglan Road, and will be surprised if they aren’t firm favourites with locals and visitors alike by the time the long weekend is over. Bridin is a contemporary folk harpist, singer and composer from County Sligo, carrying a tradition of Irish music into the fourth generation of her family. She treated us to one of her own instrumental compositions from her 2022 debut album, then brought everyone to their feet with a rendition of The Cranberries song Dream.
Bridin was followed by another newcomer in the form of toe-tapping quartet Bean an Tí, an exciting group from across Waterford, Kerry, Cork and Galway. All four are multi-award-winning singers, musicians and dancers, and their impressive musical pedigree showed in a short set that went down a storm with our media group. The rest of the weekend entertainment consists of:
Plain Sailin, a dynamic four-piece Irish trad/folk band from Clare and Offaly, blending traditional tunes with contemporary genres and a signature Irish twist; Men of Aran, two legends of the Irish traditional music world in Colin Farrell (fiddle and whistles) and Dave Curley (banjo and vocals), who are known for charming audiences with a potent mix of sublime musicianship and energy; regular visitors The Byrne Brothers, a multi-award-winning family band and Irish dancers who have garnered much success and recognition; and Northern Crossing, a traditional duo, hailing from Glasgow and Belfast who are both accomplished musicians well versed in offering an exciting live show.
Of course, no festival is complete without great food, and Raglan Road regaled us with five dishes – including two desserts! – that should really set the scene for this Bank Holiday. All three main course options (in slimmed-down portions to avoid waistband overload) are from the All Day Menu that are ideally suited to the Great Irish Hooley, namely:
The new Gnocchi Nua – a delicious potato and herb gnocchi with zucchini, asparagus, yellow squash and peas in a spinach, lemon and parmesan sauce (which can be paired with either salmon or chicken); the totally vegetarian Crispy Cream Goats Cheese Salad, with pickled carrot, squash and arugula salad, a pear and shallot relish, fresh blackberries and quinoa crunch for a surprisingly tangy flavour; and the traditional Pork Schnitzel, boosted by wonderfully crispy skin-on fried potatoes, a mustard cream sauce, pear and shallot relish and fine grated parmesan.
Susan’s favourite was the pillowy-soft gnocchi with its succulent sauce while Simon preferred the full meaty satisfaction of the schnitzel, which was perfectly balanced with the sauce and relish combo, while the fried potatoes were a traditional Sunday lunch dream. We were both bowled over, though, by the desserts, which included an all-new version of Raglan Road’s famous Bread & Butter Pudding – finished in crispy French toast style, with vanilla mascarpone, mixed berries and a crisp maple bacon strip – as well as the surprise appearance of the new-for-Halloween Ube Cheesecake Bake, a luscious slice of rich ube-coloured cheesecake topped by a pumpkin flavoured icing. A big Yum from us!
The drink choices to go along with this festive feast are equally impressive, including the Rosemary Maple Whisky Sour (a perfectly blended mix of Dickel 12 Tennessee Whisky, crushed rosemary, dark maple syrup, Fees foam and lemon sour) and their new Halloween offering of The Spooky Spud, a powerful combo of mezcal, syrup, pineapple juice and ube foam – for non-drivers only! Finally, Raglan Road also announced its exclusive new tie-up with the local Celebration Brewery to be the sole purveyor of their new Blackberry Blonde ale, which adds significantly to the pub’s impressive array of craft beers with this totally original dark wheat-style brew that has a notably fruity finish unlike anything we’ve tried before.
Special Hooley note: In addition to its All-Day Menu, the restaurant will serve its weekend Rollicking Raglan Brunch from 9am to 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday. On Monday (Labor Day), the pub will open at 10am with its All-Day Menu and add Brunch specials, including its famous The Full Irish, Hipsters Lament and Bread Pudding French Toast, until noon.
PS: For anyone not able to be here this weekend, make a note of next year’s Hooley dates – September 4-7!
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