Students looking to experience Irish culture this Saint Patrick's Day won't have to travel far tonight: Mick Moloney's Irish-American Music and Dance Festival is coming to campus.
The celebration of Irish culture will be held at the Annenberg Center's Zellerbach Theatre and will feature a band, performances of traditional songs and ballads, step dancing and more.
Performers will range from internationally renowned professionals to talented children from this area.
Headlining the event is the Moloney himself, a musician and Irish-studies scholar who holds a doctorate in folklore and folklife from Penn.
Moloney plans to pepper his performance with limericks, short, often humorous poems that originated in Ireland.
"Mick Moloney's kind of known for his Irish limericks," said Roy Wilbur, an Annenberg Center spokesman. "Some of them are a little racy."
Due to his scholarly background, Moloney can also provide insight into the history and cultural significance of each performance, Wilbur said.
Those seeking further context may also want to attend a lecture and dinner, which will take place in the Annenberg Center's lobby directly preceding the performance, explaining its cultural significance.
Over a dinner catered by the Plough & the Stars, an Irish restaurant located at 123 Chestnut St., Mary Hufford, the director of the Center for Folklore and Ethnography, will give a talk on the origin and customs of Saint Patrick's Day.
Wilbur said the primer should enhance visitors' experience.
"They can learn more about the culture of the event they're seeing on stage," he said.
This year marks the second time the Annenberg Center has hosted Moloney's Saint Patrick's Day festival.
"Penn Presents" hosted the event last Saint Patrick's Day and found it to be worth repeating, Wilbur said.
Prior to his appearances at the Annenberg Center, Moloney brought his annual cultural event to other venues, including International House.
Wilbur said student rush tickets for the festival, which is part of the "Penn Presents" series, were still available for $15 from the center's box office as of Wednesday afternoon.
The festival is a good option for "people that like to do something a little bit different," Wilbur said.
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