Kerreen O’Connor was happy that the weather at this year’s Colorado Irish Festival wasn’t as authentic as the event.
It rained both days of last year’s gathering, the festival president said.
“We kept telling people we imported the weather from Ireland,” O’Connor said.
This Sunday, however, was sunny and hot, pleasing many who had returned for the 13th annual celebration.
O’Connor estimated a record 20,000 people visited the Littleton festival to learn about the culture, see traditional step dancing, hear music and drink the country’s famous stouts and liquors.
“You can look around and you see the Irish beers and Irish whiskey, but there’s obviously a lot more than Jameson and Guinness,” O’Connor said.
Kayla Lafferty, 19, spent her free moments drinking water. The long- sleeved silver, black and orange dress she wore for a solo dance competition only made the heat worse, she said.
“It’s probably about 90 (degrees) itself inside this dress, not counting the weather,” the Littleton native said.
Lafferty has been step dancing since she was 10 years old. Her mother said she has missed only two performances.
“I love watching her dance,” her mother, Leah, said of the high-kicking jigs made famous by shows such as “Riverdance.”
Lafferty started dancing after seeing a step group perform at church, but she said she likes the competitive side of the dance, too.
“It’s exhilarating because you get so much adrenaline from the competition,” the Colorado State University sophomore said.
Though she didn’t place in her division on Sunday, Lafferty said getting feedback from the judges would help her improve.
“I guess I didn’t keep my toes in enough,” she said.
Others also said they were learning throughout the day. The Griffin family of Highlands Ranch took turns trying to pick up hurling, a sport similar to lacrosse and hockey, from the Denver Gaels, a Gaelic sports organization.
Patriarch Dave Griffin went first, sliding the flat-ended stick underneath the ball that lay on the ground. After a few tries, he popped the ball up and hit it into the netted goal.
The festival is a place to reconnect with the Irish community, Griffin said.
“That’s why we come, just to run into each other,” Griffin said, standing with his wife, Yolanda, and son Zane, 14. “It’s good for him to learn about his heritage.”
Staff writer Sara Crocker can be reached at 303-954-1661 or scrocker@denverpost.com.
