History

The Hibernians of the Danbury area had a dream. They wanted a cultural center so they could display and promote the culture of their ancestral home, Ireland. They wanted a place where they could meet to share their stories, sing their songs, learn the Irish language and history, and dance to the music of the fiddle and the drum. They knew that they would need to raise a great sum of money to fulfill their dream. In 1995 Jerry Curran said, "Let's have a festival" in his energetic voice and with Sharon Higgins got the backing of the membership. Mayor Gene Eriquez offered a baseball field in Rogers Park and the GDIF was born. In 1999 the festival was moved to the beautiful grounds of the Ives Center at WCSU.

In 2007 the dream was getting closer to reality. A building was bought with the help of the funds from the festivals. If you listen closely you can hear the fiddle playing and the toes tapping on Lake Avenue as the Hibernians welcome all those interested in all things Irish to join the Irish Cultural Center. Thank you to all who have attended the festivals over the years. Keep the weekend after Labor Day open on your calendar each year and join us in the fun!