Great weather prevailed at last year’s An Ri Ra. That was not the case for this year’s event.
A passing storm put a brief stop to the Saturday afternoon lineup for An Ri Ra on Aug. 10, 2024, in Butte.
Mother Nature decided to rain on the 2024 An Ri Ra last weekend, and threw in plenty of thunder and lightning to keep everyone on their toes. It didn’t, however, dampen the spirits of the Montana Irish Festival’s numerous volunteers.
“This was nothing new,” said Brendan McDonough, who chairs An Rí Rá’s fundraising committee. “It has happened before.”
Volunteers were able to keep everything going on Friday and Saturday until a major storm hit just before 7 p.m. Saturday, McDonough said.
“We tried to do our best for everybody,” he said.
McDonough and other festival officials had been keeping a close eye on the weather forecasts throughout the weekend and made the necessary changes when needed.
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“We had the stage covered right away each time and kept track of weather predictions,” he said. “Everyone kept calm and rose to the challenge.”
At about 6:30 p.m. Saturday, ominous storm clouds could be seen coming from the west, and shortly thereafter, the decision was made to batten down the hatches at the Original Mine. It was time to shut ‘er down.
“We all ended up at the Cavalier Lounge at the Finlen,” said McDonough.
The Tiernan Irish Dancers take the stage at the Original Mine during the first day of An Ri Ra on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Butte.
