SOPHIA CHAMBLEE
STAFF WRITER
The air was alive with festive music as people celebrated their Irish heritage Thursday night in the J.C. Williams Center.
Black and gold tables covered in chocolate gold coins were placed throughout the atrium and gallery. The stair rails had green and white streamers wrapped around them.
Tater tots with shredded beef, cheesecake and cookies were served in the Gentile Gallery. There was also a bar that served beer for those over 21.
Many of the students and staff dressed in green to show off their Irish heritage.
Throughout the night, a band played Irish folk music, and a few students even hit the dance floor.
Around 9 p.m. the Franciscan University Irish Dance Club preformed various dances, including tap dancing, wowing the crowd.
“It brought us back to Galway. We spent a lot of our time (abroad) in Galway, Ireland. We love that place, so this just brought us back there … So nostalgic,” said Sophia Fernandez and Vanessa Quilliam, seniors.
There was also an air tattoo studio upstairs, the line for which went all the way to the Pub. The tattoo designs ranged from clovers to crosses to dolphins and came in a variety of colors. The tattoos only last for a week or two, but the students expressed their excitement to have them.
“I think it’s great. … It’s a really cool event for people of all different personalities and friend groups to come together and get free food and music. It’s a really good bonding for the campus,” said senior Cameron Erickson, who helped with the dessert bar. “God bless the Irish, God bless America!”
“This Irish Fest is out of this world,” said Juliana Turner, freshman.
The annual Irish Fest is hosted by Exc!te with assistance from Theotokos household, who served at the event in place of its semesterly fundraiser.