Thank You to the 2025 MCIF Presenting Sponsor
Feldman Automotive Group
Save the dates June 6-8 2025
Pre-order entrance tickets by following the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/motor-city-irish-fest-tickets-1319460193959?aff=oddtdtcreator
2025 Honorary Co-Chair – Mike Kelly
Mike Kelly has been selected as the 2025 Motor City Irish Fest “Honorary Co-Chair”. This recognition is due to the valuable contribututions that Mike has made to the success of the MCIF and his committment to the Detroit Irish community. Thank you Mike for being such an important part of the Motor City Irish Fest.
Mike is the son of the “late” Joann & Lawrence M Kelly. He graduated from St. Mary of Redford HS in Detroit and received his BS in Business Administration from Central Michigan University. He completed post graduate Studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Environmental Program.
Mike is the President and Owner of Environmental Maintenance Engineers, Inc. EME provides environmental remediation contracting services including asbestos & lead-based paint abatement, mold remediation and universal and hazardous waste removal in Michigan and Ohio. EME and their 50 employees celebrated their 25th Anniversary in Business in 2022.
Mike is very active with charitable organizations and the Detroit Irish Community. He is the Past President of the United Irish Societies and Co-Chairman of the Detroit St. Patrick’s Parade. He is the Past Michigan State President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and is currently the Vice-President of the AOH Stephen Walsh Division. He is a member of the Knights of Equity, Court 6 and is serving as the Worthy Supreme Sir Knight.
Mike is on the Board of Directors for the IN Detroit Network, previously the Michigan Irish American Chamber of Commerce (MIACC) and was recognized as the 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year!
He works with The Pallottine Fathers Missions in Wyandotte and was awarded the 2014 Pallottine Man of the Year.
Mike was inducted into the Michigan Irish Hall of Fame Class of 2015 for his accomplishments in “Business and Industry”.
Mike supports Most Holy Trinity Ministries and has been an Usher for St. Patrick’s Day Mass for over 18 years and was honored to be the Chairman of the “Sharin of the Green” Fund Raising Campaign in 2016.
Mike was awarded the “AOH Hibernian of the Year” in 2017.
Mike is a member of the Monaghan Knights of Columbus Council and is on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Columbus Federal Credit Union.
Mike married his high school sweetheart Maureen Collins Kelly and they have (3) wonderful children Matthew and his wife Erin Cook and their son Maxwell and daughter Mae, Colleen and Brigid. They reside in Livonia and are parishioners at St. Valentine Church in Redford, MI. Mike also spends time at his house in the Villages, FL whenever opportunity allows.
Mike has been involved with MCIF from the beginning and handles all of the utilities at the festival including labor, fencing, port-a-johns, temporary lighting, golf carts and ice. Mike is honored to be recognized as the 15th Annual Motor City Irish Festival Honorary Chairman.
We are pleased to introduce our 2025 Headline Artists:
The Kilkennys
DIRECT FROM IRELAND!
A traditional Irish folk and ballad band, The Kilkennys are noted for their dynamic arrangements, energetic performances and charismatic rapport with audiences across the globe. Picking up the mantle left by acts such as The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers, the group continue to conquer tour circuits in Europe and the U.S.A. In the past years The Kilkennys have shared the stage with renowned Irish artists such as Shane McGowan, Sharron Shannon and Finbar Furey. Continuing their hectic tour schedule 2016 saw the band perform on the main stage at Milwaukee Irish Fest – the largest Irish Festival in the world.
“The Kilkennys are a great band upholding the Irish Folk/Ballad tradition with a contemporary style. Matching the passion & stories with these songs. The Kilkennys live is a fantastic show” – Barry Stapleton, Milwaukee Irish Fest
The band was established between schoolmates and began touring the length and breadth of Ireland in 1998. In 2008 they decided to name themselves ‘The Kilkennys’ after their beloved home, Kilkenny City. Now based in South East Ireland, the group have evolved through the years and are anchored by founding members Davey Cashin (vocals, mandolin, banjo, guitar, whistles), Tommy Mackey (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals), and Mick Martin (bodhran, uilleann pipes, low whistles, guitar, vocals).
After releasing their live album and DVD ‘Meet The Kilkennys’, Radio and TV appearance soon followed, which included RTE’s Late Late Show, where they preformed their single ‘Shine on Kilkenny’ , an original song released to coincide with Kilkenny winning All Ireland hurling final for a forth year in a row, a sporting celebration also headlined by The Kilkennys. Their much acclaimed studio album ‘The Colour Of Freedom’ (2014) features a mix of original material and well known ballads like ‘Rocky Road to Dublin’ and ‘South Australia’. The strong connection between the band and their music is showcased in this album, with compelling musicianship and pristine vocal harmonies.
Seeking to preserve their status for re-introducing Irish folk and ballads to a young audience while capturing the hearts of the more seasoned traditional music lover, The Kilkennys embark on their new show featuring new material, set to be released later in the year. The bands popularity continues to grow with every energy filled, toe tapping and hand clapping night of entertainment.
Sina Theil
DIRECT FROM IRELAND
Sina Theil became a MCIF fan favorite in 2024 with her amazing talent and is returning in 2025. Sina a German born, Irish based multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and winner of several Irish music awards and “Rising Star of the Year 2022” awarded by the late Maryann McTeague Keifer at the American Celtic Listener Supported Music Awards. She started playing piano and composing her first songs at age 7. Sina’s social media presence has surpassed 55,000 followers across her platforms and she has scored twenty-one no.1 singles across the Irish iTunes Charts, including a self-penned original song and her much acclaimed release “The Fields of Athenry” featuring Caitríona O’Sullivan, which has just surpassed 300K views on Youtube.
Furthermore, her songs have been played over 16,000 times on Irish radio & heard by over 33 million radio listeners in Ireland and across the United States of America.
Sina, has appeared on the front cover of the Irish Music Magazine and on Ireland’s leading celebrity magazine RSVP. She also recently featured in the Music Business Ireland magazine and on one of Ireland’s leading music TV shows – “Opry Le Daniel” (Season 12).
Elias Alexander
Elias Alexander is a rare performer who combines live looping and electronics with a wide variety of instruments from bagpipes to fiddle, guitar, whistle and keys. With deep roots in traditional Scottish and American music, but a boundless appetite for possibility, rhythm, and expression, Elias takes audiences on a mind blowing journey through traditional tunes, original songs, and danceable fun.
Elias Alexander is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter whose work swells from the intersection of traditional music, electronic production, and songwriting. Using electronics, he alchemizes tradition into something healing, deeply personal, and of this moment.
Wielding bagpipes, fiddle, guitar, whistles, and keyboards on stage while deftly looping and sampling to build energy, Elias weaves together melodies from the Scottish and American traditions, with catchy beats, and original songs that discuss themes of alienation, belonging, and queerness.
Elias is one of those rare performers who achieves full flight using the power of electronics with live instruments, drawing comparisons to FKJ, Fred again., and Dirtwire, and taking audiences on a mind-blowing journey that elicits everything from wild dancing to tears. The show highlights Elias’s skill as a consummate performer with a unique ability to connect with and move a crowd.
Elias Alexander grew up in Ashland, Oregon, where he studied pipes and fiddle from a young age. Moving to the east coast in 2009, he made a name for himself as one of the foremost exponents of traditional Scottish music in America, touring with numerous groups and playing many of the top Celtic festivals including Celtic Connections (2017 with Gillebride MacMillan) and Celtic Colours (2019 with Farsan). He currently tours as the pipes and whistle player with Scottish legends Old Blind Dogs in North America.
Elias’s latest project, Ramblxr, arose out of the early lockdowns of 2020, when he found himself blending the traditional acoustic music of his youth with house, disco, hip-hop, and lo-fi sounds.
Emerging with his new solo electronic show in hand in 2021, he has taken festival stages by storm, with standout performances at Oregon Country Fair, BlissFest, Sisters Folk Fest, Portland Pride, Bellingham Folk Festival, and many others.
Elias achieved international attention in Feb. 2024 when his song FIDDLE DISCO! went viral on Instagram, leading to articles in The National Newspaper Scotland and BNN News, and radio play on BBC Scotland.
Daily admission tickets are priced as follows:
- Adults 18+ $10 each if purchased before June 1, 2024
- Adults 18+ $15 each June 1 or after $15 at the gate
- Children ages 13-17 $5 each
- Children 12 and under are FREE
***Parking is $5 per car and is not included with your admission ticket***
***NO PETS ALLOWED***
Greenmead Historical Park in Livonia is the perfect place to host a festival.
You can find out more about the exact location on the Location page.
