Raising the Irish Flag in Butte to celebrate An Ri Ra Irish Festival

Butte-Silver Bow County is celebrating the beginning of An Ri Ra by raising the Irish Flag alongside the American Flag here at the Butte Silver-Bow County Courthouse.

"We’ve been traveling as a band for 35 to 40 years and, so, certain places have a very special character that stands out. You know, it’s not like just going to another city," says Daithi Sproule, a musician with the Irish band Altan.

Meagan Thompson

Sproule stands before a couple of dozen people on the courthouse steps and sings the Irish National Anthem for the ceremony kicking off the festival. He says the band traveled to Butte about 20 years ago for one of the very first An Ri Ra festivals.

"Of course, we remember the character of the place. It’s lovely to be back. It’s really a special place and so many associations, you know, with Ireland," says Sproule.

As the orange, white, and green colors of the Irish flag rise to meet the red white, and blue, Sproule's Irish national anthem rings out in Gaelic, bouncing off the buildings in Uptown Butte. He says the Irish language often weaves through the music his band plays.

"We have a big, sort of, Gaelic language element in our band. We all speak the language and love it," says Sproule.

"We enjoy meeting people and we enjoy playing our music and we enjoy the idea of bringing our music to different places."

Altan performs twice during An Ri Ra at the Original Mineyard. For a full schedule of events check out the festival's page online.