The highlight of the August Bank Holiday weekend for me is always the opportunity to attend the Pairc and to give a review. Over the years, I have enjoyed the atmosphere and been entertained by some great artists and this year's event was no exception. 

Day One began with a performance from Jack Banting to get the crowd going and this was followed by the ever popular Father Teds, with their lively interpretations of a wide range of songs.  Following this, the Pogue Traders recaptured the music and song of the Pogues in a very realistic way.  Finn Furey brought his own original vocal and instrumental style to the proceedings, with even a fascinating new interpretation of "The Green Fields Of France." Hungry Grass also brought fresh and interesting versions of well known songs and the arrival on stage of the Undertones, took this reviewer back to his adolescence , as classic hits from that era rocked the arena. Top of the bill on Saturday night were the Saw Doctors, whom I have seen on several occasions down through the years.  As always, they entertained the enthusiastic crowd with their witty lyrics and catchy songs. 

Day Two dawned and first on stage were One For The Road and like Lampa, who followed them, they added their own unique style to the proceedings. Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfe Tones performed a selection of songs with a political flavour, interspersed with Derek's explanations of the significance behind them.  The Tumbling Paddies were lively and entertaining as always and were followed by the Sharon Shannon Big Band, with special guests, Liam O' Maonlai (Hothouse Flowers), Cait O' Riordan, Camille O' Sullivan and Mundy. Their set combined their varied talents to pay tribute to the late Shane MacGowan . The High Kings brought an enjoyable combination of traditional, contemporary and original songs and the weekend ended  with Pairc regular and favourite Nathan Carter and his excellent band having us all dancing and singing along . 

As well as the action on the main stage, The Birmingham Irish Association had their own "Irish Village" with traditional music, cooking and crafts and this was a welcome addition to this year's event. As always, I had the opportunity to catch up with old friends and to meet new people and the whole thing was well organised and ran like clockwork. A big thank you to Ciaran and the team for the opportunity to be there again and I am already looking forward in anticipation to next year. I am left with many happy memories of Pairc 2025.