Festival Coordinator, National Folk Festival

Brendan R. McDonough is a Butte native and graduated from Butte Central High School and Montana Tech with a degree in Business Informational Technology. Brendan entered the world of event planning when he was selected to coordinate the first An Rí Rá Montana Irish Festival in Historic Uptown Butte in 2003. The event is coordinated and hosted by the Montana Gaelic Cultural Society, and it is entering into the sixth annual festival in Butte and the ninth festival overall. The festival was held in Missoula for three years before relocating to Butte. Brendan was fortunate enough to work with an incredible group of people interested in making An Rí Rá a world-class festival in Montana. The festival committee is all-volunteer, and each year the event grows in awareness and recognition from all over the world. He is grateful to work with the An Rí Rá Executive Committee to share the richness and beauty of the Irish culture to the people of Montana and beyond.

He was a member of the Steering Committee for the visit of the President of Ireland, H.E. Mary McAleese, to Butte, Montana, in May of 2006. President McAleese came to the University of Montana to kick-off the Irish Studies Program at UM, and then continued on to Butte where she met with community leaders and gave a public address to the Butte Irish Community. It was a day he will never forget.

Because of his experience gained in planning festivals and live-events, Brendan was hired to be the Festival Coordinator for the National Folk Festival to be hosted in Butte. One of the country’s largest and most prestigious celebrations of the arts, the National Folk Festival, is coming to Butte for a three-year tenure beginning in July 2008. First presented in 1934, it is the oldest multicultural festival in the nation. The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), the organization that has produced the National Folk Festival since its creation, recognized Butte’s and Montana’s unique natural resources, cultural assets, and strong community spirit.

Brendan feels very fortunate to live and work in Butte, Montana, and he is proud to be Butte Irish. He encourages all of you to make these festivals a part of your calendar during the summer and enjoy all Montana has to offer.