Rock Group Black 47 Will Headline

FLOYD BENNETT FIELD — The spacious grounds of Aviator Sports Center on Floyd Bennett Field will provide the perfect outdoor environment for rocking Irish music on Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27.

Under the sun and stars, songs will fill the open air from 2 to 11 p.m. on Saturday and again on Sunday from 2 to 10 p.m.. Tickets are $30 for the weekend or $20 for one day.

The festival crowd will hear Black 47, Girsa, Seanchai and the Unity Squad, Greg Trooper, The Fighting 86s, Three Pints Shy, Boston’s Erin Og, Strayaway Saints, Mac Talla Mor and The Snakes.

Headlining the two-day event is one of New York’s most popular bands, the legendary Black 47. Named for the worst year of the Irish Potato Famine in 1847, Black 47 is led by former Bay Ridge resident Larry Kirwan. Their latest album Bankers and Gangsters has been described as "...equal parts Boomtown Rats and Pogues with frequent tinges of ska, reggae, and of course traditional Irish tunes."

Girsa is an all-female, high school/college-age Irish-American band that is "...catching ears and turning heads in ever-increasing numbers" according to the Boston Irish Reporter. Renowned Irish fiddler Brian Conway says they are "simply exquisite."

Seanchai & the Unity Squad, led by Brooklyn native Chris Byrne, meshes the eclectic styles of hip-hop, rock, reggae, and traditional Irish music. The Village Voices reports they are "the only Celtic-influenced hip-hop band on either side of the Atlantic."

The Daily News calls Greg Trooper a "honey-voiced alt-country/folk guy" and Vintage Guitar says his songs "penetrate even the thickest skin and reach right down to your heart."

Aviator Sports and Events Center is a world-class, multi-use sporting and event complex, and home of Brooklyn’s professional hockey team. Aviator Sports has refurbished four historic aircraft hangars and surrounding grounds, in partnership with the National Park Service. Aviator’s 170,000 square-foot facility is comprised of an 18,000-square-foot indoor field house with two hardwood basketball courts, two indoor turf fields, two NHL regulation-size ice rinks, a 15,000-square-foot gymnastics and dance training center, a 2,200 square-foot fitness center, two outdoor turf fields and a 35-foot-tall rock climbing wall.

Questions? Comments? Sound off to the Editor

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2010 All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law. Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturcatt at.gmail.com