South Manchester’s Irish Pubs, Clubs will be turned ‘Green’ once again for the 2012 Manchester Irish Festival in March, which is Europe’s biggest Irish Festival outside of the Emerald Isle. The area which is home to the biggest Irish community outside of London is staging just over half of the 200 events which are featured in this year’s 17 day Irish extravaganza.

The festival is launched on Friday 2nd March and continues right through to St Patrick’s weekend, finishing on Sunday 18th March. Major highlights include the two week Guinness & Levenshulme Pub company sponsored Tradfest, which has 64 Art, Dance, Film, Live Music & Sport events. Most of the events are free, or are heavily subsidised by the sponsors and are staged in the company’s four flagship venues, which are Hennigans Sports Bar, The Union Inn and m19bar & Venue in Levenshulme and The Farmers Arms & Oasis Music Bar in Burnage. The winners of this year’s Manchester Irish Festival Battle of the Bands will launch the Tradfest on Friday 2 March with a free concert at the Farmers Arms and Manchester’s premier Celtic Rock Band ‘The Last Drop’ will perform the closing party in the same venue on Sunday 18th March.

The other festival hubs which are staging events in South Manchester include: St Kent’s multi-award winning Irish Club in Fallowfield, which are staging a number of pre-festival events starting in February and in March they have something happening on every day of the two week event. St Mary’s in Levenshulme are staging special Irish film shows and a host of Irish community care events. Whilst the Horseshoe in Levenshulme have a number of traditional Irish music concerts planned. Finally the Chorlton Irish Club are staging special family orientated events as well as live music and dance events.

For further information about this event visit http://www.manchesteririshfestival.co.uk/.