The Great Irish Hooley event has returned to Raglan Road at Disney Springs, running through this Labor Day weekend (September 2nd – 5th, 2022), and brings the traditional gealic fun to Walt Disney World’s Shopping, Dining, and Entertainment district.
The “Hooley” is a traditional Irish social celebration, combining music from traditional and folk to Celt grass and blues with entertainment and fun for the whole family. This year’s celebration features new whiskeys and a special Hooley brew, De Fesht, which is a limited release collaboration between The Tank Brewing in Miami and Raglan Road. Though we saw many cans on display, the brew is also on draft. De Fesht – Oktoberfest is a medium-bodied amber lager, full-flavored and malth with a dry finish and underlying notes of hazelnut and honey.
A special cocktail has been added to the menu as well, and is sure to beckon adults to imbibe and have a glass or two. The “Hell of a Hooley” is made of Minke Irish vodka, muddled raspberries, lemon sour, rosemary syrup, Fees Brothers Foam, and Wycliffe Champagne.
Of course, The Great Irish Hooley event is geared towards the whole family, so while the alcohol offered is top notch, the food offerings are the real stars of the show.
The menu consists of several featured dishes. The Dalkey Duo is is a Dulkey mustard beer battered Cheshire Heritage Pork Sausages, Dalkey Mustard Mayonnaise, and buffalo applesauce. The sausages are great on their own but go up a few notches when dipped into that aforementioned buffalo applesauce, which is almost like an apple butter with a bit of a kick to it.
The Board of Beauty offers something for everyone with four different options sure to please anyone. The board consists of an Irish Egg, a Bacon and Cabbage Roll, Bang Bang’s Chicken, and Beef in Bed, all served up and plated beautifully, making it easy to share.
One of the star entrees of the event is also the Salmon Run, which is a roasted Atlantic salmon filet on Raglan Road’s signature potato cake, served up with roasted broccolini and spinach white wine butter sauce and confit tomato. This dish alone is worth the trip to the Hooley.
Aside from Salmon, one of the ways the Great Irish Hooley stands out is the live entertainment offered by Raglan Road. First and foremost, guests can enjoy the Raglan Road Irish Dancers and Musicians as they perform throughout the event. The shows were actually produced in Ireland and exported to Raglan Road by director David Hayes, who formerly worked on Riverdance and the Ireland edition of The Voice.
Bands will also be present playing all kinds of traditional Irish tunes. Guests can expect to see Teada, One For the Foxes, Celtic Croi, and Gobhan. Check out the schedule below to see who you will see, and more information about each of the performing groups can be found here.
Friday Sept. 2
One For The Foxes
4:00, 5:15, 6:15, and 7:30
One For The Foxes & Raglan Road Irish Dancers
4:45, 6:00, 7:00, 7:45
Teada
8:30 PM, 9:30 PM, 10:30 PM
Teada & Raglan Road Irish Dancers
9:15 PM
Celtic Croi (Patio Stage)
5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 7:15 PM
Gobhan (Patio Stage)
8:30 PM, 9:30 PM, 10:30 PM
Saturday Sept. 3
One For The Foxes
4:00, 5:15, 6:15, and 7:30
One For The Foxes & Raglan Road Irish Dancers
4:45, 6:00, 7:00, 7:45
Teada (Patio stage)
7:15, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30
Gobhan & Raglan Road Irish Dancers
9:15 PM
Celtic Croi (Patio Stage)
5:00 PM, 6:00 PM
Gobhan
8:30 PM, 9:30 PM, 10:30 PM
Sunday Sept. 4
One For The Foxes (Patio Stage)
7:15, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30
Celtic Croi & Raglan Road Irish Dancers
4:00, 5:15, 6:45, and 7:45
Teada
8:30 PM, 9:30 PM, 10:30 PM
Teada & Raglan Road Irish Dancers
9:15 PM
Celtic Croi
5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 7:15 PM
Gobhan (Patio Stage)
5:00, 6:00
Monday Sept. 5
One For The Foxes (Patio Stage)
7:15, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30
Celtic Croi & Raglan Road Irish Dancers
4:00, 5:15, 6:45, and 7:45
Teada
8:00 PM, 9:00 PM, 10:00 PM
Teada & Raglan Road Irish Dancers
9:15 PM
Celtic Croi
5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 7:15 PM
Gobhan (Patio Stage)
5:00, 6:00
After all the food and entertainment, it’s time for dessert! The Great Irish Hooley is serving up two mouthwatering temptations. A personal favorite of mine was “I Crumble Inside” – an apple and blueberry crumble with custard hidden inside.
However, everyone collectively agreed that the option based on Raglan Road’s famous Bread and Butter Pudding, “It’s OK to Drool” was the star of the show. Served up French Toast style with vanilla mascarpone, mixed berries, and macadamia nut crunch was delicious enough, but I think it really got everyone’s attention with the addition of maple glazed bacon.
Guest visiting Disney Springs can enjoy The Great Irish Hooley throughout Labor Day Weekend at Raglan Road, Aside from everything discussed above, they can also enjoy the Raglan Road Rollicking Brunch Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM and Monday from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Raglan Road has no cover charge for the weekend events, and is open until midnight each night. For more information about Raglan Road and The Great Irish Hooley, be sure to check out the official website.
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