Swords, bagpipes, and drums rock the weekend in Fort Myers, FL

Thursday, January 22, 2015
MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net The CRAIC performs at the Riverdale Kiwanis Medieval Renaissance Faire in Fort Myers, FL.

On the first two weekends in January, when the sun is shining brightly and temperatures are in the 70's and 80's, Lake Regional Park in Fort Myers, Florida takes on the look of a medieval faire, complete with tents, jousting, dancing girls, and period music.

Hundreds of colorfully clad adults and children come out on the green for a rollicking good time, immersing themselves in the glorious past of the Europe of 1500 and 1600.

This year, it is estimated that the fair will attract 6,000 visitors over the 2-weekend period of time.

MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net The CRAIC performance gets wild, as members of the crowd take part in the dance!

Every January for nearly 20 years, the Riverdale Kiwanis Club has held this unique event to garner funds for various community and children's causes. Each year, the event raises $50,000 to $80,000 for programs that help low-income children in Lee County, providing everything from college scholarships to immunizations.

As many as a hundred booths offer food, crafts, games, music, acrobatics, jousting, and dance in endless varieties, but the overwhelming crowd favorite is the rowdy Irish music of The CRAIC, a four-member team of musicians whose music sweeps the field with the beat of drums and the wail of bagpipes.

After enjoying the group for three years, this reporter managed to corner them for an interview.

MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net Children enjoy a medieval merry-go-round.

Of course, the members insist on revealing their Renaissance identities, which they say are "so much more interesting than our real identities."

First off, the leader, Daniel O'Ryan, explains that the word "craic" is an Irish term meaning "to have fun," which involves telling funny stories, drinking with friends, and engaging in revelry."

O'Ryan performs with a unique medieval German bagpipe called the "dudelsack," which he learned to play in his travels to Germany. He also sings the rowdy Irish ballads in a raspy voice reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen.

MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net Jousting attracts a large crowd at the faire.

"I saw the dudelsack and fell in love with it," says O'Ryan. "I ordered it and learned from the pipe maker how to do the fingering."

O'Ryan explains that pipe and drum bands are a "dime a dozen" in Europe right now, but, back when he learned, there was no one doing it. He would take his bagpipes and go play in public places around Europe.

"It paid well," the musician says. "I ended up with a bag of Euros!"

O'Ryan takes old Irish legends and puts them to music, a process he often calls "craickifying" them.

The band is one of only two in the U.S. who play the dudelsack.

O'Ryan's wife, Tonya the Norse, learned to use the big barrel drum aboard ship, where she kept the beat for the rowers. (She hints of an alternate life, where she was a vocalist and actress.) It is this strong beat which throbs through the faire and attracts listeners.

Leon Cecili Martin comes from the coast of France, a place called Pereignan. He says he can play 40 instruments, including the violin, bagpipes, and drums.

Mili the huntress is from Bulgaria, a little town called Plovdiv. She calls herself a "face-melting drummer extraordinaire," and she has a background in the circus. She ran away to be a gypsy drummer, and literally leaped on stage with the Craic.

Tatiana Nastrobya, the child, was enslaved by gypsies and rescued by the Craic, who stole her away in the dead of night.

The result of all these characters is the essence of "The Craic." When the drum beats out the rhythm, the crowd gathers, filling the pavilion. Dancing girls, pirates, and washer women from other acts join the fun. The crowd is almost as interesting as the performers. An entire family of pirates, including mother and children, sat in the audience in front of this reporter.

It's all about the fun. For two weekends in January, hundreds of passionate historians, musicians, performers, and children gather on the green lawn in the sunshine of southwest Florida to forget their daily humdrum lives and participate in the revelry of days gone by.

You may see the CRAIC for yourself at www.TheCraicShow.com.

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