Meet "one of the Irish passengers" of the RMS Titanic ready to board.

According to the museum's archivist, "the RMS Titanic sailed away from Ireland, carrying 121 Irish passengers who boarded in Queenstown. Most were bound for new homes in America, hoping to leave behind decades of poverty for prosperity on another shore. Only three were first–class passengers—American citizens who had visited relatives in their mother country. Five traveled in second class, and the remaining 113 lilting Irish brogues traveled in steerage. Though many had worked and saved for years to make the trip, others received financial aid from relatives already in the United States. Some ventured on the trip alone, while others from the same hometowns traveled in small groups. There was excitement among the Irish. There were also tears and sad but dry eyes, eyes that had become retaining walls for holding back the outward flow of emotions that welled up inside. Perhaps, the most commonly felt emotion that day was hope."

Guests of the museum attraction will be treated to daily concerts by Dirty Old Towne, a Celtic-inspired band frequently seen at Waxy O’Shea’s Irish Pub at Branson Landing. The band’s performances at Titanic’s Irish Festival will feature traditional Irish music from the turn of the century. Dirty Old Town will appear from noon to 4 p.m. on March 1-4, March 9-11 and on March 16.

The Celtic Fire Irish Dance Company will perform traditional as well as contemporary Irish soft shoe dances from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Saturday, March 10. Cast members of the Titanic Museum Attraction will entertain guests during their self-guided tours with folklore from Ireland, Irish dance jigs, and stories of the Irish passengers.

“In March, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated to honor our Irish heritage,” said Mary Kellogg Joslyn, museum attraction co-owner. “We thought this would be an appropriate time to celebrate the lives of the Irish passengers of Titanic and to honor the influence their cultural has made our country.”

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