Nearly three decades ago, Gerry Curran, who was the President of the Danbury Ancient Order of Hibernians, had a dream—to bring an Irish Festival to Danbury in order to present and perpetuate Irish music and culture. Gerry convinced the President of the Ladies of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Sharon Higgins, that this was a worthwhile project.

Together, Gerry and Sharon shared their ideas with the men and women of the Danbury Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH & LAOH) to support this idea and work together to establish an Irish Festival. Any profits would be used to build an Irish Cultural Center in Danbury.

Gerry’s dream became a reality in 1995 when the Greater Danbury Irish Festival made its debut in Rogers Park. The festival subsequently relocated to the Ives Center and continued there until 2011 when bad weather and financial difficulties caused it to downsize and be held for several years at the Lake Avenue Irish Cultural Center.