A toast to Irish history

May the roof over your head be always strong.

And may you be in heaven

half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.

-- Irish drinking toast

The light heart lives long, goes the Irish proverb, and what better way to buoy one's spirits than to celebrate the simple pleasures life confers.

Enter, stage right, the inaugural Festival of Ballycahill, a five-day fete of arts, crafts, music, food and film in honor of the Emerald Isle. And all (save the food) for free, beginning Friday with a 6 p.m. launch party at 46 Broad St.

Organized by an array of area cultural groups, the aim of the festival is "to illuminate the historical connection between Charleston and Ireland and to provide a forum for

Charlestonians to discover the rich cultural heritage of Ireland." It culminates on St. Patrick's Day.

Ballycahill is an anglicized version of Baile Chathail, Gaelic for "Town of Charles." From Florence O'Sullivan, a 17th-century city surveyor, to Joseph Patrick Riley Jr., mayor of Charleston at 32 and governing still, the Irish and those of Irish ancestry have helped the Holy City make history.

Toasting this heritage, not to mention "the magical influence of Irish creativity in the modern era," are a bevy of programs: art exhibitions, craft demonstrations, poetry readings, music, film screenings and talks at a variety of downtown locations, augmented by walking tours featuring local sites associated with Irish settlement and accomplishment in Charleston.

Four city restaurants also have created special Irish menus available during the festival period.

The arts and crafts schedule will be led by Helen Conneely, an Irish artist who will introduce the heritage of Ireland's central peatlands. In addition to leading craft workshops, Conneely's artwork will be on display throughout the week in The Gallery at Forty Shades of Green on Church Street.

Participating sponsors include the Consulate General of Ireland in New York, Tourism Ireland, city of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, city of North Charleston, College of Charleston, Hibernian Society, South Carolina Irish Historical Society, Forty Shades of Green, Inspired by Ireland and the Irseus Project.

For schedules, locations and additional information on the festival, go online at www.ballycahillfestival.com. And to glean more of the Irish in Charleston, visit www.charlestonirish.net.

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707