Rain may have kept some visitors away from the Long's Park concert Sunday, but, as one attendee put it, "the weather is very fitting for Irish music."

Andrew Foxwell, of Lancaster, was part of the smaller yet still lively crowd clapping along to Celtic band Runa in the sixth installment of the Long's Park Summer Music Series.

Periodic showers fell on concert-goers, but they were happy to hold umbrellas overhead while enjoying the Irish and Scottish tunes.

Runa consists of Shannon Lambert-Ryan of Philadelphia, vocalist and step-dancer; Fionán de Barra of Dublin, Ireland, on guitar; Cheryl Prashker of Canada, on percussion; Dave Curley, of Galway, Ireland, on mandolin, vocals, bodhrán and step-dancing; and Maggie Estes of Louisville, Ky., on the fiddle.

Lambert-Ryan said she was thankful the rain cooled off the 90-degree heat that scorched the stage earlier in the day.

"They told us not to worry, that you all would come out no matter what," she said. "This is one of the most beautiful venues we have ever played in."

Organizers of the music series make sure to include a Celtic band every year, according to Rich Low, programming committee chair.

Brad Zuke, also a member of the committee, serves as what Low calls the "Celtic expert" and was responsible for choosing this year's act.

"Runa is a bunch of great musicians," Zuke said.

He said of Celtic music: "People love it. It usually gets one of the larger audiences of the summer. It's great music that gets people up and dancing."

Visitors travel from all over to see each year's Celtic act, according to Zuke.

"Central Pa. is very strong in Celtic music. It draws people of all ages," he said.

Tim St. Clair, president of the Lancaster Irish American Cultural Society, said he appreciates that Long's Park offers a Celtic performance every year.

"It's a nice tradition they've established. There's a fan base for Celtic music everywhere," he said.

Mary Strohmeyer, of Lancaster, attended the concert with her two children, 8-year-old twins Jerico and Jerica.

She said she considers herself a big Celtic music fan.

"It just reaches my soul," she said.

Although she had never heard of Runa prior to the concert, Strohmeyer said she plans to buy some of their albums after the show.

Runa's songs featured both slow and haunting melodies, as well as fast-paced and lively beats. Group members encouraged attendees to dance, sing and play along with their music.

Some fans took them up on the offer, dancing in front of the stage and clapping along with the beat.

Shelby Greider, of East Petersburg, said she had heard of Runa before and was very excited to see the group in concert.

"It's beautiful music in a beautiful park. I just love coming here," she said.

The Celtic band was formed after de Barra and Lambert-Ryan worked together on an album of Irish and Scottish songs. The two, who were married soon after their first musical collaboration, played their first gig as Runa, along with Prashker on percussion, in 2008.

Since then, they have released three albums: "Jealousy," "Stretched On Your Grave" and "Somewhere Along the Road." The most recent was released in 2012.

Runa's song "Amhrán Mhuighinse" was honored at the 2012 Independent Music Awards as Best Song in the World Traditional Category. In the Irish Music Awards, Lambert-Ryan was nominated for Best Female Vocalist.

Lancaster General Hospital served as the performance's co-sponsor. The Long's Park Amphitheater Foundation sponsors the Summer Music Series.