Brian Boru’s Ireland was introduced. The Festival began collecting donations for the Children’s Friendship Project for Northern Ireland at Sunday Services. The Columbus Crew held golf clinics for guests and the first Sand Sculpture was built.

Music stages increased with the addition of the Irish Thunder Stage, Ceili Stage, and Harps and Chords Stage. Celtic Rock had a dedicated stage. The Festival introduced a website. Gaelic Storm performed for the first time. Best of the Fest, a volunteer award, was bestowed for the first time.

The Festival expanded north with the addition of the pavilion and event lawn. The Emerald Club, a venue for sponsors and community leaders to mingle, was added. A mini arts festival called the Emerald Isle and the Spoken Word tents were introduced.

The Dub Crawl, the Wake House and the Dublin Pasture, a sheep-petting area, were added. A Sunday Mass was presented in the Irish language. John Whelan performed the Festival Finale. Over 1,200 volunteers worked 11,100 hours on the Festival. A new “Operation 21” program was developed by the Dublin Division of Police to discourage underage drinking at the Festival. This program, along with a thorough training process for volunteers, resulted in a stellar record with no liquor violations.

The Columbus Feis, an Irish dance competition, drew 1,000 dancers. Festival revenue increased by 63%. More than 490 runners participated in the 5K.

The 15th anniversary of the Festival saw record-breaking high temperatures. Fifty-four local, national, and international entertainment acts performed on six stages. The skate park was added to Coffman Park and hosted a teen entertainment area.

An interdenominational service was held on Sunday morning. An Irish Rock exhibit, which detailed the history of Irish Rock dating back to the 1950s, was added to the Cultural Area. The Saw Doctors, who had the best-selling single ever in Ireland, performed on the Celtic Rock Stage. The Makem Brothers were the Festival Finale.