òran mór

It’s September 17, and that means there’s just six short months before it’s time to get your green on!

As I mentioned last month, McMenemy’s in Portsmouth holds “St. Practice Day” on the 17th of each month with food and drink specials and more…and we’ll be there tonight playing tunes and singing songs as we do every Thursday and Saturday. Guinness is sponsoring tonight’s festivities as well, so we’ll be looking for free swag and $3 pints. YAY!

I know…not the most high-brow post we’ve ever done, but I’m at work now and really looking forward to some music tonight.

Terry Weir

So a couple of weeks ago, our friend Terry Weir (from Co. Wakefield) asked if Dave and I could would be interested in playing a gig with him in Newburyport at The Port Tavern. It would be a slightly different set-up than usual – normally we play his session at Harringtons or he joins us in Portsmouth — but this collaboration would be more song-focused and a gig instead of a session. We figured it’d be great craic, however, so off we went to Newburyport to play under the name Sligo Road, which is the band name he uses on occasion.

The Port Tavern

As always, it was great fun to play with Terry. His mandolin added a great deal to the songs we do, and we had a blast keeping up with him on his songs. He definitely attacks the songs in a unique way, flavoring the Irish music he loves with hints of bluegrass from his musical past.

If you missed that show, however, and want to see what the collaboration was like, we’ll be doing another Sligo Road gig at The Port Tavern on Sunday, August 30 starting at 5:30 pm. If the weather cooperates, they’ll be throwing the front windows open for a blast of summer fun. Hope to see you there!

Everyone knows that the traditional high holiday for celebrating all things Irish is March, 17, the Feast of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. Here in the States, of course, St. Patrick’s Day has become a bit cartoonish with the green beer, “Kiss me, I’m Irish” buttons, and guys wearing kilts who wouldn’t have the stones to wear one any other time of year…but, hey, it’s all in good fun!

Ewww...green beer.

Somewhere along the line, a funny name was given for March 16th…St. Practice Day…since people would get together to have a few jars and celebrate before the actual celebration. It’s kind of like Christmas Eve, but will mass quantities of alcohol.

Well, our friends at McMenemy’s decided that there really shouldn’t be an off-season for celebrating Irish-ness, so they’ve designated the 17th of every month as St. Practice Day. Talk about dedication to the cause! And this Monday is August 17 and òran mór will be on hand to provide the appropriate music!

Festivities start at 7 pm, so come on by!

Just thought it’d be worth sharing a quick snippet about what Dave has been up to (see the article I’m talking about HERE). Thanks to Jeff Murdock for the heads up on this addition to Dave’s celebrity status!

Can’t wait to hear him play his creation with a nice set of jigs at the session. Maybe, if we all ask really nicely, Dave will let us know how the new fiddle is coming. 

Master Craftsman or Master Fiddler? You decide.

Joe Madden by Vincent Crotty

My wife Sue and I affectionately call it “Irish Camp”, and it usually comprises our main annual vacation.  This year was no exception, but the good times were exceptional.  Catskills Irish Arts Week, held each year during the second full week in July, and now in its 15th year, is just the opportunity to become blissfully saturated in tunes, songs, dancing, and arts and crafts for a full week in East Durham, NY (the “Irish Alps”).

Workshops and lectures during the day, seisiúns before dinner, concerts after dinner, céilís ’til midnight, then multiple seisiúns ’til whenever will cure all sorts of ills!  Sleep deprivation is a given; there’s simply too much to do virtually 24 hours a day.  But, when all is said and done, withdrawal symptoms are reported by many attendees.

This year’s events were capped off by the Friday night concert which was dedicated to the memory of Joe Madden (may God be good to him), father of Joanie Madden of Cherish The Ladies, who passed away suddenly earlier this year.  Joe, from East Galway, was a senior All-Ireland champion on the button accordion, and a huge inspiration to my box playing.  The grand finale of the evening was a presentation to the Madden family of a painting (pictured) of Joe created by Vincent Crotty, artist and teacher for the painting workshop during the week.  Most of the teaching and performing musicians then came up on stage for a few final tunes including The Galway Rambler.

The intersection of heaven and earth for box players came when box legends Martin Mulhaire, James Keane, Billy McComiskey and John Nolan were seated side by side on the stage for a once-in-a-lifetime mighty moment where they were playing tunes together at the same place at the same time.  Joe was certainly right there with them in spirit, and I’m sure he loved it.  Now THAT’s “box players’ heaven”!