Irish Music You Must Hear for St. Patrick's Day

In Ireland St. Patrick's Day is a day for feasting with family, much like our traditional Thanksgiving, it's taken seriously and Irish potato dishes like Champ and Boxty are centerpieces for delicious home cooked food on every table.

In my circle of friends it is a day for getting together at a local pub to consume green beer, tell Irish jokes, count the kisses received due to t-shirts and buttons that say "Kiss me I'm Irish." and to sing Danny Boy.

That changed for me a few years ago when, I happened upon a local radio broadcast called "The Hibernian Hour". Featured on the program were several Irish and Scottish melodies that caught my ear and stole my heart. I couldn't wait to get home to my guitar and experiment with the "new" sounds I was hearing. "Whiskey in the Jar" turned out to be easy and fun to play so I graduated to "Star of the County Down" and of course "When Irish Eyes are Smiling". When my friends and I got together that year, I brought along my old guitar and changed the whole dynamic by playing those ancient songs for a new audience. (I dared not accompany "Danny Boy" that's a song that must be left to the mercy of the crowd.)

Now every year I try to play at least two shows of Celtic music at local pubs and I love the smiles I see on people whose mothers sang them to sleep with Too Rah Loo Rah Loo Rah an Irish Lullaby. Some traditions are worth preserving!