Although Irish music will predominate in local clubs and concert halls over the next few weeks, St. Patrick’s Day is not the only time it is played. Throughout the year, at least two local Irish music clubs and a growing number of pubs are drawing loyal crowds to listen and dance to live Irish music.
For the past 30 years, the 400-member Norwood Irish Music Club has held its socials on the first and third Saturdays of each month. On a typical night, 300 members come. The group also takes trips together, including excursions to Ireland.
“We’re primarily a social group,” said Pearse McIntyre, president of the club. “We always have live entertainment. We call it Irish-American music because we do old-time waltzes and some quick steps. We have Irish songs and may have some country-western music, too. And there are Irish line dances, also.”
Irish-American music also is part of the monthly dances at the Irish Music Club in Quincy. The club, started 80 years ago by a group from County Galway, moved from Dorchester to the Knights of Columbus Hall in Quincy two years ago. Vice president Dick O’Sullivan estimates 80 to 90 percent of the 300 members come from Ireland. The others are children of Irish immigrants.
“We have live Irish music, traditional Irish dances and modern dances and some rock n’ roll at the end,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s a good mix of Irish music and American music.”
“Those are my favorite places to play because they have such an appreciation for the music,” said Kathleen Gringras of Walpole. Her band. Kathy and the Irish Americans, regularly performs at the Norwood and Quincy clubs.
Requests to hear “40 Shades of Green” and “The Black Velvet Band” are typical at the Irish clubs, she said. People have their old favorites and never tire of hearing them again and again.
“At a typical Irish social club, the people have known each other for years. They have Irish bread, tea and coffee, and dance.” Gringras said.
“You work hardest at the social clubs.” she said. “The Norwood club probably has the youngest age group. They’re 55 and older. Some of the clubs are very old. and you wonder how they are going to keep going once the older folks are gone”, she said.
But according to owners of pubs where live Irish music is featured, the younger set shows no signs of tiring of the music.
Every Saturday night for the past 20 years, a core of 75 to 100 regulars over the age of 30 come to Irish-American dances run by Tom Concannon at Concannon’s Village in Norwood.
“They come from Worcester. Pawtucket and from within a 15-mile radius.” Concannon said. As at the Irish music clubs, the people at Concannon’s are mostly Irish-born, he said.
But at The 1882 Irish Embassy Pub in South Easton and The Old Irish Ale House in Dedham, the Ike Irish music attracts a more diverse audience.
Traditional Irish folk groups play every Saturday night at The Old Irish Ale House. The audience ranges in age from 21 to 90. according to owner Michael Hegarty, a native
of County Deny.
“The majority of the crowd is Americans, and not just Irish-Americans.” he said. The audience also is mixed at The 1882 Irish Embassy Pub.
“During the week we get mostly locals, and Thursday there’s a big crowd from Stonehill College.” said Dermot Quinn, owner of the pub and a native of Dublin. “On the weekend, the crowd is mostly couples in their 30s, 40s and 50s,” he said.
Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers as well as members of The Chieftains have played at Quinn’s pub.
“We cross the spectrum from Irish music you can dance to do traditional Irish music to Irish-American music like the drinking songs.” Quinn said. “A lot of Americans may like to go to an Irish pub and listen to Irish music, but they don’t want to listen to it all night long. Ox er the last four or five years we’ve been playing more of a mixture.”
By Judith Montminy, Special to the Boston Globe
