Erin go braugh! I celebrated my first St. Patrick's day in proper fashion, listening to my dad play bodhran (Irish drum) in a band. I've been practicing the bodhran, too (I have a mini one I'm allowed to pound on to my heart's content), and was showing Daddy's bandmates my technique in the photo above.
And here's my dad playing that very same drum, above with a group of fiddle students and below with a trio consisting of fiddle, guitar and mandolin. He played for a total of three hours and said afterward that his arm felt like it was going to fall off. Yikes.
I got to stay up past my bedtime, and wear my onesie with the green frogs on it, and my mom walked me all over the restaurant (it is called The Upstage and it's the coolest music venue in town). We knew a lot of people to talk to, and one point I took a little nap in my carseat up in the balcony, where the music wasn't so loud. This is the view looking down at the fiddle students. They were still learning the Irish session tunes, but they were pretty good, and Mom said their presence made The Upstage feel like a real Irish pub -- and she should know, because she and dad went on their honeymoon to Ireland!
I even got to waltz with Mom while Dad was waltzing the fiddler's wife to a tune written in her honor. (Her husband would have danced with her, but he was playing the fiddle at the time.)
Oh, did I mention the music was awesome?!!! Traditional tunes with lilting melodies and driving beats, my favorite kind of music. Toward the end of the evening, other people were dancing in the aisles -- stepdancing to the jigs and all that. And it was so crowded, people without reservations were turned away at the door. I felt lucky my dad was one of the musicians, so we had a spot right up front. And I feel lucky to be part Irish -- my dad's great-great-grandfather was a Clancy -- born in the Emerald Isle, don't you know?For a few seconds of music, play the video!
[Photos #3 & 5 as well as the video are courtesy of Michael Bosold (c)2009.]
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