Reviving Irish pub music

A piece of Ireland came to Luther March 9 in the form of the traditional Irish band Danú. A question and answer session prior to the show with the band manager and accordion player Benny McCarthy covered the history of Irish pubs and traditional music. The 7:30 p.m. performance filled the CFL with lively Celtic music and amiable and witty stage presence.

The band, named after an Irish goddess, entertained in both song and conversation. The musically gifted group included flautist, tin whistle player and vocalist Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, fiddler Oisin McAuley, button accordion player McCarthy, bouzouki player Éamon Doorley, guitarist Donal Clancy and bodhran player Donnchadh Gough.

The six members played a variety of pieces including jigs, dance tunes, reels (a traditional dance) and folk songs, ranging from upbeat and peppy to slow and sad. Titles of numbers ranged from “The Glen Cottage” to “Clancy’s Farewell to Whiskey” to “Mary will you cut your toe nails, you’re tearing the blanket.”

Between songs, the down-to earth nature of the members surfaced as they joked with each other and the audience about Irish quirks.

“There are only three types of Irish songs: songs about love, songs about drinking and songs about the love of drinking,” Doorley said.

Bringing even more culture to the stage, the band sang some songs in Gaelic, the traditional Irish language, and the stories behind folk tales were explained. Traditionally tragic, but sometimes with a bit of humor, the tales were mostly related to marriage, love (or the lack thereof) or historical events.

Traditionally, Irish music is played in pubs during social hours in a relaxed and improvisational atmosphere. To incorporate the pub-like feel, the group taught audience members different “whooping calls” placed at a change in the music, giving them a chance to sing along, clap and eventually dance.

“They were fantastic,” Emily Rasmann (‘11), who went to Ireland this past J-term, said. “Most of the time, it’s so loud in the pubs that sometimes you can’t even hear the music. It was nice to hear what it’s supposed to sound like.”

At the question and answer session, McCarthy said most traditional Irish musicians learn to play by ear, often as young teenagers, sitting in pubs and listening to the “old guys.”

Unfortunately, there is less opportunity for young people to be exposed to Irish pub music today. Danú works to stay true to tradition while breathing new life into the music to keep people interested. Since 1995, the group has had six successful album releases, and they are praised as one of the most important bands in Ireland. It appears Irish music is still very much alive.