When I was at the Wynkoop Brewery last year on March 17th it was as part of a trip to look at prospective residences, but today will be my first St Patrick’s day spent in Denver as a full time resident. As Mr. Raible is undoubtedly discovering today, my old town of Boston is slightly more serious about the whole St. Patrick’s day thing (a lot of businesses there close at noon, and don’t bother trying to get into most pubs after 5ish) – which according to this piece (via Edward O’Connor) is mostly an artifact of the mid-nineties. But Denver’s having fun with it nonetheless, with tons of folks wandering around decked out in green, and the foot traffic in here the Lower Downtown (LoDo) unusually high. Fado’s, a pub down the street and across from Coors Field was setting up their tent infrastructure a full week ago when Cote and I ate there. As I’m sitting here eating a portabella sandwich for lunch at the Wazee Supper Club, they’re kindly playing some of the Irish music that I brought over (3 CD’s worth) – and wouldn’t you know it, the bartender Jessica knows the words to “The Jug of Punch” and is singing along.
So although St Patrick’s day may be little more than Ireland’s version of a Hallmark holiday, it’s the one day a year I get to celebrate being Irish, so I’ll take it. The frustration of having countless web forms error out on account of the apostrophe in my last name has to be worth something, after all. Despite the over commercialization and artificial nature of the holiday, St Patrick’s day is fun to me because it’s one of the rare holidays set aside not for atonement, giving thanks or religious reflection – but the celebration, as it were, of the very act of celebration. In a world that’s increasingly occupied by fear, uncertainty and doubt, that doesn’t seem like such a bad thing. And did I mention that there’s beer? 😉
Anyhow, let me repost last year’s track lists so that you can enhance your own revelry with appropriate musical accompaniment (alternately, you can track what I’m listening to at the home office real time via the RSS feed here, courtesy of what was Audioscrobbler, but is now last.fm). My one request? If you do happen to enjoy some beverages of a refreshing nature this St Patrick’s day, be safe.
Enjoy, and I’ll check in with you all Monday live from EclipseCon.
Traditional:
(as for artists, I recommend Makem and Clancy, but the Dubliners, Chieftains and others do very capable renditions of all of the tracks below)
- Gallant Forty-Twa
- Jug of Punch
- The Moonshiner
- The Bold Tenant Farmer
- Beer, Beer, Beer
- Water is Alright in Tay
- Drink it Up Men
- All for Me Grog
- The Wild Colonial Boy
- Whack for the Diddle
- Reilly’s Daughter
- The Jolly Tinker
- Red Haired Mary
- Finnegan’s Wake
- Johnny McAdoo
- Isn’t it Grand Boys
- Whiskey You’re the Devil
- Bog Down in the Valley
- Take Me up to Monto
- A Nation Once Again
Contemporary:
- To Youth (My Sweet Roisin Dubh) – Flogging Molly
- Boys on the Docks – Dropkick Murphy’s
- Sea Shanty – The Pogues
- Nil na La – SOLAS
- Tomorrow Comes a Day Too Soon – Flogging Molly
- The Irish Rover – The Pogues
- Drops of Brandy – Finbar & Eddie Furey
- Caught in a Jar – Dropkick Murphy’s
- The Flowing Bowl – SOLAS
- Rebels of the Sacred Heart – Flogging Molly
- The Yellow Tinker – SOLAS
- Quart of Gin – The Prodigals
- I Ain’t Marching Anymore – 4 to the Bar
- Forever – Dropkick Murphy’s
- The Ol’ Beggars Bush – Flogging Molly
