Event Recap: The Irish Buskers St. Patrick's Day Extravaganza!
The Irish Buskers spent a very busy St. Patrick's Day in Dunedin, playing four (or was it five?) sets at the Flanagan's Irish Pub extravaganza.
The crowds were great. During the course of the day, thousands showed up – all in the mood to sing along, eat, drink, and laugh at the jokes. Noel Cooney, well-known guitar-slinging Irish troubadour and owner of Flanagan's, teamed up with Jeff Glover to charm the crowd with his banter and get everyone to sing along with every song he played. A group of Irish dancers kicked up their heels, and the Dunedin Pipe Band worked their thrumming, humming bagpipe magic.
The weather was classic Irish. Overcast and chilly. Then a bit of rain. Then warm with brilliant sun. Then overcast. Then chilly with wind and rain. Then clear. Then.... well you get the idea.
As for the Irish Buskers? We saw some friends, including an Irish music aficionado whom we'd lost track of. (Note that the last sentence had "aficionado" and "whom" in it, but still ended with a preposition.) We played lots of old favorites, a few newer tunes, and even a couple of Busker originals. We recited a few limericks. We're always thrilled to see audience members jump up to do a few dance steps, and to see folks singing along.
Many folks came up to suggest some songs. It's amazing how many Irish songs there are out there. The Buskers have proven that when our fans request songs, we do our best to learn them. That's what keeps the Buskers going: the enthusiasm and know-how of our fans, and the constant discovery of new music. Ah, Busker bliss.