Day 20: Amhráin agus Scéalta

One thing that I have learned about people that live here is that they love to tell stories and anecdotes whenever they have a conversation with somebody. This had lead to some really great conversations and moments with people. I feel that this is a huge part of the Irish culture and is something very special that I will cherish while here.

One of the places where you will hear a lot of stories and really experience the Irish culture are at the pubs and smaller bars. This past Thursday night, I went to a local pub called The Merry Ploughboy Pub. It is a pub run by a couple musicians and has a live show of traditional music and dance every night.

support beams holding instruments, jugs, and signs

bunch of paraphernalia and old records of past Irish musicians and pop culture

view of the stage

The band played several drinking songs and a couple Irish ballads. I actually knew several of them and tried my best to sing along. There were also a couple songs of audience participation and joking around. Some of the songs that they performed are: "Ferryman", "Whiskey in the Jar", "The Rocky Road to Dublin", "Four Green Fields", and "Tim Finnigan's Wake". After about 10 songs, they had 5 people perform some traditional Irish dancing in both hard and soft shoes. They were very talented and performed to some other tunes.

the band on the stage

(L-R): Brian (irish bouzouki), Tom (fife, recorder, and bagpipes), Ken (guitar and lead vocals), Jim (bass guitar)

closeup of the bagpipes

the female dancers in soft shoes

male dancers in hard shoes

the whole cast after the final dance