Archive for March, 2006

Wearin’ of the Green

St. Patrick’s Day festivities last weekend were wild–we danced at O’Neil’s on the UVA Corner for one of our most animated audiences ever. We kept it informal, did some casual reels, jigs, hornpipes, and even got people on stage for a couple of polkas. We had a bodhrán and two fiddles, and later in the evening some bagpipes. We went home with smiles, crampy calves, post-performance glows, and beer-sticky shoes.

We also had a small performance at Lindsay’s church on Sunday for their International Lunch. We had bodhrán/whistle player accompany us and we kept it simple–reel, slip jig, traditional sets, and ending with treble reel as always. They were an appreciative audience, but quite tame compared to Friday night’s crowd.

My sodabread loaves turned out well, but my colcannon was an even bigger hit (at least I thought so). You just can’t go wrong with mashed potatoes and melted butter. Oh, and parsnips–I saw, bought, and ate my first parsnip for this dish. Legendary.