Throwback St. Patrick’s Thursday

Years ago my grandmother Patricia Florio gave me a songbook of traditional Irish music from the Clancy Brothers’ & Tommy Makem catalog. Last year, with the pandemic still raging and vaccines slow to roll out, I spent a few weeks learning a dozen songs for a St. Patrick’s Day livestream show from my basement, which had become the only venue that would have me in 2020/early 2021.

This show was a fun challenge for me. I wasn’t familiar with many of the songs, and learning them got me out of my comfort zone. There were time signature changes, lyrics meant to trip a tipsy tongue, and stories in the music that felt both historic and timeless.

As if I needed an excuse, the show gave me a chance to dust off my great-grandfather William Breslin’s mandolin, a a 1952 Martin A-style. This was an entry-level instrument from Martin, but the wood has aged beautifully to provide a crisp, bright tone that I just love. I wish I knew how to do more with it.

There was something special about using an heirloom instrument during this show. The songs had been passed down for generations before the Clancy Brothers recorded them. They were sung as barroom boasts, or to quiet children at bedtime, or to mourn a family loss.

Some of the songs I learned were among my grandmother’s favorite tunes. In the weeks leading up to the livestream she was emailing links to songs she wanted me to learn. In doing so, she made sure the folk songs of Ireland will live on in future generations.

This year, St. Patrick’s Day is looking a bit different. I’ve got a gig at Bourbon & Brews tonight, and though it’s not explicitly a St. Patrick’s Day show, I’ll definitely be throwing a few Irish tunes into my sets. Unfortunately I won’t be bringing the mandolin — that instrument needs to stay safe for my grandchildren, and for theirs.