ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – St. Patrick’s Day is on Sunday, which means it’s the busy season for a group of Delta County musicians.
Three years ago, the county’s Music Co-op brought some like-minded musicians together for the first time.
“We were playing Celtic music, which is kind of a flukey thing in this area,” said musician Carol Irving. “There aren’t too many of us. We met in our dining room and I asked my husband, ‘Would you be interested in playing guitar with us?’ and he said he would.”
Two weeks later, Fáilte—meaning “welcome” in Gaelic—booked their first show at Bay College. They haven’t slowed down ever since.
Although they bonded over their love of Celtic music, the members of Fáilte specialize in a variety of genres and instruments.
“Our fiddle player comes from a more classical violin background,” Irving said. “I don’t think he had played fiddle before he came to us. I was brought up playing flute and I’ve played other instruments along the way. Took up the pennywhistle, and I just love Celtic music.”
They’ve mastered the style, becoming especially high-demand performers in the weeks leading up to St. Patrick’s Day each year.
On Thursday, Fáilte played for a packed house at the Escanaba Public Library. Irving says the music always elicits a great response from audiences.
“Oftentimes, like the jigs, you’re toe-tapping and you might want to clap hands or get up and dance,” she said. “There’s a lot of waltzes. Then even the ones that aren’t dancing appropriate, they might be emotional and bring a tear to your eye.”
As one of the few Celtic representations in the region, Fáilte say they are delighted to be part of so many people’s St. Patty’s Day festivities.
“People enjoy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day because of drinking,” Irving laughed, “but at least this brings the music to it also, and maybe they then have something more cultural to associate with the holiday.”
You can catch Fáilte in Escanaba and Marquette throughout the weekend. On Saturday, March 16, the band will perform at Kognisjon Bryggeri in Marquette at 6:00 p.m. Fáilte will be in Escanaba for St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday, playing at the Annual St. Joseph and St. Patrick Ethnic Food Fest from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. They will perform at Hereford & Hops Restaurant and Brewpub beginning at 5:00 p.m.
Follow Fáilte on Facebook to see where they’ll be playing in the future.
