A Trip to the Emerald Isle, by Way of Hartford

Music Mondays: Celtic Sounds
Parkville Market, Hartford
Nov. 13, 2023

“Make sure you come back, if you want to go even further down the rabbit hole.”

That’s what Carol McSheffery said to me when I stopped by Musical Mondays to take in some Celtic music.

I’d gone to Parkville Market to cover the event. I bumped into one of my old coworkers, Colleen Mulaney, and she introduced me to Carol and her other friends.

I like going to events unannounced because I don’t want anyone to prepare for my presence or show me preferential treatment in the hopes that I’ll give a good review. I show up, take a few pictures, ask a few questions, and leave.

Something was different about the environment for this event. It was advertised and open to the public, but it didn’t feel like a show. It felt like a family reunion, where distant cousins and old friends were coming together for an impromptu jam session, Celtic-style. It felt wrong to just drop in as I normally do on an event that felt so close-knit and personal.

Instead, I watched and listened. Colleen and I worked together as tutors, so I was unsurprised but still impressed when she gave me the abridged version of Irish history while the lively Celtic music played in the background. Now I know why the Potato Famine had such devastating effects; why there’s a Northern Ireland and a Republic of Ireland; that the United Kingdom is four separate countries that do not include the Republic.

Still, I didn’t feel like I knew enough. So I accepted the invitation from Carol, and returned to the weekly event this week. I arrived early, hoping to bump into the ladies again. Carol arrived shortly after I did.

“I’m back to go down the rabbit hole,” I told her. Then she hit me with a tour of Ireland that only someone with 17 years experience working dor an airline could squeeze into 15 minutes.

I learned about Molly Malone (“a well-rubbed woman,” Carol informed me). James Joyce. Dublin Castle. St. Micah’s. Galway Bay. The Burren. What an Irish breakfast consists of. The etymology of Dublin. Where they filmed parts of the Princess Bride. The post office at the center of the Irish Rebellion.

All the while I found myself tapping my foot and nodding my head to the Celtic music playing a few feet away from us.

The musicians were relaxed but professional. New musicians trickled in throughout the evening, and before long there were 20 people playing a variety of guitars, Irish pipes and flutes, fiddles, banjos, mandolins, and even a keyboard.

They played traditional songs, the kind of folk tunes that are passed down from one generation to the next along with a love of music and culture. (Sample the two videos here to hear some of what I heard.)

I plan to go back in two weeks again, but next time I’m leaving my notepad and camera at home. Next time I’m going back to sit there and enjoy the music, and hopefully become part of the family.