Paddy Sheehans

Pub crawling is really not our thing, but in order to hear fun music we knew we had to try it. We went one place, and it was fine, but we decided to get some ice cream and look around. On our way back to our hotel, we saw a big crowd at Paddy Sheehans, so we decided to stop to see what was happening. At the time, everyone inside and outside the bar was singing an Elvis Presley hit. So we decided to check it out. At the keyboard was a man named Jack Patrick. He was phenomenal. Besides being able to transpose any song on the fly, he could play his keyboard standing up, with his feet, backwards . . . and the energy! Wow! He played one song after another - some Irish ones we have never heard, but many were popular ones to which the entire bar would sing. Suspicious Lies, I Can't Help Falling in Love With You, and many others kept the group entranced. We only got in on the last 30 minutes, which is sad, but at least we got that.

So we went back the next night, and the Breen Brothers were there. We didn't think anything could top Jack Patrick, but the Breen Brothers came close. One of the boys had just come from milking the cows . . . but could he play the accordion. They played numerous Irish hits, but they too played contemporary hits, including ones by Johnny "credit Card," or as we know him, Johnny Cash. The Folsom Prison Blues was one of the songs they sang.

Tuesday night was traditional Irish night, and so a very traditional Irish band with a violin and guitar played. The first song was a series of reels and then a series of jigs. We were tired and left, but it was fun to hear the variety. The music in the pubs is the real thing, and although we wished that we could have also seen Irish dancing, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.