Halfway to St. Patrick's Day

We try not to do anything halfway around these parts - except for this annual party, that is! It's a full-on celebration marking the halfway point to our favorite holiday. We'll have music, food and drink specials and more. Get the cool event stamp for your Passport.

Live Music:

Loading Dock
Cul An Ti • 11 a.m. 'til 12:30 p.m.
Irish Dancers • 12:30 p.m.
The Stomptowners • 1 p.m. 'til 3 p.m.
Castletown • 3:30 p.m. 'til 5 p.m.

Roaming
River City Pipe Band • 2:30 p.m.
Biddy on the Bench • 7 p.m. 'til 9 p.m.

Food Specials (Loading Dock & Power Station):

Irish Fries Are Smiling
fresh-cut fries topped with cheese & ale sauce, crisp bacon, sour cream & green onion $10.50

Irish Reuben
hot corned beef, Swiss cheese, buttermilk coleslaw & mustard sauce on grilled rye bread with your choice of fresh-cut fries or tots $14.50

Drink Specials (All bars & restaurants):

Iced Irish Coffee
Jameson Irish whiskey, our own cold brew coffee & whipped cream $8

Irish Mule
Tullamore D.E.W., fresh-squeezed lime & ginger beer $8

McMenamins Irish Stout
a coffee-like roasted barley bitterness, semi-sweet chocolate & a moderate hop bitterness

Beer/Brat tent in front of the pub
Leprechaun & Chocolate Coins 

Biddy on the Bench

High-Energy Irish Rebel

The versatile combination of banjo, guitar, mandolin, tin whistle and four part vocal harmony lendsitself equally to high-energy Irish rebel songs and shanties, lively session tunes, and mournful gaelicballads. Grounded primarily in the folk/traditional style of Irish music pioneered by such bands as "The Dubliners", "Planxty", and "The Bothy Band", Portland's own "Biddy on the Bench" breathes lifeand authenticity into old standbys of the genre and lesser-known tunes alike.In the winter months of 2013, Biddy on the Bench was formed. The members include KevinGrgurich, Nick Frey, Noah Cotter, Casey Dyer, Tristan Cormack, and Trevor Cormack. Hailing fromCleveland, Ohio, Kevin, Nick, Tristan, and Trevor have been playing music together for close to adecade. Noah and Casey are Oregon natives and bring with them years of experience with Irishmusic. Together, Biddy on the Bench approaches each song, each melody, with a passion for themusic and sharing it with others. 

Castletown

Celtic Folk Rock

Portland, OR based "Castletown" has a sound best described as "Energetic Celtic Folk Rock," blending the heart and soul of traditional Irish reels with modern folk, blues, jazz and country influences with Robert Richter on guitar and vocals, Katie Lubiens on fiddle, Casey McBride on drums and percussion and Willi Jaam on bass. Their new CD "In Reel Time" was released in early 2016.

The group has been lighting up stages around the Pacific Northwest and beyond with performances at the Northwest Folklife in Seattle, Yachats Celtic Music Festival, LaGrande Celtic Festival and Highland Games, Salem Art Fair, Vancouver Recycled Arts Festival, Astoria Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival, Portland and Eugene Saturday Markets, and Galway Bay Irish Pub in Ocean Shores, WA. They have also toured California and Arizona.

Native Portlander Richter began teaching himself guitar at the age of 12 when he purchased a Sears "Silvertone" guitar from a neighbor for $5 and the promise to mow his lawn for a month. Over the years Richter has become known as a versatile singer/songwriter and guitarist writing the original Celtic influenced songs appearing on Castletown's CD.

Katie Lubiens originally from the San Francisco Bay Area is a talented fiddler and graduated from the University of Nevada Reno after attending on a music scholarship. She is a creative player noted for her passionate and energetic style.

Casey McBride also from Portland is well known as a versatile drummer and percussionist performing in multiple projects.

Willi Jaam as well from Portland is a skilled bass player with the ability play many different genres.

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/castletownmusic

ReverbNation:

www.reverbnation.com/castletown

River City Pipe Band

Pipe and drum band

River City Pipe Band is a performance pipe and drum band. They exists to provide a supportive and constructive learning environment for its members to improve their craft through practice, performance, and individual and group competition.

Official Website:

http://www.rivercitypipeband.com

The Stomptowners

Irish music

The Stomptowners is a rare experience blending dynamic traditional Irish music with voice and hot Irish dance. This four piece puts together Uilleann Pipes, Irish bouzouki, fiddle, whistles, breathtaking vocals and driven foot percussion. The tradition comes to life with the all energy today's audience craves.

It is often said about The Stomptowners is that there is something for everyone. A typical performance includes smoking hot Irish and Scottish tunes, choreographed Irish dance, voice with foot percussion, arranged songs as well as evocative a cappella pieces. The Stomptowners repertoire is always kept fresh, alive and relevant to the season. And space permitting, this band will bring the dance floor to capacity with guided Ceili and folk dances.

At the core of The Stomptowners is vocalist Andrea Wild, Uilleann Pipe player, Preston Howard, Irish Bouzouki player, Richie Rosencrans and dancer Kelsey Wilson.
In addition, The Stomptowners round out their performances on an as needed basis with guest musicians. Pub shows and ceilis have boosted energy with guest drummer, Don Viramontes. Other top notch musicians who add to the line-up are multi-instrumentalist, Bob Soper and Sean-nos dancer and singer, Brian O'Hairt.

Born in Liverpool, England, Andrea grew up with the sibling singing tradition emphasizing harmony and a capella performance. Andrea's mother was from Caernarfon, Wales so Andrea grew up in a Welsh speaking household hearing traditional, Welsh songs during childhood. Andrea and her brother Straford began singing in folk clubs throughout the North of England and Andrea was a regular at Liverpool's Irish Centre. Their love of traditional folk music and a quest for adventure brought them to the US where they collaborated with Oregon Symphony cellist Jim Smith and performed at festivals throughout the US as Both Wild. They released a CD recording in 2002 entitled Just Say Nevoth.

In 2011, Andrea teamed up with Sean Nos dancer, Maldon Meehan with a goal to merge traditional forms of percussive dance with song for stage performance. And thus was the birth of The Stomptowners, a project that continues to grow and please crowds from Portland to beyond.

Preston grew up in Northern California where he first heard Irish traditional music in the form of a Finbar Furey recording belonging to his father. This recording sparked Preston's deep interest in the uilleann pipes. After several years playing whistle, flute, and Scottish bagpipes as a child, Preston began learning the uilleann pipes at age 17 with the help of many kind traveling pipers as well as the Pub Scouts, the local Irish music collective in Chico, CA. Preston now resides in Portland, Oregon where he frequently plays at regional ceilis, Sean-nós Northwest workshops and events, local sessions, and performances.

Richie Rosencrans (bouzouki/guitars/vocals) has been performing from an early age. A self-taught guitarist and songwriter, Richie found his way to Traditional Irish music while studying Civil Engineering at the University of New Hampshire. His love of music and outdoor adventure attracted him to the Northwest four years ago and when not on the trail, you'll find him performing weekly in
Portland. His accompaniment style is highlighted by a sympathetic ear toward the tunes with open lifting chords and playful countermelodies.

Kelsey hails from a small Northern California town. Her love for movement to music began with dancing to her father's records, and in ballet lessons encouraged by her mother. Her dance journey has led her to various styles, such as ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and African. Her first Irish dance steps were learned from Maria Oliver in Chico, CA. She went on to compete in regional, national and world Irish dance competitions, under the instruction of Kathleen Deely Braten, Kathleen Maeve-Smith, and Patricia Kennelly. Whilst completing her B.A. in Theatre Arts at CSU Chico, she first learned sean-nós dance from Maldon Meehan at Lark Camp in Mendocino, CA. Spellbound and inspired by the dance's integral relationship with music, culture and community, she has since studied with Nic Gareiss, Siobhán Butler, Alicia Guinn and Ben Power.
Throughout the journey, she's enjoyed the delight of dancing with a variety of players, such as The Pub Scouts, Dervish, Men of Worth, Kevin Carr, Molly's Revenge, Na Rósaí, and more. Kelsey currently performs, choreographs and arranges dances with the Stomptowners in Portland, OR.

Website:

http://www.thestomptowners.com/index/

Cul An Ti

Traditional Irish and more

Cul an ti (Gaelic for "The back of the House") has built a reputation as the Northwest's most exiting Irish band. Founding members Cary Novotny and Danny O'Hanlon have over the years forged a powerful and unique rhythm section that has rocked crowds while simultaneously supporting some of the best Irish musicians performing on the U.S. west coast.

The band features renowned Dublin button accordionist Johnny Connolly as well as the highly regarded Dave Cory on the tenor banjo together with Novotny and O'Hanlon on guitar/vocals and bass/percussion/vocals respectively.

Cul an ti's ability to play authentic traditional Irish music along with the added dynamic of being able to turn on a dime and delight crowds with a dizzying range of American pop and traditional Irish pub songs sets them apart from other bands. Fans of the band's particular style of groove oriented and highly energized Irish music have been raving about them ever since their first appearances in 1995 at Kells Irish pub and Biddy Mcgraws in Portland, Oregon.

The band has also performed at various McMenamins venues in Portland, Kells Seattle, Conor Byrne Seattle, 1995-2000 Salmon Festivals, the National Folk Alliance Convention, The Bite of Portland, The Portland Celtic Music Festival, the Salem Art Fair, Choochakam Festival of the arts in Langley, Washington, the Skamania Irish Festival, and the Highland Games.

Cul An Ti released its first self-titled CD in 1999, recorded live at the original Biddy McGraws.

Cul An Ti creates some of the most exciting and powerful Irish music for American audiences everywhere.

THE PLAYERS
Cary Novotny has toured and recorded with the internationally known band "The Bridies" featuring members of Michael Flatley's "The Lord of the Dance" as well as the band Bridgetown.

Johnny Connolly, a former member of the band Anam has released a critically acclaimed solo recording on Green Linnet records entitled "Bridgetown" that also features Novotny and Cory.

Dave Cory hails from the bay area and has played with many notable Irish artists across America including The Magic Square, Lisa Schnekenberger, & Bridgetown.

Danny O'Hanlon has played with many notable Irish musicians as well over the years and brings a wealth of experience from the pop world vis a vis his performing, producing, and recording various artist up and down the west coast.