St Patrick's Day 2026

At the Dragon Folk Club last week we were just three days late to celebrate St Patrick with an evening of mostly Irish or Irish-connected songs. Despite small numbers of singers and Colin forgetting to bring the words to most of his Irish songs we kept it going with some gusto.

This Friday and for the next couple of weeks it will be reserve MC Simon in the chair. He would very much like it if you could make a special effort to come along whether to perform (anything goes as long as it's acoustic) or to listen, take part in the banter, and maybe join in the odd chorus. To get you thinking here are some suggested optional themes:

•  27th March - Spring and the coming of summer (BST starts on Sunday)
•  3rd April - Good Friday - Anything related to Easter (death, resurrection, rabbits, eggs, etc.)
• 10th April - Numbers (100th day of the year)
•  17th April - World Voice Day - songs about singing?
•  24th April - St George's Day, by which time Colin should be back as MC

Feel free to bring your own theme or none.

Last week Colin started traditionally with Galway farmer (Steve Knightley). Colin had sung exactly this song the week before because, unusually, Cheltenham Festival week did not coincide with St Patrick's Day this year, but he couldn't resist repeating it and that's fine by us.

Paul took us from Cheltenham to Dublin with Cockles and mussels (roud 16932).

Simon completed the first rotation with Ride on (Jimmy McCarthy).

There was just one song sung in the evening that doesn't appear to be available on YouTube and is therefore not included in this week's playlist. That was Liz Draper's Galway drawl (#), clearly a parody of Galway shawl, sung for us by Paul.

Despite many of the songs being the usual suspects, and some so called "folk cheese", which in former days would have gained a black mark from our erstwhile MC, there were a couple that were new to the Dragon database:

•  Colin - The harp without the crown (* roud 7989)
•  Simon - Fisherman's blues (* Mike Scott, Steve Wickham)

Colin finished the session, not literally, with Seven drunken nights (roud 114, child 274) - although more accurately, just the first five of them. 

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 3 of whom 3 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Rhubarb, rhubarb

Rhubarb (Photo: yems Dinn)

We're managing quite well at the Dragon Folk Club under the new management of The Bridge Inn. We had seven singers last week and the usual varied mix of songs... and one poem. You can listen to all but the poem by following the "a selection" link below, but first a few scant details of what went on.

Colin, the MC, started off the singing with Tom Paxton's Bottle of wine. This was the first of several songs new to the Dragon database - though as usual, not necessarily new to the club. Subsequent songs new to the database will be marked with an asterisk (*).

John followed on with U2's I still haven't found what I'm looking for (* Bono).

Simon's first song of the evening was Drill ye tarriers drill (roud 4401 - Thomas Casey, Charles Connolly).

Sue brought us Island in the sun (Harry Belafonte, Irving Burgie) and Bob followed her with Went to the river (roud 469).

Chris ventured Cockles and mussels (* roud 16932) and Roger sang Mountains of Mourne (Percy French).

And so the baton returned to Colin, who sparked memories for at least two of the other singers with Malvina Reynolds' Little boxes (*).

If it need to be proved, John showed how eclectic we could be with You can't always get what you want (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards).

Bob and Sue followed up on Sue's Gatherin' rhubarb of the previous week with John Fogerty's Rhubarb pie (*). With a Kipper Family song (Not sixteen til Sunday) from Colin, and Simon diddling the theme from Roobarb and Custard, I think we could almost have ourselves a rhubarb theme.

Chris gave us the one item of the evening which is not on the linked YouTube playlist: a peom which she wrote herself entitled evening. Roger meanwhile was Makin' whoopie (*) with the song written by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn, and originally performed by Eddie Cantor.

I'm not sure how Chris' The lark in the clear air (* roud 24791 - Sir Samuel Ferguson) had managed to stay out of the Dragon database until now.

It was Colin who finished off the night with the sing-along Air fa la la lo (a traditional gaelic song translated by Hugh S Roberton).

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 7 of whom 7 performed)