St. Paddies up North

After having played two great gigs in Germany (Fiddler’s Green Pub Oldenburg), we were in the right mood for St. Patrick’s Weekend 2014. Kick-off was in Groningen, where we played in O’Ceallaigh’s Bar. The place has been well-known for its nice atmosphere, hospitality and friendly owners for more than 20 years, but for some reason we had never played there before. It was about time and we had a blast, many thanks to Peter and Evi. We’d love to be back, sooner rather than later. On Saturday we had a day off, visited Groningen City and behaved like proper tourists, enjoying the nice weather and climbing the Martini Tower. We hit the road again in the evening and drove to Leek for the Irish Festival, where we appeared on stage after two local bands, Machair Folk and Doggy Few, who did a great job. The festival was sold out and more than 300 Dutchies celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with us. There even was room for a nice session afterwards, with the Doggy Few and some other musicians who happened to be around.We stayed in the north, but drove westward the next day, to the lovely West Frisian village of Oosterleek, where we played in Herbergh ‘t IJsselmeer. It was good to see owner Klaas Vis again, who took good care of us, as usual. St. Patrick himself was guest of honour and seemed to enjoy the day, as did we. All in all, it was a St. Patrick’s Weekend well spent in the north. Thanks to our lovely hosts and all organisers. Hope to catch you all soon somewhere on the road!