Irish Ceili

 

Every Sunday in a Pub very far away from Ireland there is a gathering.  It is a gathering of musicians who share a love for music at its roots.  They gather like clockwork around each other until the sound of violins, bodhran drums, flutes, mandolins, and other foreign looking instrument fill the spaces between them. I’m not a musician and have very little vocabulary to describe the way it sounds. But I like to imagine an instrument as an extension of a heart and as its sound mingles with others you can hear the respect between hearts; sometimes it blends in accord, sometimes it repeats social formalities, sometimes it grates, and sometimes it leaves the traditional for a more playful interaction. But it always comes back to the heart of a Ceili, a social gathering celebrating music and people. For the observer it’s the ideal accompaniment to Sunday afternoon.  This Ceili is hosted at the Irish Embassy Pup (http://www.theirishembassypub.com). A Pub, which has a way of tucking you into its corners and together with the music, makes you feel quite content as your Guinness catches the afternoon light.