Sons of Ireland perform for New Berlin Art Forum

NEW BERLIN – Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a truly traditional Irish manner filled with music by the “Sons of Ireland.”

The band, featuring Irish songs and ballads, shows the influence of The Irish Rovers, The Wolfe Tones, Makem and Clancy Brothers, Christy Moore, Barleycorn and other Irish groups along with some original tunes. The band will perform at 7 p.m. March 10 in the Unadilla Valley school auditorium and is being presented by the New Berlin Art Forum.

Audience participation is encouraged, as well as requests. The band says their goal is to have fun, and they hope everyone in attendance will do the same.

Originally booked as “Blarney Stone,” the band was formed by Dan Collins and Mike Carnrike in the late 1970s and performed in local Irish clubs and pubs in Norwich, Binghamton, Syracuse and Utica areas. As the band traveled, the music would take on a local flavor as banjo, fiddle and guitar players would join the band for a set or occasionally an entire performance.

The band has played in pubs such as Tommy Makem’s, Flannery’s and Paddy Reilly’s Irish pub in Manhattan, Mulvey’s Irish Pub on Staten Island, The Celtic House and the Blackthorn in the Bronx, John McGurk’s Irish Pub in St. Louis, Powers in Waterfod, Ireland and the Galway Hotel. Most recently, they opened the show for Wolfe Tones in Pennsylvania.