SUN CITY – Get ready to mark your calendars for a night you’ll be talking about for years to come. On Monday, January 23, in Drendel Ballroom from 7-8:30 p.m. Sun City will host Dublin’s number one traditional Irish music group, The Irish House Party.
Ireland natives Declan Quinn and Gerry Nolan started The Irish House Party four years ago. Today, the show is a smash hit. They head to Sun City on their first US tour this month. (Photo provided)
“The whole idea at The Irish House Party is that the audience feels that they are actually coming into a living room in a Dublin home,” said Declan Quinn, leader and co-creator of The Irish House Party.
“My colleague Gerry Nolan, who also plays in the show, and I set up the show four years ago,” said Quinn. “We started upstairs in a small pub in Dublin, and it has grown to where we are today.”
The Irish House Party has just recently had the honor of performing on The Late Late Show in Ireland. The Irish House Party has become an amazing success because of their humble beginnings.
“[My father] always encouraged me and my brothers to play Irish music. I started with the tin whistle in primary school, and then I moved on to the traditional wooded flute. My brother and I began busking [street performing] on Grafton Street in Dublin,” said Quinn. “[Even] some of the [most famous] musicians, like Bono, have started [by busking] on Grafton Street in Dublin. [In fact], every Christmas Eve, Bono will busk on this street,” said Quinn. You can go to www.youtube.com and search for Bono busking on Grafton Street to see his performances.
It is important to note that this is The Irish House Party’s first tour in the states, and that they funded this tour entirely by themselves. “[Our] performance is modern, relevant, and cool, exactly like a traditional Irish house party in the Ireland of today…. There [will be] no flat caps or cheesy costumes [in this show],” said Quinn. The Irish House Party is considered to be a very interactive show.
“We want to get that natural element in the show…. We want [the audience] to feel like they can get up and sing the songs…. We [even] converse with the audience throughout the show,” said Quinn.
The Irish House Party will perform 7-8:30 p.m. Monday, January 23 in Drendel Ballroom. There will be a 15-minute intermission. Tickets are $8 per person for pre-registration and $13 per person on the day of the event. There will be a Waterford Crystal door prize and Irish sweets for all to enjoy.
The Irish House Party would like to give a special thanks to Diane Rowe of Cary Travel Express for helping set up and organize the Chicago tour. Any support by way of purchasing The Irish House Party ‘Live in Dublin’ DVD or CD would be greatly appreciated by the band.
“We would like to make our trip an annual occurrence,” said Quinn. To see a sample of The Irish House Party in action, please visit their website: www.theirishhouseparty.com.
