Think back 14 months or so to the last social event you attended before the pandemic forced closures.
For many, it was Durango’s Celtic Music Festival, the annual March gathering that features some of the best in local, national and international Celtic music. Its 2020 festival was one of the last of its kind, an event that, despite an oncoming pandemic and worldwide closures, happened with a great bit of caution and trepidation.
Bad news, however, was just around the corner chomping at the heels of that event. Soon after the 2020 festival, the Henry Strater Theatre closed. Then the Irish Embassy closed, and the Durango festivals slated for spring 2021 – the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown and the Celtic Festival – were shelved.
Of those closures, the biggest one to hit the Durango Celtic Society was the closing of the Irish Embassy, as that was the host venue for a weekly Celtic music gathering, a place for musicians to play this traditional style of music in a casual and inviting setting. While they were without a venue for a handful of months, as of now, The Union Social House is picking up the slack, hosting this weekly event every Sunday.
This is a Celtic music gathering anchored by local band Patrick Crossing. Band members make up the core group, inviting other musicians from the area to round out the weekly band. Once the band is established, it remains a loose Celtic music pick where the musicians casually hang while calling out jigs and reels from a centuries-old songbook. The playing of this music is as much of a social gathering as it is performance.
If you go
What: Patrick Crossing Celtic band hosts Celtic music gathering.
When: 2 p.m. Sundays.
Where: Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.
Tickets: No cover.
More information: Call 769-2337.
“We all know that music really speaks to people’s hearts. For us, it’s a way to make friends, work on relationships with people in a very nonthreatening manner,” said Shiela Lane, who plays penny whistle and violin in Patrick Crossing. “I can honestly say I have built so many friendships that without Celtic music, I would have never known them. For me, it has really bridged the gap into the community, and that’s the biggest thing – we want to make a difference in people’s lives and it’s just a great way to make friendships, and it has the potential to change lives. And especially this last year when people are stuck not being around other people at all, any chance someone had to listen to some music, the live music that was streaming all year long from different places, that was helpful to people.”
Celtic music is positive music. It’s music that Durango Celtic Society President C.J. Alderton says is responsible for “perking people up” the second they walk in the door and hear the centuries-old sounds of Western Europe. These gatherings also provide a place for these musicians to work at their artistic trade, while spreading some musical enjoyment and its history.
“It gives a place for people who have worked hard at the craft, hundreds or maybe thousands of hours we’ve put into learning hundreds of tunes and memorizing songs. It gives us an outlet for our creativity. It’s fun to just play in my own living room, but it’s really fun when that joy is spread to other people. Then you start seeing the regulars showing up, and they start bringing their friends,” Alderton said. “There’s nothing like a pub; it’s the closest thing to a church experience in a community setting. It’s a place where people just let go, whatever their political beliefs, whatever they’re uptight about during the week, that just seems to dissolve. That kind of stuff is not allowed.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
