The spirit of Ireland echoes through the Touhill

Old habits may die hard, but thankfully, traditions stay strong and alive, as proved by a performance of Irish music masters at the Touhill on Tuesday.

The 2008 Comhaltas Concert Tour of North America, "Echoes of Erin," echoed through the E. Desmond and Mary Lee Theatre of the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

The performance was given by musicians and dancers who won the last annual All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, a "definitive system of competitions for Irish music," according to the Comhaltas Web site at http://comhaltas.ie/. Fleadh Cheoil literally means, "feast of music."

The performers proved their winning statuses with such things as flawless piping, step dancing, fiddling and banjo strumming.

The group, consisting mainly of young adult performers hailing from various locations from Antrim to Cork, also included a few veterans of the Irish traditional music world, such as Bruce Scott and Joe Arkins and the celebrated Seán Ó Sé.

He brought smiles to faces with his witty remarks between sets and performed a moving medley of songs about the battle at Wexford, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, where approximately 1000 lives were lost.

The only complaint was that a favorite tune of mine, "Boolavogue" was only a sung as a part of the medley. The ballad immortalizes Father John Murphy who led his parishioners, from the village Buaile Mhaodhóg (pronounced "Boolavogue," hence the title), to battle during the rebellion. Murphy and other leaders were hung after defeat at Vinegar Hill.

Ó Sé could have brought the audience to tears with his compelling voice on Patrick Joseph McCall's powerful composition had it been performed in its entirety. However, it was, again, the only complaint.

Although there is often a bit of a history lesson when it comes to English-spoken traditional Irish tunes, after the gloves come off for battles and rebellions, Irish charm is not lost on the musical pieces of the country. Humor and a bit of sarcastic sass speckled the evening's offerings.

Arkins perhaps stole the spotlight when he sang Brian O'Rourke's hilarious song about wanting to grow up to be a bodhrán, a simple traditional Irish drum that is merely a wooden frame with a goatskin head tacked across it.

With lyrics, like "You can strike a mighty thump/On my belly, back or rump/But I thank you if you'd wait till I'm a bodhrán," the audience members could not help but chuckle a bit during Arkin's performance.

Arkins daughter, Eimear Arkins, a spotlight thief in her own right, also beautifully sang haunting sean nós ("old stlye") song and played the fiddle, along with her fellow fiddlers, Eibhlín Healy and Niamh Varian-Barry.

There was hardly a moment when the musicians and the audience members alike were not tapping their toes to the flying bows across fiddle strings.

Fun filled the air as thickly as the music.

A large part of the flare of fun presented at the performance was the fact that the performers were keenly tuned in to each other's solo acts.

When harper Cathy Potter skillfully plucked away, all eyes were on her, including those of her fellow performers. Captivations spread like wild fire from performers to audience making the music of night resonate into your soul.

It was inspiring, and the concert helped keep the spirit of traditional Irish music alive.

The Saint Louis concert was co-sponsored by the Center for International Studies and Saint Louis Irish Arts. The tour itself this year is sponsored by Culture Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Waterford Crystal Ltd.