“A true pleasure.” Mercyhurst College
Hooley at the Firehouse
Hooley, l to r: Richard Withers, Oliver Browne, Ray Werner,
Les Getchell, Bruce Foley, Bruce Molyneaux
Photo by Larkin Werner

A typical Hooley concert

For concerts, Hooley usually plays two 45-minute sets, with a 10—20 minute intermission. The requirements for festivals, dances and receptions may vary from the concert format.

Set 1 (45 minutes)
1. Dr. O’Neill’s (5-part jig, instrumental)
2. Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore (song)
3. Hardiman the Fiddler, Comb Your Hair and Curl It (slip jigs, soft-shoe dance)
4. Balleydesmond Polkas (instrumental)
5. Sweet Forget-Me-Not (song)
6. Connaghtman’s Rambles (jig, dance)
7. Concertina Reel, Coffey’s (reels, instrumental)
8. Fiddler’s Green (song)
9. Martin Wynn’s (reel, hard-shoe dance)
10. Hunter’s Purse, Gravel Walk (reels, instrumental)
11. As I Roved Out (song)
12. Off to California (hornpipe, hard-shoe dance)

Intermission (10—20 minutes)

Set 2 (45 minutes)
1. Uilleann pipe tunes (instrumental)
2. Ray’s Waltz (instrumental)
3. Boys of Barr na Sraide (song)
4. The Butterfly (slip jig, soft-shoe dance)
5. E-Minor Polkas (instrumental)
6. Fingers Could Dance (song)
7. Mug of Brown Ale, Willie Coleman’s (jigs, dance)
8. Air, Up to Your Knees in Sand, Salamanca (air and reels, instrumental)
9. Rare Auld Mt. Dew (song)
10. Plains of Boyle (hornpipe, hard-shoe dance)
11. Loftus Jones (O’Carolyn composition, instrumental)
12. Host of the Air (recitation)
13. Wise Maid, Cooley’s, McMahon’s (drum solo and reels, dance)

Hooley has a large repertoire, so material changes over time, of course. A typical Hooley concert has a mix of traditional Irish instrumentals and songs, comprising an amazing variety of time signatures unheard of in most popular music: 4/4 (reels and hornpipes), 2/4 (polkas), 6/8 (jigs), 9/8 (slip jigs), 12/8 (slides), 3/4 (waltzes). Traditional Irish music requires as much training and devotion as it does for musicians specializing in classical and jazz. The bonus with traditional Irish music, when it is played well, is that you can’t sit still. It is no wonder that Irish and Celtic music dominates the world music charts year after year. Please be aware that Hooley plays only the traditional music of Ireland — American-Irish bar songs and show tunes are offered by other groups that specialize in them.