Nearly every Tuesday since 2000, when the restaurant was established, The Barley House has welcomed local musicians to contribute to what they call a “Traditional Irish session.” The Barley House doesn’t have a stage or anything else a musician might need, but these pros don’t need any modern day luxuries. They play the old fashioned way; sitting around a table, with acoustic instruments, no plan and a few libations.
The way they play seems almost miraculous. There’s no sheet music, no planning and barely any talking. A song begins with one flute or fiddle breaking out into the silence, and soon every other instrument follows. Two fiddles 10 feet apart play in perfect synchronization with nothing but a nod. A certain magic fills the air, and you’re swept back to old town Dublin. You’re a child again, and you believe in leprechauns, true love, and wise old musicians who can improvise a song in the blink of an eye.
Thankfully, Carolyn Parrott, who has been playing at The Barley House for about 13 years, was there to crush our fantasies.
“It’s not improvised,” Parrott said. “It’s all old music that we know, and we remember it as we play it. It comes in a few styles, such as reels, jigs, marches and polkas. Someone says ‘hup’ to start us off. They play a jig, and if we know it, we join in.”
Even with losing that little bit of magic, the Irish sessions are something to believe in. The music adds something to the air, and for a few hours, it allows us to forget our grief, allows children to dance, couples to laugh and old friends to raise their glasses as they enjoy a uniquely pleasant evening. With those musicians in charge, it feels nigh impossible to have a bad time.
The talent at The Barley House are all seasoned veterans of their craft. Over the course of an evening, you might be lucky enough to meet any number of lovable characters. Like R.P. Hale, who builds his own instruments.
“I’m playing mostly rhythm,” Hale said, “but when the guitar player comes in, I’ll steal his lead.”
At one point we asked all the musicians what their favorite memory of the sessions over the years was. There was a reminiscent silence until one musician said, “Being in tune,” and the whole table burst into laughter.
The sense of community between the musicians is heartwarming. One of the musicians, Kevin Grahm, said of his compatriots, “(They’re a) very close knit, professional bunch, been playing their whole lives.”
On Irish Sessions themselves, Grahm continued; “It’s an international phenomenon. You could go all the way to Tokyo and find a dozen or so sessions, all playing about the same music as us.”
They say that music is a universal language, and no place does it feel more true than at The Barley House on a Tuesday night. Even the musicians can’t help but have a good time, stopping to talk and laugh between rousing numbers. To be in the room with them, it was clear that this was much more than a musical performance for them. They were old friends, enjoying each other’s talents, having just as good a time as those who listened.
