If you can’t be in Ireland this St. Patrick’s Day, WFWM Public Radio invites you to come out and celebrate your Irish spirit with an evening of brilliant music and dancing  featuring performances by Shanty Irish, Academic Probation, Morbheanna, Greg Latta, Scottish Country Dancers, and more.  The event will take place at Windsor Hall in the Cumberland Town Centre on St. Patrick’s Day, Wednesday, March 17th.  Doors open at 6:30 PM with Lynne Barnes-Dale’s harp students performing to welcome everyone.  Tickets are $10 and available at the door.  All proceeds go to benefit western Maryland’s only public radio station, WFWM 91.9 fm in Frostburg, MD.

The Shanty Irish Band consists of several friends who enjoy making traditional Irish folk music similar to what one would hear in ‘singing pubs’ scattered throughout Ireland.  Much of their music dates from the 18th and 19th centuries and tells tales of fighting and revolution, love, and the wonders of poitin and porter (whisky and beer).  They are a not-for-profit group and can be coerced to play for noble, like WFWM Public Radio, and not-so-noble causes.  The band consists of Mike Burkey (vocals, whistle, bodhran), Tommy Dunn (harmonica, tenor vocals), Gil Hocker (pipes, vocals, box), Ron Leaf (guitar, vocals), Jim Moen (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Steve Owens (guitar, box, vocals), Denis Reen (whistle, vocals), and Vic Ward (soundboard).

Academic Probation is a trio of musicians, based in Frostburg, which plays old-time and not-so-old songs and tunes on acoustic instruments [banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and pennywhistle].  The members, Gerry Snelson, Fritz Kessler, and Woody Getz, take turns singing the lead vocals and harmonies.  The trio’s name came from their contact with students in that category while serving as Frostburg State University faculty.  Combined they represent many decades of addiction to various musical instruments and genres.

In Scots Gaelic, Morbheanna means ‘great mountains.’  At this concert, Morbheanna means ‘great music!’  Morbheanna is a quartet of musicians that includes three Gibson Fireside pipers and a tenor drummer.  Gibson Fireside pipes are smaller pipes that are perfect for playing at Ceilidhs and parties.  The three pipers in Morbheanna are Annie Bristow, Kenny Braitman, and Marci McClive.  They are joined by drummer Lynn Farnsworth.  Chances are, if the spirits of the crowd are high enough, they may even pull out their full Scottish pipes and make Windsor Hall rock!

Greg Latta is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and performer.  Among the many instruments he plays are the Irish bouzouki, concertina, uilleann pipes, banjo, guitar, and dulcimer.  Greg is a three-time winner of the Mid-Eastern Hammered Dulcimer Championship and two-time runner-up at the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship.  He will be playing a set of traditional Irish tunes.  Greg is also the host of the “Just Plain Folks” radio show heard on WFWM each Saturday afternoon from 2-5 PM.  The program features an hour each of bluegrass, folk, and Celtic music.

For additional information, contact WFWM Public Radio at (301) 687-4143 during normal business hours.