When one sees the band name Ceann na Caca, one might think, "Wow, this is a serious Irish band." Until one sees the titles of some of the band's original songs, like "Erin Go Braghless." Then one realizes that serious is not the right word. The band's own publicity material says it best, describing the band members as "Americans playing Irish music so that they can get free beer." So there's no question that Ceann na Caca (pronounced key anna ka ka) adds an intriguing twist to the St. Patrick's Day celebrations going on around Maine today and this week.

The band, which formed at the University of Pittsburgh in 1997, will perform Saturday night at Bray's Brew Pub and Eatery in Naples. "It's not exclusively Irish music, we have a lot of original songs and a lot of songs we've incorporated that serve the same purpose as most of the Irish songs we play - fun sing-along drinking songs," said band member Patrick Halloran, who plays guitar, squeezebox and sings. "We should also note that Ceann na Caca strongly urges people to drink responsibly."

The three members of the band began playing at a lot of Irish bars in Pittsburgh in 1997, using many of the instruments found in traditional Irish music: banjo, fiddle, tin whistle. They are students of old Irish folk songs and melodies, but their repertoire includes their original, Irish-themed comedy songs. They began playing Irish bars, and their music continues to carry that attitude, even when it's a little more rocking or a little more contemporary. "The term (traditional Irish music) is deceiving because a lot of `traditional' Irish music is either recently written or written by people in America or Australia or some other place where Irish people flocked in the 19th century," said Halloran. The band's name, by the way, roughly translates to "top of the bottom" or "best of the worst."

Staff Writer Ray Routhier
Portland Press Herald