'Mutefish' on St Patrick's Day

Okay, I'm only half Irish, but I like the idea of St Patrick's Day. In Adelaide that means "Irish" pubs selling beer that has been dyed green. (Makes me think of Barry Humphrey's mother's concrete fish pond, with the wire netting on top to stop the fish escaping.) Doesn't appeal. Sorry.

So instead, I thought I'd celebrate the day with something genuinely Irish.

Here's Mutefish, a modern Irish band. The members—Peter, Daithi, Bogus, Tomas and Marka—come from Ireland, Poland, Lithuania and the Ukraine. 

Mutefish started as a busking project in the streets of Dublin. It was originally a three piece band—Bogus (Poland) on guitar, Marka (Lithuania) on Cajon and Vaclav (Czech Republic) on mandolin. The name for the band came from Vaclav saying he felt like a mute fish in Ireland because he couldn't speak English.

After considerable success busking, the band took a one year break because Bogus needed to go back to Poland to finish his degree. In 2008 the guys met again in Dublin to play the Galway Arts Festival. Then bass player Tomas (Lithuania) joined, Vaclav left the band, and drummer Peter (Ukraine) and flute player Daithi (Ireland) joined, to form the band as it stands today.

 
Sometimes they play on Grafton Street, the area where part of the movie Once was filmed. Sometimes they play on Temple Bar, an area on the south bank of the River Liffey in central Dublin, Ireland. 



They're not listed, but Mutefish are due to play a free gig at Whelan's today. Now, as Patrick Philip Anthony Guilfoyle would say, "God bless us and save us!" And a Happy St Patrick's Day to y'all.

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