Luck of the (local) Irish

>> Montreal picks up the ball for Ireland this year

by SIOBHÀN O'CONNOR

From the looks of it, the fact that St. Patrick's Day was officially cancelled on the Emerald Isle this year seems to have had no effect on the annual fall-down, knock-out, fist-pounding frenzy that is St. Paddy's weekend in Montreal. For those who haven't heard, the holiday's been eliminated for one year only to discourage Brits, who may have that nasty hoof-and-mouth disease, from bringing it to untainted Ireland. Pity for them, but Montreal's Irish and not-so-Irish pubs will be in full swing this weekend.

Friday, March 16

Brave early birds intent on being tanked in time for work can get started at one of two Irish breakfasts. Hurley's opens its doors at 6 a.m. with a trad breakfast and live music; those still hungry can catch another meal a few blocks over at O'Donnell's, where breakfast is served as of 7 a.m. O'Donnell's will rid itself of its furniture to accommodate the masses, so expect wall-to-wall spray-painted beards and sweaty revellers all day long.

For a more grizzled atmosphere, Cock 'n' Bull provides live performances by Belfast Andy and the MacFinns as of noon. The Paddingtons shuttle between O'Donnell's and Ye Olde Orchard in NDG, where an Irish table d'hôte takes over the menu. At Hurley's, Swerve, the Solstice Band and the Searson Family are on rotation. The Northern Irish crew get in on the fun when the Belfast Lads invade the Montreal Beer Museum at 9 p.m. Premier Nova Scotian jigsters John Allen Cameron and Son grace O'Donnell's with a live performance at 9:30 p.m.

Friday night also sees the opening of the two-night annual Oi Fest--not exactly Irish, no, but a logical extension of the drunken fist-pounding that comes with St. Paddy's. Jailhouse will be invaded at 9 p.m. by NYC's Steel-Toe Solution, local acts the Generatorz and Provo, as well as Jersey's Hudson Falcon and TO's King-Size Braces. Tix are $15 for two nights.

Saturday, March 17

McKibbon's gets into the spirit early with an eye-opener breakfast from 8-10 a.m. Ye Olde Orchard hosts their annual game of Shoot the Queen where patrons launch rubber darts at the Queen's forehead while raising money for the NDG Food Bank. Throughout the day at Brutopia (where they'll have a outdoor, heated terrasse), the young trio South 189 perform, followed by an evening of blues with Dawn Tyler Watson. The Old Dublin hosts live gigs all day by premier longtime residents Liam Callaghan and Dave Gossage, accompanied by fiddler Kristian Brabander. As of 3:30 p.m. local folksters Gerry O'Neil and Billy perform at Hurley's, while Daniel Giverin and Dave Clark play at the palace of green beer, Cock 'n' Bull. The McBrides take the stage at McKibbin's till 9 p.m. followed by Sona.

Saturday marks the second installment of the Oi Fest, which brings in Italy's Las Fastidios, T.O.'s Class Assassin, Riot 99, the Discords and the Prowlers. Showtime is 9 p.m. at Jailhouse. If you miss the shows you can meet up with the Oi crew at the parade: they'll be the raucous dudes outside the church at the corner of University.

Finally, there's a Bruins-Canadiens hockey game at the Molson Centre on Saturday and rumour has it that a huge Boston Irish contingent is bussing in for the game. Procuring tickets could be tricky so show up early: puck hits ice at 7 p.m.

Sunday, March 18

Today's major celebrations centre around the 177th annual parade where you can expect to see a lot of not-so-Irish floats featuring local radio personalities, high school bands and Karnak clowns. The roving fun kicks off at noon at the corner of Ste-Catherine and Atwater. Pre-parade meals--which include trad tasties like stew, porridge and spiked coffee--can be had at McKibbon's, Hurley's, Ye Olde Orchard and O'Donnell's.

Post-parade parties include another performance by Liam, Dave and Kristian at the Old Dublin, the Wells (3-8 p.m.) at Hard Rock Café's "Get Shamrocked" party, a free afternoon concert by Tim Walsh at Cock 'n' Bull, the Kirk Hillbillies as of 3 p.m. at O'Donnell's, and Swerve followed by the Paddingtons at McKibbon's. Hurley's has Kilt, the Solstice Band, Salty Dog and the Searson Family, and Brutopia has the longstanding Orealis For a different kind of show, the Shams (aka the Capones--who've been hard at work learning trad Celtic songs, as well as Pogues and U2 numbers) perform at Club Zone as of 4 p.m. Happy party-picking!