The smile soon slipped from my face as I recognised that this was the part of Town into which I rarely ventured rather than relished, nothing to do with the area and everything to do with age. My companions felt the same as we met up in one of the famous hostelries; we were buffeted constantly by a man in a white wedding dress and had to wait for an age while the barman lined up 20 shots for some young onesd. As the age demographic plunged we exited and headed towards our destination, the O2 Academy to see more young upstarts, The Mary Wallopers.

A brief stop at the Victoria by the Alex restored our belief that actually, we weren’t too old to drink Up Town, before we passed the Pagoda on the left-hand side and took our place on the balcony at the old Dome.

Dundalk’s Mary Wallopers have carved a fine reputation as one of a growing number Irish acts currently catching the eye, with their mix of lesser-known folk standards, occasional originals and mischievous storytelling that feature in their raucous live shows. This is their fourth visit to Brum in a little less than two years, although it’s overshadowed somewhat by the departure of founding member Sean McKenna, departing with good grace for challenges new, just days before this gig and in the middle of a tour.

His absence was felt but the band have enough to cope with such a knockback, and the perpetual motion of the beer-throwing crowd in front of the stage, aping the great days of the Pogues, was the perfect visual accompaniment to the songs that were once staples for our grandfathers and fathers but are now favourites for a new generation.

Indeed, the ghost of Shane McGowan echoed around with the band’s cover of The Broad Majestic Shannon, and nods to the Clancy Brothers, Dubliners and Hamish Imlach kept the party going as brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy conducted proceedings. Those songs of love, liquor, social justice and proud tradition of the Irish dispora were roared by the Brummie choir, and the singing didn’t stop as the band left the stage to the strains of Dirty Ol’ Town; Shane is never far away….

And his influence was to the fore again just a few days later in the altogether more sedate surroundings of Halesowen Town Hall as the gorgeous melody of Rainy Night in Soho filled the room.
Pre-drinks for this one were dictated by the lack of choice so a pint in the pub with competitive prices, dreadful carpets and distant toilets was supped before a night with The Dublin Legends.

An ever-changing line-up of excellent musicians, steeped in Dublin’s trad music scene, currently consists of Sean Cannon, Gerry O’Connor, Paul Watchorn & Shay Kavanagh. Rising from the ashes of the Dubliners and featuring a former member in Cannon, who belied his advancing years, we were taken on a journey through the band’s greatest hits. Some Irish classics, jigs and reels and a reading of Soho starring a guest singer who stuck around to help with a gallop through Poor Paddy Works on the Railway and joined in the encore of The Wild Rover and Molly Malone.

The audience listened intently to the ballads and joined in with the lustier songs, although the only danger to my pint was the over-enthusiastic waving of a walking stick. The venue is neat and clean, an asset to the struggling town centre and like its sister venues in the Dudley borough, under threat of sale due to budget cuts. Here’s hoping that all the upcoming events advertised around the foyer do take place and also provoke a standing ovation at the climax, as the Dublin Legends did after 2 hours of timeless Irish music, staying the right side what can be cloying Paddywhackery.