FitzGerald’s celebrates 33rd annual daylong St. Patrick’s Day on March 16

Join us for our 33rd Annual St. Patrick's Day celebration. This is a day for the whole family and all ages are invited. There will performances by the Mayer School stepdancers, Irish music and special St. Patrick's Day fare in our heated festival tents, and plenty of Guinness, Harp and other favorites.

The SideBar also will be open and NCAA tournament games will be on the big screen.

Admission is $12, $5 (12 and under) at the door only; no advance tickets. Doors open at 1 p.m. 

The line-up features:

IN THE TENT:

2-6:30 p.m. Mayer School Stepdancers with Paul and Mary McHugh — Stepdancers from the school under the direction of Mary McHugh present their annual showcase of Irish dance. Many students from the Mayer School have placed at regional and national championships and several have gone to Ireland to compete in the All-Ireland and World Championships. Each year, the school grows and the list of accomplishments grows as well.  http://www.mayerschool.com/

8:30 & 10:15 p.m. Tributosaurus becomes Van Morrison — It has become a Tributosaurus tradition on St. Patrick's Day to pay tribute to Ireland's favorite son, Van Morrison.  One of the world's finest singer/songwriters, this show is always a lot of fun. The set list includes Jackie Wilson Says, And It Stoned Me, Glad Tidings, Maire’s Wedding, Star of the County Down, Satisfied, Who Drove the Red Sports Car, Crazy Love, Caravan, Moondance, Tupelo Honey, Into the Mystic and much more. Liam Davis is the featured vocalist.  http://www.tributosaurus.com/home.cfm 

IN THE CLUB:

7:30 &10 p.m. The Dooleys — In the mid-‘60s, the Dooley Brothers entered the thriving folk music scene in Old Town and the North Side of Chicago, playing in the same circle of clubs as the likes of Steve Goodman and John Prine. In the 80's, the Dooleys released their first album, A Place in My Heart, consisting of mostly original acoustic folk-jazz songs, complemented with some of the best-known sidemen in Chicago. They split their performing between rock, etc. clubs to straight-out Irish pubs and venues. In the mid-80s, they released an Irish and American folk album, featuring many songs and tunes from the west of Ireland. At the beginning of the 90s, the Dooleys released a collection of original songs, and also a variety of folk and calypso that they were performing in clubs. Today, the Dooley Brothers are still singing and working on many new projects.  http://www.dooleybrothers.com/

8:45 & 11:15 p.m. Cannonball — Cannonball is a group of musicians based in Chicago who connect with the same rock sensibilities and merriment to create an explosive sound rooted in the American folk tradition of blues, country, rock ‘n’ roll and all their offspring — hillbilly, rock-a-billy, folk rock, psychedelic, punk. They play a mixture of original songs and interpretations of personal favorites that veer from swinging rock ‘n’ roll to swaying country blues with detours down musical guitar exchanges between the dual lead guitarists that ride on a freight train rhythm bed. The lineup: Paul Bivans: drums, vocals; Andon Davis: guitar, vocals; Tom Kneesel: pedal steel, guitar, vocals; Mike Krayniak: bass, vocals; and Terry White: guitar, harmonica, vocals.

IN THE CLUB, SIDEBAR AND TENT:

8 p.m. Shannon Rovers — For over 75 years, the Irish bagpipe band has been a cultural fixture in the Chicagoland area. The band is made up of seventy plus pipers, drummers and color guard. Membership has passed from generation to generation and includes plumbers, social workers, bankers, lawyers, electricians, doctors and celebrities to name but a few. The common thread that seems to hold it all together is the genuine love of traditional Irish music.   http://www.shannonrovers.com/

For more information on FitzGerald’s, call (708) 788-2118 or go to http://www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com.