Profile – Mountain Road Ceili Band

By Rodger Hara

According to www.Irish-Showbands.com, ““Ceili” Bands (the word Céilidh means “party” in Gaelic) have been around Ireland for centuries. In the earliest days, ceilis would take place almost anywhere: in a house, at a crossroads, where ever a few musicians and dancers got together. In fact, that form of entertainment played an important role in the everyday life of rural Ireland in the middle of the 20th century. Often in those days before and just after World War II, rural farmers could find it hard to make ends meet. There were two ways one could augment his income back then: Trade goods like eggs with the traveling shop (aka the van man) for other goods like beans and flour or open their house for a “house dance” and charge a few pence for the all night dance.

In the early years of the 20th Century, ceili bands and orchestras vied for the hearts of Irish dancers. Of course, orchestras tended to be more refined and sophisticated, sporting tuxedos and reading sheet music, while the ceili bands were more raucous, casual, and more “rural” in nature.  Unlike the orchestras, many of which morphed into new formats when the showbands took over the ballroom scene, the ceili bands all but disappeared. No longer providing music for the dancing public, they were relegated to guest appearances at Fleadh Cheoils and Irish Traditional Festivals.”  Today, the Irish Showbands website lists 65 active ceili bands in Ireland and has historical information on over 2,000 showbands.  The 2003 film “The Boys (and Girl) from County Clare” presented a comedic look at an All-Ireland ceili band competition; a crossroads dance hall in County Leitrim and the music played there by a ceili band occupied a prominent role in the 2014 drama “Jimmy’s Hall”.

In Colorado, there’s only one ceili band – The Mountain Road Ceili Band, a 21-year-old Colorado Springs-based band founded by Uillean pipe player Eric Olson.  Eric no longer plays with the band but original members Frank O’Neill Barber and Roy Jackson do.  Retired from a career with the El Paso County government, Frank plays guitar, banjo, keyboard and hammered dulcimer, handles bookings and herds the cats.  The cats include Roy on button accordion and vocals, Shivawn McCarthy on fiddle, Jamie Howard on concertina and Marty Smith on bouzouki and vocals.  Other bands with whom the cats have played include County El Paso, Rare Ould Times, Blackthorne, Ceol Ceili and Blarney Pilgrim.  Frank and Marty occasionally play together as Frank and Marty; Marty also plays with Steve Hart in The Bedlam Boys duo.  Cara Jean O’Reiman occasionally treks down from Denver to add her fiddle to the mix.

The name (no one can remember who suggested it) came from the traditional Irish reel of the same name.  Back in the day when KRCC had a Celtic music program that was hosted by Steve Williams, the band occasionally played in studio.  The band is also one of the few local bands to have been invited to play in the small tent at the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival in the late 1990’s, was invited to play at the Celtic Harvest Festival Edgewater in 2014 and also performed at the inaugural Pikes Peak Celtic Festival in 2014.

Frank’s middle name comes from his maternal grandfather who was an O’Neill.  That connection led to his mother’s purchase of a cottage near Coumeenoole on the far western tip of the Dingle peninsula in County Kerry.  For a trip to Ireland last year, Frank purchased a RainSong graphite guitar “…because it travels well, doesn’t react to heat and humidity and has a lovely sound.”

The band has played at The Margarita at Pine Creek, 7350 Pine Creek Road, Colorado Springs on the third Friday of each month since 1982.  When the weather permits, the band plays on the lovely outdoor patio; when it turns bad, they move inside and play in the lower level.  Local lore and the loyal fans of the food and the band have it that it’s all good.  If you’re in the area or choose to trek there, you’ll enjoy the music – and some fine food and drink to accompany it.