And From the Next Town Other: North Wildwood Irish Fall Festival 2006

Blackthorn accordionist John McGroary and Mike Boyce, lead singer and guitarist

By Denise Foley

Blackthorn fans are a fit bunch. They had to be. To see their guys this past weekend down the shore, they had to hoof it from the annual AOH Irish Festival in North Wildwood to The Bolero, at 25th and Atlantic Avenue in the next town over.

Oh. Well, maybe, I was the only one who did that. I mean, you had to see it all, from the Celtic tschotke stands and pipe bands in North Wildwood to the muscle cars on the Wildwood boardwalk to The Bolero Resort, where you could pull up a chair and a beer and listen to groups like The Barley Boys, The Danny Boys, Random Blonde, and Timlin and Kane, with people who had only gotten to bed around 4 a.m. because they were so charged by the Eileen Ivers Band’s musical meth on Friday night they just had to stay up and drink.

Around 5 p.m. on Saturday, I heard a man turn down the offer of chili on his hot dog because “this is breakfast, man.”

Next year I’m staying the weekend.