Rock Tavern Chapter: Buckets of Blarney

The Rock Tavern Chapter of the Hudson Valley Folk Guild is pleased to be featuring Buckets of Blarney.

As with most legends, the history of Buckets of Blarney has been lost to time.  What little we do know has been gleaned from folklore, song and the illustrated writings of the monks of the Order of St. Brendan.

We do know from birth records that the Bucket brothers, Buddy (1438), Billy (1439], Barney (1440) and Santiago (1442)  were born near the Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland.  Despite extensive research, however, no record of death can be found for any of the brothers, which has given rise to the legend that they are living still.

As the story is told, the brothers were singers of some renown throughout Cork and Kerry.   One day, they were called to perform for the king of the leprechauns, King Brian.  Unfortunately for the Buckets, they were double booked for the evening and chose not to attend the King’s event.  Understandably, the King was irate and swore that “If they won’t play for me, they won’t play for any one” and the brothers instantly vanished.

The true cruelty of the King’s curse was not known until one St. Patrick’s Day when the brothers appeared in a pub outside the Blarney Castle.  They revealed that they were sent into the mists to wander a barren land where neither whiskey nor beer could be found.  It was only after hundreds of years that the King relented slightly and allowed that once a year, for one day, the brothers would be permitted to return to the real world to drink and sing.  When the day ended, they would be banished once again.

In recent years, for reasons unknown, the Buckets have mysteriously appeared at Captain Jake’s in Newburgh, NY where they sing and try to make up for 364 days without whiskey.

Open Mic:

Open mic performances will be available to all. The Zoom meeting opens at 7 for signin, sound check, and socializing.  The open mic begins at 7:30.

If you wish to perform, please add your name and email to the link below. Signing up in advance has the added benefit of selecting your place in the order.  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17Y5qQqiZIP-Evl8RVaxzBsl9WLxHJV04GnhJMmgAltY/edit?usp=sharing

Connect via Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89591004614?pwd=elVKdHY3MUNNbjRrN0d6ZU5yMTlVUT09

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