Release the Craic

All musicians play for the love of music, but perhaps only the Celtic cultures play for the love of craic. The origins of the word (pronounced like "crack") are disputed, but the meaning is clear: Craic is a catchall word for fun, entertainment and most important, a lively, welcoming atmosphere. You want to go where the craic is, in short. In St. Louis, Tionol churns out more of it per hour than any other event. The annual gathering of Celtic musicians is in its sixteenth year, and it continues to bring together some of the biggest talents in the traditional music scene to town for a weekend of workshops, performances and copious amounts of the craic. The highlight for music lovers is definitely the Saturday-night concert, which occurs at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at the Sheldon (3648 Washington Boulevard; 314-533-9900 or www.thesheldon.org). John Carty (pictured, fiddle), Kevin Crawford (flute) and John Doyle (guitar, bouzouki and mandola) headline this year's Tionol, with dancers from St. Louis Irish Arts sharing the stage. Tickets are $5 to $20.
Sat., April 20, 2013