The Irish Descendants In Concert
The Irish Descendants have been singing the songs, telling the stories, and passing down the history of their Irish ancestors since 1990. Hailed as "the lost Celtic tribe of Newfoundland" when they performed in Ireland for the first time, the original Irish Descendants were the children of emigrants who brought along the old sod's look, sounds, language, and pub culture when they arrived to work northeastern Canada's fishing industry.
Con O'Brien and the Descendants' other co-founders picked up their music at home in St. John's, where every family owned an accordion. They honed their craft in the pubs of George Street and released Misty Morning Shore, their first album of sweet ballads and rowdy reels, in 1991. Fishermen themselves, they turned to music full-time when Newfoundland's fishing industry went belly-up in 1992. Is Your Rhubarb Up? was released in 2018, marking the Descendants' 15th release and first full-length studio recording in a decade.
An estimated 80 musicians have been members of the Irish Descendants since their inception, with O'Brien the sole remaining co-founder. In addition to O'Brien's big baritone voice, the group's most recent incarnation features longtime members Patrick Moran on fiddle and Paul "Boomer" Stamp on drums.
Each band member contributes to sweet yet manly four-part vocal harmonies that lend a gentle joviality to songs about drinking, shipwrecks, and immigrant dreams. For every song about disaster and disappointment, such as "Barrett's Privateers," you'll find a toe-tapping reel or a tongue-twistingly humorous tune like "Rattlin' Bog" or "Mari-Mac."
In addition to mastering Celtic music's fiddle tunes and boisterous sing-alongs, the Descendants have dabbled in country music (on Living on the Edge) and always pay respects to bluegrass, the Appalachian cousin of their Irish and Scottish traditions.
Irish-Canadian rovers for sure, the Descendants rarely stop touring. While they mainly perform in North America, focusing on Canada, they often perform overseas, too, including at England's International Festival of the Sea. They've also done their part to make George Street, where they remain regulars, a place where Newfoundland and Irish traditional groups can be heard any evening of the week. "The trenches of George Street are a great place to keep your chops up," says Con O'Brien.