It’s the annual rite of spring known as St. Patrick’s Day – another of our favorite religious observance/bacchanalian orgy mash-ups (Mardi Gras, Halloween). Hey, any excuse for a party, right? Whether you’re out there mingling with the amateurs, or kicking it somewhere with the pros, above all be careful out there mates.

Ireland’s gifts to the world surely include poetry and potables, and music is their enabler – the third leg of the Irish triad. Irish music crosses many genres. It’s beautiful stuff, but much easier to identify than to describe. Maybe it’d be better to just trot out some samples you’ll hopefully enjoy, and we would love to hear your favorites, too.

Rock: A little word for a vast universe. Irish rockers include: Them (Van Morrison's group), Rory Gallagher (the late, great guitarist Jimi Hendrix called "the best"), U2, Horslips, Thin Lizzy, Boomtown Rats, The Saw Doctors, and many others.

Pop: The Script, The Cranberries, Sinead O’Connor, The Corrs, et al.

Celtic Punk: A vastly popular genre for disaffected Irish youth, and us. The Pogues, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, My Bloody Valentine, The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers and lots of others ply these waters.

Alternative: Walking on Cars, The Coronas

Traditional/Fusion: Clannad, Chieftains, Altan, Lunasa. You can hear echoes of country, bluegrass, Acadian, and Cajun in these songs and instrumentation.

Blues/Soul: Van Morrison, Gary Moore

New Age: Enya (little sister to the Brennans, of Clannad)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all Hibernians and wannabes. Hope your craic is ninety!