The musicians know it, the audience knows it, the professor knows it: Beer and Celtic music go together.
Which is why Charlie Bamforth, ٺƵ Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences, will lead a free Forum@MC about beer in the late evening of March 10, just before the Mondavi Center presents the bands Dervish and Danú in a concert titled To Ireland.
Some of Danú’s musicians are due to join Bamforth at the forum, offering their views of Irish beer and pubs — and the music that comes with them.
“One of our band members, Donnchadh Gough, was raised in a famous music pub called Mooneys in Gaeltacht, an Irish-speaking region of Co. Waterford,” button accordion player Benny McCarthy said by e-mail. “Nowadays he owns his own pub, The Local, in the town of Dungarvan.”
Bamforth knows a bit about Irish pub life himself.
“I have been to Ireland on many occasions,” he said. “The atmosphere is unique — there is a lot of noise, laughter and happiness. The pubs are real places of conviviality.”
McCarthy said the forum should be great fun, “especially the beer-tasting part.”
Bamforth said he has selected four beers of diverse flavors and varieties.
He said beer tasting starts out like wine tasting — beer is poured in a glass, so you can delight in the visual sensation and examine the clarity.
“Then like wine, you need to smell it and savor the aroma,” he said.
“Then drink. … The difference between beer tasting and wine tasting is that beer tasters always swallow.”
Bamforth said what he is trying to do in his work is show people that beer is every bit as sophisticated as wine. “I want people to realize just how complex beer is and what tremendous quality it has.”
Beer should be loved and appreciated, and people should understand that beer is for all sorts of drinking occasions, and it can also be a great complement to food, Bamforth said.
“I like to get the message across that beer is better for you than wine,” Bamforth said with a laugh.
Bamforth also plans to touch upon the production of beer, and what a demanding task it is.
“Brewers are some of the most skilled people in the world,” he said.
About the bands
Danú is “a traditional Irish music ensemble that performs the ancient music of Ireland with songs in both English and the old Irish language,” McCarthy said. “Most of the music we play is old, but we do include some original tunes composed in the traditional mode.”
Danú formed in 1995 and has played all over the world. “The audiences here (in the United States) really know how to enjoy a performance,” McCarthy said.
“We love live performance, the music we play is all about live playing and acoustic instruments.”
Dervish, like Danú, has roots in Irish pubs. The founders played weekly in such establishments after joining up in 1989 and putting out an album under the name The Boys of Sligo.
Eventually the “boys” turned into Dervish, and Cathy Jordan signed on as vocalist.
So there you have it: a perfect combination of beer and music. And, as Bamforth said: “A good beer helps me dance better.”
Caitlin Cobb is a Dateline intern.
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: “Concerning Beer,” Forum@MC, with Charlie Bamforth (pictured), malting and brewing sciences professor, addressing the question “Is beer good for you?” Members of the band Danú will join Bamforth at the forum — an event that will include beer tasting.
WHEN: 6 p.m. March 10
WHERE: Studio Theatre, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts
ADMISSION: Free, but seating is limited and preregistration is required at www.mondaviarts.org/concerningbeer. Must be 21 or older to get in, and IDs will be checked at the door.
•ĢĢ
WHAT: To Ireland concert, featuring Danú and Dervish, two bands that perform pub-style Celtic music
WHEN: 8 p.m. March 10
WHERE: Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center
TICKETS: (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or .
•ĢĢ
WHAT: School matinee concert by Danú
WHEN: 11 a.m. March 10
WHERE: Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center
Educators interested in purchasing tickets should call (530) 754-4689.
Media Resources
Dave Jones, Dateline, 530-752-6556, dljones@ucdavis.edu