March 11, 2020 | UHCL Staff
UPDATE (March 11): This event has been canceled. For information, visit the Bayou Theater online or contact the box office at 281-283-3024.
It’s not easy to pronounce “Goitse” but the award-winning quintet from Ireland, recently named Live Ireland’s Traditional Group of the Year, is certainly easy to listen to. They’ll be sharing their distinctive sounds, combined with the traditional tunes of Ireland, at University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Bayou Theater on Wednesday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m.
The audience will experience five musicians playing instruments they might not be familiar with, such as the bodhran, the bouzouki and the oud, as well as the more familiar fiddle, guitar and banjo.
Goitse (pronounced “Go-witch-ee”) pianist Tadgh Ó Meachair explained the name, which means “come here” in Gaelic, was chosen for the group almost as a joke. “I’m one of two Gaelic speakers in the group,” Ó Meachair said. “One day, early on in college, the lads heard (the group’s vocalist and fiddler) Aine McGeeney call after me, saying ‘Goitse!’ They’d never heard the word before and found it hilarious, and it just sort of stuck. We like it because it points to our Irish roots and spreads awareness of the Irish language.”
The five-member group met at the Irish World Academy at the University of Limerick, where they were all students. “One day in the first year, Aine was asked to put a small group together for a charity event, and we really liked the vibe playing together. So we decided to make a band,” he said. “But for me, ever since I got over the childhood half-astronaut, half-secret agent stage, I thought I would be a teacher. When it came time to choose my college, I decided that teaching could wait and I wanted to spend more time pursuing music, so in my late teens, I decided this would be my profession.”
Goitse has released four critically-acclaimed recordings and maintains a year-round recording schedule that includes performances throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the U.S.
“I hope the audience comes away having had a great time,” said Ó Meachair. “We’re looking forward to a fun night ourselves, and we’ll do our best to share some songs, stories, jokes and energetic music with everyone, along with a little taste of Ireland.”
Purchase tickets or find more information by visiting the Bayou Theater online.
