An Irish Christmas Celebration with The Jig is Up!

The University of St. Thomas William J. Flynn Center for Irish Studies presents An Irish Christmas Celebration with The Jig is Up!.

Get into the holiday spirit with lively music from The Jig Is Up!, Houston’s premier traditional Irish band.

Presenting both ancient and new tunes and songs in innovative and dynamic arrangements, the songs will warm your heart and help you share the “Irish experience.”

Robert Shaddox, with his clear tenor voice, is the band’s main vocalist. His skilled bodhrán adds punch to the dance tunes. Diehl Moran’s inventive fiddle, banjo and mandolin provide grace and drive to the music. Larry Mallette is the featured flute and whistle player and resident composer. Matt Lewis’ skilled guitar sparks the dance tunes and adds lyrical beauty to the ballads that he and Robert sing. Judd Heartsill’s driving accordion fills out the band’s big sound and provides the “nyah.”

This Christmas concert will feature songs such as I’m Almost Ready for Christmas, Mrs. Fogarty’s Christmas Cake, Boys of Barr na Sráide, King of the Birds (a Wren song), The Holly She Bears a Berry, The Bushes of Jerusalem, A Kerry Christmas Carol and Arthur McBride, to name a few.