A memorable Irish night starts with the right live music. The Doggy Few is an energetic Irish folk band from Groningen that has been playing pub nights, festivals, village fairs and private parties since 2003. With five musicians and traditional instruments, we bring the raw, unpolished atmosphere of a real Irish pub straight to your venue.
That atmosphere is not a costume. Peter, our bodhrán player and singer, comes from Drumcondra on the north side of Dublin. For a Dub, a good story matters as much as a pint of Guinness, and when he ended up in the Netherlands he found his calling: he opened the first proper Irish pub in the north of the country. That pub became the place for anyone looking for a piece of Ireland — and when a few regulars decided to start a band, there was no doubt who had to be in it. Twenty-five years on he is still tapping his beloved “bang-it-on”, as he calls his bodhrán.
Luke swapped a law degree for a musical journey through Irish pubs and still sings the songs he learned there. What you hear from us is not copied off a record — it comes straight out of those bars.
Between 2016 and 2025 we played Zomerfolk in the Stadspark in Groningen four times, along with festivals, pubs and private parties across the country.
Whether you are running a village festival, programming a stage or filling your pub with steaming session music: we bring the energy that gets a room moving.
St. Patrick's Day Live Music & Celtic Party Songs
When the Guinness flows, the music has to match. Our repertoire is built for interaction and singing along. Expect a driving mix of:
- Uptempo jigs and reels: fast instrumental Celtic dance music, plus slides and polkas.
- Irish sing-alongs: the classics everyone knows from The Dubliners and The Pogues — Whiskey in the Jar, The Wild Rover, I'll Tell Me Ma, The Foggy Dew and Streams of Whiskey.
- Ballads with a story: Spancil Hill, Fiddler's Green, Black is the Colour and Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go? — the moments a full room goes quiet.
- Solid pub songs: All for Me Grog, The Hills of Connemara, South Australia and Drunken Sailor, where standing still is not an option.
For St. Patrick's Day, an Irish night or a Celtic themed party we tune the setlist to your crowd. Requests are welcome: send them in advance and we will make sure they are in there.
What to Expect from The Doggy Few
Hiring an Irish pub band means choosing atmosphere and direct contact with the audience. We do not stand still on a stage — we make the room part of the show.
- 100% live and amplified: a powerful sound, matched to the size of the room or marquee.
- Warmth and interaction: we build the night from gripping stories to an outright party.
- Local and flexible: based in Groningen, playing across the country, with clear agreements about load-in and technical needs.
- Stories between the songs: where a song comes from and why it was written is as much part of Irish music as the melody.
The Line-up: Five Musicians, Real Irish Instruments
Irish music lives on the instruments it was written for. With The Doggy Few you hear all of them, played live:
- Vocals and guitar — Luke, who learned the songs on his travels through Ireland.
- Irish flute — Annemarie, sold on Irish music as a child at the Interceltique de Lorient festival, later a classically trained flautist.
- Melodeon (the “box”) — Eoghain, who wandered through Canada, France and India before landing in Groningen, and plays the wildest jigs, reels, slides and polkas.
- Fiddle and vocals — Ietsje, raised in Friesland, grounded in both classical and Irish playing.
- Bodhrán and vocals — Peter from Dublin, the rhythm and the stories of the band.
The Occasions We Play
We play throughout the Netherlands, and on request in Belgium and Germany. Most bookings come from:
- Pubs and Irish bars: a night of live Irish music that keeps the place full until closing time.
- St. Patrick's Day: 17 March is our busiest day of the year — book early.
- Festivals and village fairs: from an open-air stage to a marquee.
- Company parties and anniversaries: music everyone joins in with, whatever their age.
- Celtic dinner nights and themed evenings: a programme that moves with the food and the pace of the evening.
Want to see where we are playing next? Our gig calendar lists everything coming up. Come and have a look before you book — we would like that.
Get Your Guests Dancing: the Irish Dance Workshop
On top of playing, we run a ceili workshop — Irish group dancing, to live music. We get people out of their chairs, teach them a few basic steps, string those into a dance, and then play for it. No dancing experience needed: if you can follow a step at a steady pace, you can join in.
At a village party, a company do or a wedding, this is the moment a room switches from watching to taking part. The workshop is optional — fifteen minutes between two sets, or a longer block as the centrepiece of the evening.
What it costs, roughly: a duo starts at € 550, the full band at € 1,250. Call us on +31 6 5371 6249 and we will agree one total price — travel, sound and VAT included — put down in a contract. So you know exactly where you stand, and so do we.
Frequently Asked Questions about Booking an Irish Band
How much space do you need?
It depends on the line-up and the room. We play with five musicians and are used to adapting to whatever space there is — from a corner in a café to a full stage. Tell us what you have and we will tell you honestly whether it works.
How much does it cost to book The Doggy Few?
A duo starts at € 550, the full band at € 1,250. Call us on +31 6 5371 6249 and we agree one total price that includes travel, sound and VAT, put down in a contract, so there are no surprises afterwards.
Can our guests learn Irish dancing?
Yes. We run a ceili workshop teaching a few basic steps, and play live while everyone dances. No experience needed. Tell us what kind of crowd is coming and we will pitch it accordingly.
Can we request songs?
Yes. Send requests in advance, and there is a request form on our site for every gig. If a song is not in our repertoire, let us know in good time.
Do you also play acoustically?
We do. For a wedding, a house concert or a ceremony we play in a smaller, acoustic line-up. Read more on our page about Irish wedding music.
Where do you play?
We are based in Groningen and play throughout the Netherlands. Belgium and Germany are possible, subject to travel time.
Looking for something more intimate — a wedding ceremony or a house concert? See our page on Irish wedding music. Curious about the full repertoire with lyrics and chords? That lives on our songs page.
Check Availability and Price
Ready to complete your line-up? You can go through the repertoire with us beforehand so the setlist fits the kind of party you are throwing. Get in touch without obligation — use the form below to ask about a date, or call us and we will talk it through.