Seventeen March is the only day of the year when half of the Netherlands wants to be Irish. Pubs are decked out in green, associations organise an Irish evening, and companies discover that drinks with live music suddenly become a party. What is usually missing then is the same thing: a band that can really deliver.
The Doggy Fewhave been playing Irish music since 2003, and on St. Patrick’s Day we are at our best. Five musicians, authentic instruments, our own sound system, and a repertoire built to get a crowd moving.
Our bodhrán player and singer Peter comes fromDrumcondra, on the north side of Dublin. He once opened the first authentic Irish pub in the north of the country. So what you hear from us doesn’t come from a record — it comes straight from the pub itself.
Why you should be thinking about it now
St. Patrick’s Day is one evening, and everyone wants it at the same time. We are usually fully booked by January, and that applies to most Irish bands in the country. Anyone who starts calling in March is almost always too late.
If seventeen March falls on a weekday, many parties shift to the weekend before or after. Those evenings also fill up quickly. Feel free to enquire without obligation about our availability — then you’ll know where you stand.
What we play on such an evening
A successful Irish evening has an arc: it starts off convivial and ends up on the tables. We tailor our setlist to that.
- Singalongs everyone knows: Whiskey in the Jar, The Wild Rover, I’ll Tell Me Ma, Dirty Old Town.
- Jigs and reels:lightning-fast instrumental dance music — the moment when the first people get up to dance.
- Pub songs with a chorus: All for Me Grog, South Australia, Drunken Sailor.
- A ballad to make you pause for a moment: Fiddler’s Green, Spancil Hill. An evening that only goes full throttle becomes flat.
Is there a song you particularly want to hear? Let us know in advance, and we’ll include it.
Get your guests dancing along: the Irish dance workshop
We can open the evening with a short dance workshop — a ceili. No dance experience is needed: within ten minutes the whole room will be in a circle and everyone will have danced with everyone. At corporate events and associations, that is often the moment when the evening turns.
Who we play for on this day
- Taverns and pubs— fully amplified, or acoustic if the venue is small.
- Associations and village halls— an Irish evening with dance and stories.
- Companies— a gathering people will still remember.
- Festivals and markets— also during the day, also outdoors.
We play throughout the Netherlands, and also in Belgium and Germany. Travel costs are included in the agreed price; nothing extra will be added afterwards.
What it costs
A duo starts at € 550, the full band at € 1,250. This usually includes everything: sound, travel costs, and VAT. What it will be exactly for your evening depends on the line-up, playing time, and distance. We agree on that beforehand, and that's the agreed amount. We always come to an agreement regarding travel costs and such.
More about the practical side can be found on ourfrequently asked questions page: how much space we need, how long we play, and what we bring ourselves.
Request your date
Fill in below when and where you would like us, and we'll quickly let you know if it's possible and what it costs. Without obligation — and the sooner, the greater the chance that March seventeenth is still available.