Every 2nd Sunday of the Month, between 4pm – 7pm, sometimes later, the Harp Inn in Costa Mesa hosts a traditional Irish seisium.
Seisium = random musicians bring themselves and their instruments, get drinks from the bar, sit down in a rough circle/rectangle and ask each other if they know thus and such traditional Irish song. What proceeds greatly varies depending on the skill of the musicians and how many of the same songs they have in common and how much beer/shots have been consummed by 5pm.
These afternoon sessions vary greatly at the Harp, while there is a core group of musicians that show up every month, there is either happy music making or mild bickering. Either is very entertaining for the viewer.
I enjoy this monthly event, I usually take my writing journal, order a cider, and enjoy listening while I write. Sometimes I invite my mom, yesterday due to the fact that Mom was out at the River with my brother, I invited my friend Cami. When she showed up around 6pm, I was greatly surprised to see her walk into the Harp (in Costa Mesa, Calif., not Ireland or the UK) with two grade school girls and one high schooler in tow.
Now sometimes people bring their babies in strollers to this musical afternoon in a bar, but I haven’t ever seen anyone between 2 and 21 show up. This was pushing the boundaries of CA liqour laws for an establishment that serves bar food, esp. given that Cami is not their parent. But bless Cami, none of this occurred to her, she just thought it would be a wonderful musical experience for some of the kids who live on her block.
After feeding the kids cholesterol clogging bar food, we attempted to teach them how to Irish dance. This amused one of the fiddle players to no end.
This is Selena before food arrived and she was hungry and slightly bored.
If you are over 21, love Irish music, and don’t mind works in progress, come on down and join us the next time a 2nd Sunday arrives.