CLINTON — Lively fiddle tunes and Irish songs will fill the Kirkland Art Center, 9 1/2 E. Park Row, from 5-7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 18.

The annual fundraising event for the art center will feature traditional musicians from the area in a celebration of St. Patrick’s Day weekend — including plenty of tunes from local session group Craobh Dugan O’Looney and songs from a new band on the local Irish music scene, Fiddlebutter.

Cost is $20 for general admission or $15 for KAC members.

“We’ve been collecting Irish songs for years, and can’t wait to share them with you,” said Nora Revenaugh, who studied Irish traditional singing in Limerick and joins Mike Carroll, Jameson Dunham, and Kevin Mathews to make up Fiddlebutter. “We’ll have some old standards of course, some fun storytelling songs, and a little taste of old-style sean nós singing. There’s really something for everyone in this living tradition.”

Why the silly band name? “Well, a ‘fiddle butt’ is the most valuable part of the tree that north country loggers used to send off to Boston to be made into traditional instruments,” explained Mike Carroll. “As Irish musicians who hail from Central New York, we thought it was a great nod to our area’s long history with the music.”

Irish refreshments available during the evening will include Barry’s tea and soda bread, a selection of Irish beers, as well as wine and soft drinks. Unlike a formal classical concert, the Irish Evening audience is encouraged to eat, drink, chat, mingle, and even dance a step or two in the spirit of an authentic Irish music “session,” or music party.

Some readers may already know Craobh Dugan O’Looney as the leaders of monthly Irish sessions at the Irish Cultural Center in Utica, the Copper City Brewery in Rome, and The State Bridge Collective in Durhamville. Sue Romero, who plays in the group as well as manages their website at www.uticairish.org, said she is looking forward to bringing that traditional music to the art center.  

“In March, Irish fun and music invites people of all cultural backgrounds to join in,” said Romero. “So we’re looking forward to playing tunes for one and all at the KAC.”

Tickets for the Irish Evening at the KAC are available at www.kacny.org or 315-853-8871, or at the door.

The mission of the Kirkland Art Center is to educate children and adults in the arts, to advocate for artists and the arts, and to engage the community in a range of cultural experiences and opportunities.