On Monday, March 17th, when most clubs, bars and restaurants have had their fill of Irish partying from the weekend before, FitzGerald’s will open its backyard tent and club to host its own “féile” (festival) with non-stop music, food and dancing beginning at 2pm.
Just west of Chicago, there is only one place to be on the actual St. Patrick’s Day – and that is in the comfort of real Irish hospitality: FitzGerald’s Night Club. For the last 26 years the FitzGerald family has been celebrating their Irish heritage with friends, family and the larger communities of Berwyn, Oak Park, Forest Park, Chicago and more.
Featured performers include dancer/fiddler extraordinaire, April Verch, local lads, the Dooley Brothers, talented and, oh-so-darling, students of the Mayer School of Irish Dance with Paul McHugh and Mary Mayer-McHugh, fiddling with the Avenue Kids, and Chicago’s own rockin’ Irishmen, Kevin Flynn & the Avondale Ramblers.
Almost one year ago Wishbone Restaurant opened its Roosevelt Road location, perfectly situated next door to FitzGerald’s Night Club. You can count on them to serve up a special St. Patrick’s Day menu for this celebration featuring traditional fare like Guinness beef stew, soda bread, corned beef & cabbage and a kid-friendly menu! Yum!
Perks include lots of tables and chairs, a coat-check and HEAT (!) in the outdoor tent.
We welcome you to come lift a pint of Guinness or Harp from our free-flowing tap or enjoy one of our Irish whiskeys – with or without the coffee! We guarantee the best time you’ll have outside of Dublin!
Doors open at 1:00pm, performances begin at 2:00pm; $10/$5 for kids 12 and under!
April Verch - When you see twenty-seven year old April Verch perform, the first thing that strikes you is the pure energy that infuses her fiddle playing and stepdancing. Infused with both Canadian and Appalachian influences, her fiddle playing and vocals are a sweet mix of old and new. Award-winning fiddler, step dancing expert and vocalist April Verch brings new meaning to the word multi-tasking. A winner of both the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle and Open Fiddle Championships. • In the Club: 8pm and 10pm (2 sets) aprilverch.com 
The Dooley Brothers - The four brothers, Joe, Jim, Mike and Bill, return for their 26th consecutive appearance at FitzGerald’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration. They bring with them a high variety of Irish, original, acoustic and '50s-'60s rock and roll.
• In the Tent, 3 sets from 7pm – 11pm
dooleybrothers.com
The Mayer School Irish Step Dancers - The Mayer School was founded in 1980. Since then the school has grown to cover three states – Illinois, Missouri and Indiana. Children and young adults take classes and compete in national championships all over the country. Come see some of the best of the dancers. Paul McHugh and Mary Mayer-McHugh will offer instrumental accompaniment.
• In the Tent from 2pm – 6pm mayerschool.com
The Avenue Kids - The Avenue Kids is a children’s string ensemble directed by Tracy Brade of Oak Park, IL. The classes are geared toward introducing kids to a broad spectrum of music including music from other countries, cultures and genres. Last year the Avenue Kids were an instant hit in their debut performance at FitzGerald’s. They are back by popular demand!
• In the Club: 5:30pm avenuekids.org
Kevin Flynn & the Avondale Ramblers –KF & The Ramblers bring a rollicking take on Gaelic music that reflects the working-class aspects of their city. The band’s sound is steeped in the influence of traditional Irish music, but are anything but traditional.
“We’re from here – so our songs are about Chicago, not Ireland,” (says) Flynn. “Instead of singing about Ireland’s pubs, rolling fields and characters we sing about the Harp & Shamrock, Michigan Avenue and Mayor Daley. We don’t sing with a brogue – we sing with our Midwestern accents."
• In the Club, 6:30pm and 9pm.
myspace.com/kevinflynnandtheavondaleramblers (instant audio...)
FitzGerald’s will feature The Quiet Man with John Wayne & Maureen O’Hara in the SideBar.
“The Quiet Man remains a masterpiece of cinema. The Quiet Man is much more than a Irish fairy tale. It is
more than grasping the delicate nuances; looking past the camera's eye and putting yourself on the lush Irish landscape.
It's even more than John Ford's ability to work his magic of color and lighting that projects like surreal paintings on a
canvas of film.”
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