When Irish Guys Are Singing

By Chris Manson
March 5, 2009 Issue

If you can’t wait until St. Patrick’s Day, you can get your Irish fix six nights a week at McGuire’s Irish Pub in Destin. The popular eatery features live performers every night except Mondays, the most prominent being 22-year veteran Rich McDuff.

McDuff has enjoyed a popular run this season with Tuesday afternoon performances that encourage lots of singing and clapping along. “This is my favorite time of year,” he tells patrons as his wife Carolyn assists him in handing out beads to those brave enough to “kiss the moose.” We had taken my girlfriend’s daughter out a couple nights earlier for a birthday celebration, and singer Christopher Ricker encouraged our guest of honor to plant one on the big stuffed moose head.

“What happened was, the owners (of McGuire’s) had a moose on the wall in their old place in Pensacola,” McDuff explains. “As legend goes, there was some ruckus going on, and someone went and kissed the moose. And people kept chanting. When I came to perform there, I made up the song ‘Kiss the Moose,’ and people tended to kiss the moose when I sang. I always equate it to kissing the blarney stone. Who knows exactly when it happened? But it’s a tradition, and everyone does it.”

McDuff, a longtime resident of Pensacola originally from Boston, started playing guitar at age 17. “I enjoyed it, and after a year and a half, I got some gigs and saw I could make a living off it,” he says. After attending the celebrated Berklee College of Music, his forte became playing Irish music.

“I knew a little, but then became more of an expert, playing in Irish pubs in Boston for a decade. The Black Rose, where I played for seven years, was a hardcore Irish bar. I’d listen to the Clancy Brothers and the Chieftains, and my reputation got to where different pub owners around the country called and asked me to play.” McDuff was lured to McGuire’s in Pensacola for four weeks and eventually became the house musician.

His repertoire hasn’t changed much in two decades, but McDuff tries to keep up with modern Irish music by artists like Flogging Molly. But it’s most important, he says, to know “the 20 or 25 songs that every age group who likes Irish music” will recognize—stuff like “The Unicorn Song,” written by Shel Silverstein and popularized by the Irish Rovers, as well as “My Bonnie,” “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” etc.

“My true passion is classical guitar music,” says McDuff. “That’s why I’m a musician. But when it comes to singing songs, hands down the Irish folk music is my favorite. There’s a sea song, ‘Blow the Man Down,’ that has that gusto to it. And the ballads that tell the history of Ireland—when you listen to the lyrics of these songs, it gives weight to the music.” McDuff is also a huge fan of the Kingston Trio and puts his heart into renditions of “Tom Dooley” and other tunes popularized by the folk band.

Additional information about this engaging performer—along with video clips—is at www.richmcduff.com. McDuff performs at McGuire’s in Pensacola throughout the rest of the month before returning to Destin in April. “The original McGuire’s has a 30-year following,” he says. “Because I’ve been there 22 years, people will come up and say ‘I saw you 20 years ago.’ People who saw me when they were 10 bring their kids. The Destin location appeals to a lot of retired people—the Snowbirds really appreciate that music. You don’t have to convince them to like it. At three in the afternoon, the whole place is packed.”

RAMBLERS RETREAT III
The WaCo Ramblers present their third music festival at the Old Mossy Headz Festival Grounds in Mossy Head, beginning Friday March 20 at 8 p.m. and lasting through the following Saturday. Cost is just $15 for both days, including camping. The Ramblers’ Jeremiah Campbell informs us this year’s lineup includes local favorites Dread Clampesque (minus Kyle Ogle), Coconut Radio, Hellalujah, Sugar Gliders, the Black Creek String Band, and the Mossy Headz Boys; Lowdown Throwdown from Mobile; Tallahassee’s Even Money; Flea Market Hustlers from Murphreesboro, Tennessee; Insomniac Gypsy from Madison, Wisconsin; Deland, Florida’s Holden Boys; and the Committee of Unamerican Activities “from outer space.” More information at www.wacoramblers.com.

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