VIDEO OF THE DAY: “FUNKY CÉILÍ” BY BLACK 47

For twenty-five years, the Celtic rock band Black 47, named after the devastating mid-nineteenth-century potato famine in Ireland, has been a fixture on the New York City music scene, particularly come St. Patrick’s Day. But the party band is calling it quits this year, on November 15, as evidenced by the title of what the group has announced is its final album, Last Call. Their ferocious touring schedule is coming to an end as well, as they will be playing their last St. Paddy’s Day concert this Monday, at B.B. King Blues Club. (They will also be performing that day on VH1’s Big Morning Buzz Live and Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show.) The new disc features thirteen songs, including “Salsa O’Keefe,” “US of A 2014,” “Queen of Coney Island,” and “Shanty Irish Baby.” On “St. Patrick’s Day,” cofounder and guitarist Larry Kirwan sings, “Come dance with me, darlin’ / Don’t give it away / Those boys from the Bronx / Just want more of the same / The streets are explodin’ / (They’ll use you, abuse you) / But I’ll see you okay / If you hold on to me on St. Patrick’s Day / I’ll love you forever on St. Patrick’s Day / If you hold on to me on St. Patrick’s Day.” Black 47, which currently consists of Geoffrey Blythe on saxophone, Joe Burcaw on bass, Thomas Hamlin on drums, Fred Parcells on trombone and pennywhistle, and Joseph Mulvanerty on Uilleann pipes and flute, had its biggest hit back in 1991 with “Funky Céilí (Bridie’s Song),” about which Kirwan notes, “I remember the first time we did ‘Funky Céilí.’ It was in the Irish Arts Center on W. 51st Street. We had given it a run through immediately after setting up the PA. It sounded pretty good to me and I was keen to see how the audience would respond. They never even noticed the song that would soon change our lives but kept on dancing. I suppose that, in itself, was good. None of us had any idea that within a few years so many baby girls would be given so many versions of the name — Ceili, Kaylee, K-Lee, K-leigh, Kayleigh, Kayleey, Quaylee, and others.” Fans are sure to notice the song when the band plays it for the last time at a St. Patrick’s Day celebration Monday at B.B. King’s.