My week has been filled with inspiration, the culmination of which was found somewhere between heartfelt musical notes, decadent chocolate cake, and entertaining tales of the pooka (and all things Irish) last evening at a “Session” at the Stackner Cabaret. Simply put, “The Craic” was brilliant.
“Craic” is an Irish word (pronounced “crack”) that translates nicely to the idea of “a good time.” My kind of word! Better yet, craic can be used in just about any form…adjective, noun, verb, adverb…
You might say, “How’s the craic?” instead of “How are you?” Or “We had great craic!” rather than “We had a lot of fun.” You might drive around the town just for the craic or report to your friends later that “The craic was good.” It is so versatile and so incredibly fun!
Okay, you say, another show, another lovely evening, but how can I go so far as to say “inspiring?”
The inspiration comes…as always…from the little things. It is always the little things that make the difference.
The entire venue has an eclectic quality that is difficult to top. The River Center plays host to bars, theaters, an “arts hotel” complete with an artist in residence and a satellite venue of the Museum of Wisconsin Art.
So that’s kind of amazingly cool on its own, being surrounded by creativity, beauty, and talent at every turn. But when we arrived at the Stackner (one of the theaters within), something magical took over.
We were in Ireland for the evening. There was Guinness, Irish whiskey, shepherd’s pie, Colcannon soup (turned down by my husband with the proclamation, “I’ve had enough Irish soup in my life…I’ll go with the chicken and orzo”), and Rueben sandwiches.
We met lovely people, sang along with the sea chanties, and immersed ourselves in the stories told on stage.
I watched as the audience slowly transformed from being a rather stodgy group of seemingly uptight onlookers into individuals who were moved to tears by the strains of “Danny Boy” and filled with laughter at Kathleen’s fiery Irish-tempered remarks. An older, rather stoic-looking couple started off the evening in silence despite the festive atmosphere, but by the end of the show they were holding hands and reminiscing about times gone by with a rekindled warmth glowing from within.
It is that kind of magic, the kind that transforms, revives, and brings laughter and hope to the world, that kind of magic is nothing short of inspiring. That, my friends, is the depth to which “The Craic” (and the chocolate cake) roused my spirit.
I woke up this morning with strains of a five-stringed electric violin echoing in my mind and inspiration weaving through my soul.
There are so many things to do in this world, so many people to meet, so much to create, so much to breathe in…
Every new day is the starting point of new opportunity. ♥
Hillary Danaher 