Singing Brothers Form a Musical Irish Clan

Singing Brothers Form a Musical Irish Clan

By GRAELYN BRASHEAR - STAFF WRITER

March 12, 2010 Asbury Park Press

While growing up in Newark and Wall Township, the Farrell brothers were always surrounded by the music of their Celtic heritage. At family gatherings — which ranged from a few cousins kicking back in someone's basement to full-fledged reunions of hundreds — instruments invariably came out.

"It's a ruboff from the old Irish culture," said Charlie Farrell, 49, of Toms River. He and brothers James, 55, of Brick, and John, 60, of Keyport, are the grandsons of immigrants from County Waterford, Ireland, and frequent impromptu music sessions were a tradition their vast extended family never gave up.

So it makes sense, the brothers said, that they learned to sing and play multiple instruments from a young age. "We all started out as children playing," said John. "Around our house, there were musicals, there were always the old Irish records on."

Now, after decades of casual jamming, the brothers have formed their own Irish-American band. They've dubbed themselves Clan Suibhne, opting for the Gaelic spelling of their immigrant grandparents' Anglicized last name, Sweeney. And with gigs piling up, the trio — which often grows to incorporate other clan members — is realizing a longtime dream. "This is something we've always said we wanted to do," Charlie said. "It was one of those "some day' things," added John, who has been writing his own songs for 20 years.

Last year Charlie was coming up on retirement from a 30-year career in the Coast Guard, and he decided it was time to make some day happen. John, who works in real estate and construction, and James, long active in the Shore music scene, agreed.

When they started researching venues in Monmouth and Ocean counties, the Farrell brothers found themselves drawn to the classic ambience of a handful of Irish taverns in Shore towns they've known and loved all their lives. Fittingly, their first pub appearance was at Farrell's Stout & Steak in Point Pleasant Beach.

Playing in pubs along New Jersey's "Irish Riviera" just feels right, the men said, like things have come full circle.

In a way, they have; it's not the first time a Farrell has performed in a Shore town. The family used to summer in Belmar, and their late father was known for loading the talented young Jimmy and his accordion into the back of the family's Studebaker for musical drives.

"They'd be down by the beach, driving around town, doing their errands," said John, "and Jimmy would be in the back playing songs with the windows open. People would just be astonished."

Memories of those days find their way into the songs John writes for the band. He often references now-shuttered hangouts, like the Circus Fun House in Asbury Park and the Route 35 drive-in theater in Hazlet, both landmarks of the brothers' teenage days. When he sings of those places, he said, "I'm amazed at how many heads snap up."

The distinctly Jersey touches are delivered, however, with real Irish flair. The trio travels with two carloads of instruments, including traditional drums, pipes, a concertina, mandolin, guitars, bass fiddle and an Irish banjo — a four-string version of the classic American instrument, which, they said, has a beautiful, bagpipe-like drone.

Strum those strings, said Charlie, "and you'll start thinking about Celtic women and Riverdance."

With one foot in their ancestral homeland and one planted firmly on the Jersey Shore, the Farrell brothers are winning over fans by the pubload. The band will even make an appearance in an episode of the NBC drama Mercy that airs on St. Patrick's Day (2010). They're looking forward to tuning into the show while they play at Murray MacGregor's Publik House in Rumson that night, said John.

And they're having a blast bringing their music to others. Charlie said he thinks their dad knew what he was doing when he orchestrated those summertime backseat concerts. "He'd be real happy to see this day," he said.  

©2010 Asbury Park Press. All rights reserved.