Finally, they slowed things down for a song, just to make sure that the floor didn’t collapse under the audience’s enthusiasm and send them all down into the hotel’s basement. Con stepped up to the mike and began an a cappella version of Cyril Tawney’s “The Blue Funnel Line” with the rest of the band joining in on harmony for the one-line refrains. They finished with an instrumental version of the song on whistles and accordion.

The ensuing applause was enthusiastic, but the audience made it obvious that they wanted more dance tunes by returning to the dance floor and clapping in reel-time.

Lizzie took her turn at the mike.

“My car broke down last night,” she said when the noise died down enough for her to speak. “Right out in the middle of bloody nowhere. I thought I’d be sleeping in the back seat, but then a Good Samaritan got me up and running again—lucky, too, or maybe I wouldn’t even be able to be enjoying this night with all of you.”

That brought a round of applause and Lizzie grinned at the crowd.

“Anyway,” she went on, “I don’t think my rescuer was a big fan of Celtic music—”

A few good-natured boos rose up.

“I know,” she said. “What’s up with that? But one good turn deserves another, so here’s a set of American fiddle tunes we call the ‘The Two Billys Set.’ They’re for my rescuer Grey, wherever he might be tonight.”

She stepped back from the mike to let Andy count them in, then off they went into “Billy in the Low Ground,” the twin fiddles growling on their low strings against the deep-throated rumble of Andy’s bodhran. Three times through, then they jumped keys into “Bill Cheatum’s” and Con joined them on guitar, playing a syncopated old-timey rhythm that brought out the American feel of the tune and kicked the energy up yet another notch.

They followed that with two sets of Irish reels, and then the set was over.

“Don’t go away,” Siobhan told the crowd. “We’ll be back with lots more music right after the break.”

Andy turned down the sound from the stage. When he flicked the switch that brought the house sound system up, Johnny Cash’s deep baritone filled the air. That seemed enough to soothe a few members of the audience who hadn’t wanted the music to stop. The band left the stage, grinning ac each other.

“This is a great venue,” Con said.

Lizzie nodded. “Yeah, we always seem to get exceptional audiences when we play here. It must be something in the water.”

“Or in the beer,” Siobhan said, “because, lord, can they put it away. You boys have fun now,” she added as she walked away.