Jackson Hole Underground

Slainte! Whether you’re tipping back coffee or a pint of Guinness, the strains of traditional Irish music will be ringing for St. Patrick’s Day. Don some color and bust out your Jonathan Papelbon dance.

Jackson’s own Celtic music troupe, Slip & the Jigs, will be performing three gigs today in a marathon test of stamina and sobriety. The smaller version of the group, The Blackthorn Trio, kicks off the festivities from 9 to 11 a.m. at Shades Cafe, where green-frosted rum raisin scones are on the menu.

Later, the full band convenes for a session at the new Fitzgerald’s Bicycles shop. The party will run from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. before shifting next door to the Brew Pub.

This evening, the celebration o’ the green continues at the Wort Hotel, where Slip & the Jigs will perform from 7 p.m. until the wee hours, assuming the musicians are still standing.

“We’re going to loosen things up later in the day as we get a sense of how the pace is holding up,” says Jamie Reilly, the talented thespian and singer.

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You may have noticed that posts have been, um, sparse on these pages in recent weeks. Well, it’s the holidays, and there are a lot better things you could be doing than trolling the Internet: partying, writing letters, traveling, exchanging gifts, praying.

And if you live in Jackson Hole, Wyo., well, there’s been a lot of great powder skiing.

I managed a quick, pre-Christmas visit to New York to visit my family on Long Island and catch up with old friends in Manhattan. Between coming and going, shopping and packing, celebrating there and celebrating here, I’ve been neglecting this site.

For me, taking a break from blogging is like eddying out in a kayak; sometimes it takes a lot of effort to get back in the stream. The longer I wait, the more the current keeps on rushing by, and I have to paddle hard and marshal up considerable gumption to break the eddy line of inertia. So, consider this a thrust into the current again.

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This angel lit up the dance floor, literally, at the Q Roadhouse Halloween Party on Saturday.

Four days after most people celebrated it, the actual holiday arrives today with a hint of the spookiness that inspired the original Celtic festival, Samhain. For some 2,000 years, humans have been marking the last harvest, summer’s end, the start of the dark months, with revelry.

While in the past this tradition honored a connection to the dead or the underworld, today the holiday has evolved into an expression of the freakier side of human nature. And in Jackson Hole, the freaks come out on Halloween.

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Some Irish humor to brighten your St. Patrick’s Day:

The Matterhorn

For a holiday, Mulvaney decided to go to Switzerland to fulfill a lifelong dream and climb the Matterhorn. He hired a guide and just as they neared the top, the men were caught in a snow slide.

Three hours later, a Saint Bernard plowed through to them, a keg of brandy tied under his chin.

“Hooray!” shouted the guide. “Here comes man’s best friend!”

“Yeah,” said Mulvaney. “An’ look at the size of the dog that’s bringin’ it!”

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Banjo and slide guitar player Tony Furtado returns to one of his favorite stomping grounds to play the Knotty Pine for St. Patrick’s Day.

Furtado’s Celtic-infused bluegrass is a perfect fit for the annual celebration o’ the green.

The two-time national banjo champion, well known from his many performances in the Tetons over the years, has a new album, Thirteen, several songs from which are posted on his MySpace page.

Showtime is 10 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $15 at the door.

Also, Teton County Library hosts more Irish music and tales with singer Judith Weikle, accompanied by music ensemble Strings Attached. Show will run from 6 to 7 p.m., with a children’s concert starting at 5.