Irish Performers Share Spirit of Emerald Isle on St. Patrick’s Day

The “Spirit of Ireland” show at Royce Hall on Wednesday night was a pleasant view of Irish culture beyond the high-powered production potency of “Riverdance” and “Titanic.” Instead of massed dancers and nautical romance, the production--which featured the RTE Irish National Radio Orchestra and a supporting cast of dancers, a piper, a soprano and a narrator--kept it simple, liberally mixing traditional tunes, a few popular ballads, a sprinkling of Irish humor and some vigorous step-dancing.

The evening was held together by actor Bill Golding, who recited poetry, told jokes about Texans in Ireland and introduced the musical numbers, amiably serving as a kind of pub companion guide through some of the thornier Irish-language material.

The centerpiece of the evening, the 50-piece RTE Orchestra, conducted by Proinnsias O Duinn, was a competent regional ensemble, playing the relatively easy orchestrations of traditional material with a pleasant ensemble sound, and an easygoing--if not especially urgent--rhythmic flow. On several numbers the orchestra was joined by piper Mick O’Brien, who added traditional-sounding timbres but not much in the way of intensity.

Soprano Meav Ni Mhaolchatha, however, was an entirely different matter. Although her presentation was coolly elegant, and her voice remarkably pure, she sang with a subtle, underlying passion, bringing rich believability to such chestnuts as “I Dreamt I Dwelt,” “The Last Rose of Summer” and “Danny Boy.”

The production’s five dancers were equally engaging. With the exception of one brief number, choreographed to an ancient Celtic legend, they weren’t asked to do much more than prance through the rigorous moves of step-dancing, but they did so with an effervescence that drew shouts of encouragement from the enthusiastic full house. It was in their performance--with Ni Mhaolchatha’s singing and Golding’s tale-telling--that this St. Patrick’s Day event came fully alive.