In a town of Irish descendants, it makes perfect sense that St. Patrick’s Day would be a perennial favourite and a necessary wild party. After all, it’s all about the party!

The history of the holiday is maybe slightly different than how it’s celebrated here in Canada today. As we all know, beer, bangers, bands and green are the staples. Andrew Vanhorn’s The Celtic Kitchen Party does all of the band part and more!

It’s their first time bringing it to Westport, let alone for St. Paddy’s Day, so here we go! Pipes, fiddle, guitars and the music of the Irish… I can’t see how it won’t be amazing! Slainté! It all goes down at The Cove Inn on Monday, March 17 during the civilized hours of 5 - 9 pm, following the annual—and growing—St. Paddy’s Day Parade, which starts sometime after 4 pm at the “old” Beer Store location, heading down the Bedford St. stretch with ancestry and revelry top of mind!

The Cove Inn is well reserved, but you might still squeak in! If you can’t make March 17, catch The Celtic Kitchen Party at The Grand Theatre in Kingston celebrating St. Paddy’s on Saturday, March 15. Details and tickets here: web link

Seamus Cowan: All the quotes and accolades suggest that your band always comes as advertised, and I believe it! What is it about this Irish music that brings out the party inside us?

Andrew Vanhorn: For the band, it’s the energy, the revelry of the music and the camaraderie we all feel on this festive holiday. The occasion makes you want to raise a pint of beer to your lips and live life to the fullest. There's something about this saying don't you think? As the saying goes, "There are only two kinds of people in the world. The Irish and those who wish they were."

Q: Dedicating yourself to this suggests to me that you really have this music in you! Is there a history of Celtic music and musicianship in your genes? Can you tell us that story?

Andrew: I think Celtic encapsulates Irish, Scottish, English, East Coast and Folk Canadiana. We like to say we "Celt-ify" music when we add the fiddles or tin whistle. For example, we'll do the tune "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" [Cyndi Lauper], add some Celtic instruments and, voila! There may be some distant heritage amongst the band members but nobody is specifically from Ireland. We also have a strong repertoire of East Coast music and one of the band members is from New Brunswick.

For myself, I am %100 Dutch. What is a Dutch lad doing singing all these Celtic songs anyway?! Firstly, I love Celtic music for its sense of celebration and storytelling. In my opinion, it’s the humour in the lyrics and of course the songs themselves that celebrate raising up a toast of the good stuff. Secondly, we find we're busy all year round as a group. We've picked a genre enjoyed by many people year round, so commercially, it's quite viable (which, on its own merits, is exciting).

Q: When did you start playing music and gain the frontman confidence to lead this type of group? Have you always been a guitar player or do you dabble in other stringed instruments too?

Andrew: I have my parents to thank for getting me started with guitar lessons in Grade 7/8. Although I set the guitar down for some time, it was during last years of high school and the beginning of University when I found a friend who enjoyed common music and I developed a desire to write my own material which led me to playing some of my first shows. So I would say I have been playing music for quite some time. This project generally began in 2015, so The Celtic Kitchen Party has been going strong thus far.

Playing a stringed instrument allows me to have a fairly easy knowledge of bass, banjo and electric guitar (of course) so I have picked those up and played them before. I am generally on the acoustic guitar singing lead vocals and background vocals when Brian Flynn is singing lead.

Q: Giving yourself to this lifestyle and this music is a real commitment. It’s not always easy being up and full of that internal fire! What keeps you going with it?

Andrew: I love entertaining a crowd and the energy and feedback from the audience that comes with that!

Q: Writing your own Celtic tunes must mean you are deeply connected the tradition or you just plainly love to keep the party going, in your own way! Do you have plans for another record? Is there another direction you might head down the Celtic path?

Andrew: Glad you asked. We do have plans! We hope to begin writing and workshopping new music this April with a release for 2026. One direction I have wanted to take would be songs about the Kingston area and its own folklore. Perhaps songs about Westport and its rich heritage?

Be part of The Celtic Kitchen Party this March 15 at Kingston Grand Theatre. Details and tickets here: web link Posted: Mar 12, 2025 Originally Published: Mar 8, 2025