Club and GReek
Club & Greek

“Irish Coffee” Radio Show Introduced to WMCX

The University’s Own 88.9 FM Hosts New Saturday Morning Irish Music Show


Club and GReek

Irish Coffee is a new Irish music radio show on the University’s very own WMCX 88.9 FM. The show is hosted, as well as founded, by senior Brendan Mallon who is accompanied by Michael Palardy, Music Director at WMCX. You can tune in every Satur-day morning from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm to hear the music of Ireland grac-airwaves.

Inspired by a New York based Irish radio show out of Fordham University called Ceo na nGael, Mallon has set here in Monmouth and Ocean County.

“The Fordham station gave me whole thing. I’ve been listening to them since I was a little kid and I wanted to give people here that same also made sure not to interfere with the Fordham station, making Irish Coffee a Saturday morning show as opposed to Ceo na nGael’s Sunday morning air time.

Mallon initially had the idea for Irish Coffee last semester but is just now putting it together with the help of Palardy and Gary Kowal, sports director at . Mallon said, “If it weren’t for them I’d still be procrasti-nating about it, they were both more than willing to help.

”Palardy has been with WMCX -sity. “Brendan came to me this year saying, ‘Palardy I need help learning how to do it and ended up sticking around,” Palardy said. “I love Irish music too; I grew up with it. I showed Brendan the ropes but he’s the man of the show, I just kind of sit back while he does it.

”Irish Coffee plays a variety of Irish-based tunes from modern up-and-current bands such as The Nar-of Rockland County. The Narrow-backs state on their Facebook page, “American first, Irish always.” Girsa, girls, in Gaelic; Girsa is made up of eight girls who have grown up playing music together.

In addition to the aforementioned -means traditional style Irish music.

“Trad music contains no vocals,” flutes, whistles, mandolins, accordions and piano to name a few instru-ments.”

College students commonly associate bands such as Flogging Molly or The Dropkick Murphys with Irish music. Mallon said, “While we have play them if requested, they are not exactly Irish music. I hope for people to tune in because we’re playing or rap.”

Although Mallon grew up with house, he wasn’t always a fan of it like I was a kid,” he said laughing, “But now that I’m older and when you see it played live, it’s like the best thing there is. It’s played from the heart and Mallon and Palardy have been do-ing their best to promote the show at in Seagirt which took place three weekends ago and also the Guinness Oyster Festival.

Mallon said, “We handed out fly-ers and let people know what it was all about. I even got an interview with the lead singer of the Irish band Black 47.” Unfortunately the quality recording was not good enough to play over the air this past Saturday as he had hoped.Some of the preparation for the show involved figuring out what to discuss between songs.

Mallon said, “A few of the bands I’ll play I’m also friends with from back home so I’ll -mote upcoming gigs.”

Palardy also announces the weath-here in West Long Branch.

“My goal is to give people the chance to tune in once a week and ap-preciate Irish music like I do,” Mal-lon said. Irish Coffee will be airing its fourth show this Saturday at its regular 10:00 am start time on WMCX 88.9 FM.

PHOTO COURTESY of Nick Hodgins