Sample

The band wandered over to the bar side of the building. They could barely wedge their way into the place. Over the shouts of revelers, the Clancy Brothers were waking Finnegan from the dead via jukebox. A group of drunk college girls wearing flashing shamrock-shaped sunglasses watched the band from the bar. One girl approached them and poked Diarmuid in the chest.

“Hey, where’s your green beer?”

“Never drank it, never will!” he snapped at her.

“You’re no fun. What about you?” she asked as she poked Peadar.

“I don’t drink much, luv. But I’d love a mineral water.” He smiled at the girl who looked at him as if he’d just said he drank scorpion juice.

“He’s lyin’ to yez,” Aisling said with a smirk. “Loves to drink flaming shots.”

“I do not! That there’s a lie!”

“He does, and afterward … let’s just say girls that all the ladies love him!”

Peadar blushed as the girls with the flashing sunglasses surrounded him.

“Let’s get him a green beer!” one yelled. A girl with a green felt-tip marker drew a four-leafed clover on Peadar’s face. Another one took a can of sparkly green spray-on hair color and covered his curly locks with it. Then one wearing fake leprechaun ears handed him an Irish car bomb and demanded that he drink it as a shot, not sip it.

By the time Peadar was handed back to the band, Fionn barely recognized him. His face had green lipstick kisses plastered all over it.

“Jayz, what the feck happened to ye?” Fionn shook his head and stared at the vivid sight before him.

“Are ye tryin’ to steal Leppo the Clown’s job, Peadar?” Diarmuid said as he scratched his goatee.

“Love the new hair color, very posh.” Aisling winked as she ruffled his bangs.

“Och, me Da would go bleedin’ mental if he saw me now,” Peadar said as he saw his reflection in a Genny Cream Ale mirror.

“What time is it, Fionn? Think we should go back to the other room and check on our instruments?” Diarmuid asked.

“Yez can stay here. I’ll go have a gander.”

When Fionn returned to the banquet room, he was surprised to see many of the tables filled up already. Entire families were sitting at tables, the adults swilling green beer as the young children roamed the dance floor where Leppo the Clown was handing out plastic bags of Lucky Charms cereal. Great, Fionn thought, sugar up the kids while the parents mellow out. Guess who’ll be their babysitters?