The Lord of the Dance and the Canadian PM and : two more famous faces for Matt Molloy's wall
Matt Molloy's, the legendary music pub on Westport's Bridge Street, hosted two world leaders in their respective fields on consecutive nights this week, adding fresh names to a guest list that already reads like a who's-who of music, politics and entertainment.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called into the pub during a visit to Mayo, where he has family roots in Aughagower, and stopped to wish a happy birthday to his fellow Canadian Nathan Pilatzke, the champion step dancer well known to regulars at Molloy's sessions. The pub shared news of the visit on Facebook, saying it was "wonderful" to have the Canadian Prime Minister join them.
The very next night, it was the turn of dance to take centre stage, as Michael Flatley — Lord of the Dance himself — joined the celebrated Irish-American musician Joanie Madden and pub owner Matt Molloy for a few tunes. The former Riverdance star Flatley and Molloy have been close friends for more than 40 years, a bond that was on public display when the pair performed together on The Late Late Show in June 2024.
It has been a big year for Molloy himself. The world-renowned flute player, a founding member of The Bothy Band and longtime flautist with The Chieftains, was named Grand Marshal of Westport's St Patrick's Day parade in March.
The Bothy Band's original line-up — Molloy alongside Paddy Keenan, Tommy Peoples, Dónal Lunny, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill and Mícheál Ó Domhnaill — became renowned in the 1970s for taking the older rhythms of Irish traditional music and giving them fresh, visceral force, a legacy still felt every night in the pub that bears his name.
That legacy is etched into the walls of the Bridge Street institution, where photographs trace decades of famous visitors who have stopped in for a pint and a tune — from sitting US Presidents and Vice Presidents to astronauts, alongside musicians, dancers and entertainers from around the world. After this week's visits from a Canadian Prime Minister and the king of Irish dance, two more faces look certain to join them.