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How in the world did six Mulligans end up in the same band? 

That’s the magic of the music, my friends.

It all starts with Terry (banjo, guitar, harmonica.) Originally the product of St. Paul, Minnesota, his journey started in southwest Florida with a band called Celtic Stew in the late 90s. Flash forward two decades and he’s in the Tampa Bay area and decides to form a new band that combines his favorite styles of music; Irish, Americana, folk, bluegrass, blues, classic country, and rock & roll.

First up, he met Mike (guitar, mandolin,) a seasoned American roots musician that has played festivals, coffeehouses, and honky-tonks all over the southeast with former outfits Dusty Road Rangers, Cruddy Puppets, and Hallow Tree.

Fortunately, several people pointed Bryan (fiddle) in their direction. Bryan brings decades of classical training and symphony orchestra experience, including the Purdue Symphony and other orchestras in and around the Dayton/Cincinnati area. He dipped his toes into the Celtic waters in 1997 playing fiddle and mandolin in FinTan. 20 years later he landed in St. Pete. Local Irish music fans and pub frequenters may recognize Bryan from local Irish band Drunken Shrubbery.

As the calendar opened 2025, the band now named Mulligan Road wanted to establish themselves and book a few shows for the St. Patrick’s season. Only one issue, Bryan had a full slate of shows booked with the Shrubs, so perhaps a short-term sub would work. Short-term would become permanent!

Again, several people pointed the nascent band to a musician, this time Annie (flute, tin whistle, bagpipes, fiddle) as a temporary substitute. She started her musical journey studying under Florida fiddle legend Elan Chalford. In the summer prior to high school, she taught herself how to play flute so she could be in the marching band with her brother. Next, she studied bagpipes with Josh Blais, with additional coaching from Bill Howard. She won “Piper of the Day” in her class in both the 2024 Central Florida and Dunedin Highland Games. She is currently studying flute and music education at University of South Florida.

When she auditioned, she brought Owen with her and the band got a young bass player they didn’t even know they were looking for. Owen (bass) is also a product of the Dunedin High School marching band and pipe band, as well as experience with the City of Dunedin Pipe Band. His experience ranges from classical to jazz, and all stops in between, and is building an impressive resume in composition. He is currently studying bass and music education at USF.

The run-up to St. Patrick’s Day 2025 had the new band (minus Bryan) playing at a bar in Lutz. Annie’s dad, a bluegrass fan who started playing the bodhrán a month before, is in the audience and invited to play the Irish drum with the band, and… invited to the next rehearsal.

John (bodhrán, drums, percussion) just showed up for rehearsal and never really left. As a musician, he has been a lead singer for rock and metal bands on and off since the mid-80s, currently fronting Dunedin punk rock band Olde Rage. After those first St. Pat’s gigs, he couldn’t just play bodhrán on everything, so he started drumming in earnest.

Now, as a 6-piece, the band is carving out their own unique style. They take sort of a bluegrass approach to the arrangements, where you may have a feisty Irish pub song slowed down, and injected with improvised solos, or a murder-ballad sped up to a fun, bouncy take on a classic. The band is blessed with several skilled soloists, and all six members take a lead vocal at some point.

There is a 51-year difference between the oldest and youngest members. That means there’s a lot of different tastes, styles, influences, and experiences. The ever-growing repertoire pulls from all over the musical map, and the band is looking forward to adding some new original songs to the mix.

It’s exciting to see this band develop, getting tighter as a unit, improving on stage, and cementing a great musical friendship and unity between six vastly different musicians. But that’s the magic of the music my friends!

Sláinte,
Reuben Kincaid, 2026