We're halfway to St. Paddy's Day, and with that thought in mind, the Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe is rolling out the green carpet to welcome the Dublin City Ramblers at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Featuring a blend of old ballads and traditional Irish music with a signature sound, Ireland's legendary folk music group includes founder Sean McGuinness on banjo, mandolin and lead vocals; Tom Miller on bass guitar and vocals; and Mike Funge on guitar and vocals.The band is celebrating its 45th year. Although McGuinness is the only original member, he, Miller and Funge have been together for over 25 years.Based in Dublin, the band spends a lot of time traveling the world. A hardworking trio, they recently finished a stretch of 68 gigs with only five nights off, including their ninth year at the Iowa Irish Festival in Waterloo, Iowa.They frequently tour Spain and the Canary Islands as well."It was fantastic," says McGuinness. "We met a lot of Irish people we hadn't seen in awhile."McGuinness says if you're coming to Saturday's concert, prepare to have fun."We play all Irish music," he says, "some fast, some slow. Every Irish song tells a story of Ireland. What we play is pretty traditional, some old ballads, which go way back, but we put our own stamp on the song."The Dublin City Ramblers may perform some of their originals, but what the band really enjoys doing is asking the audience what it wants to hear."People come along, no matter whether it's a festival or a concert, we ask for requests. We like to keep the people happy; give them what they want to hear."Some of their well-known hits include "The Ferryman," "Dublin in the Rare Ould Times," "The Irish Rover" and "Streets of New York," to name just a few."I like to make people a part of the show. We introduce ourselves, have a bit of fun," says McGuinness. "We like to involve the people. We never want them to just sit and wait for it to be over."The Dublin City Ramblers have released over 50 albums, eight of which have gone gold.They have a large following and have been the recipient of the "keys to the city" at least four times, including in Moorehead, Kentucky, which was a twin city with Dublin that year.Doors for this concert will open at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 570-325-0249 or 24/7 online at

www.mcohjt.com.Tickets are also available at SoundCheck Records in downtown Jim Thorpe, 570-325-4009, and at the opera house from noon until 5 p.m. the day of the show.Parking is available and free after 5 p.m. at the Carbon County lot behind the train station.The Mauch Chunk Opera House is located at 14 W. Broadway in Jim Thorpe.Coming soonFriday: Sugar Blue, legendary harp playerAug. 21: Hey 19 Steely Dan TributeAug. 22: Frank Vignola and Vinny RanioloAug. 27: 40 Story Radio TowerAug. 28: Ryan Shupe and The RubberbandAug. 29: Sons & Heirs (A tribute to the Smiths and Morrissey)Sept. 4: Barefoot MovementSept. 5: Hollywood Nights (A tribute to Bob Seger)Sept. 11: The Stranger (A tribute to Billy Joel)Sept 12: The Frank Sinatra 100 Year Celebration TributeSept. 17: Marshall Crenshaw, Jonathan Edwards, Garland Jeffreys