Sara Meaney, partner at Milwaukee-based Comet Branding, jokingly calls herself one of the original “Glee” kids, but admits that might be a little extreme, even for her. Music has been a big part of her life since she was a child.
“I started taking piano lessons when I was four and continued, with the same instructor, all the way through high school,” Meaney said. “Music was a big part of learning for me, reading at an early age, being strong in math, and my parents really reinforced that idea and encouraged me to pursue music.”
Throughout high school, Meaney participated in choir and musical theater.
In 2000, Meaney moved to Ireland and was introduced to the Irish pub scene and the cultural impromptu singing and storytelling experience. She lived in Ireland more than two years, and throughout that time, Meaney and her husband, Mark, a guitar player, became regular performers at a pub in Dublin.
“It was really ironic, I’ve done so many formal performances in my life and yet, I used to get really nervous in the impromptu setting,” Meaney said. “I received the best advice from my husband. He always says, ‘Just get on with it, nobody cares what anybody else is doing. They’re just here for fun and entertainment.'”
Meaney and her husband moved back to the United States and searched for an Irish pub in Milwaukee.
“Mark especially had a strong desire to continue to play his music and his guitar,” she said. “So one night we had dinner at Brocach Irish Pub, and he talked to the manager about getting it started. The manager was all for it, and we’ve been doing it, along with other local musicians ever since.”
That was almost two years ago. Now, on Tuesday nights from 8 to 10 p.m., musicians gather to perform at Brocach Irish Pub at 1850 N. Water St., Milwaukee. Meaney and her husband are regular performers, but the show goes on now even if they can’t make it.
“It’s music and laughing and doing something for yourself,” Meaney said. “It brings me back to my focus, recharges my batteries and I feel good when I’m doing it. I’m constantly reminded of that every week I go. It’s definitely my escape.”
