{"id":18814,"date":"2026-02-04T18:59:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T18:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/?p=18814"},"modified":"2026-02-04T19:00:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T19:00:24","slug":"sea-shanty-midwest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/sea-shanty-midwest\/","title":{"rendered":"Sing a Shanty: The Tunes Turning Midwesterners into Song Sailors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Just off the Mississippi river in western Illinois, patrons clink Guinness glasses over beef stew and mashed potatoes. Dollar bills from across the world line the ceiling in the quaint pub. And voices begin to gather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCaptain\u2019s in the pilothouse, ringin\u2019 the bell<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\u2019s on the way, boys, who\u2019s on the way?\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s Thursday night at Morrison\u2019s Irish Pub\u2014AKA \u201cyour Ireland away from Ireland\u201d\u2014in Alton, Illinois. Here, it\u2019s called Sea Shanty Thursday. Each week, people come together to sing Irish folk work songs, historically<\/a> meant to keep up morale (and productivity) among sailors. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n \"People\n\n
\n
\n \n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg> Photo Credit: Morrison’s Irish Pub<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n
\n The brick building holding Morrison’s Irish Pub in Alton, Illinois, dates back to the 1860s.\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n \n \n <\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

Regular Melissa Herzberg, a student at Southern University Illinois Edwardsville, has been going each week for a year \u201cand always will.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI found a community at Morrison\u2019s. Thursdays give me something to look forward to every week, giving me the motivation I need,\u201d says Herzberg, who filmed one of the shanty nights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n