Sat before the flags of countries oceans away, a crowd gathers in a pub in Western Washington to listen to songs of loss and love and longing and joy, of war and of gentler times, of lives long past and those lived every day.

Resonant voices singing in English and Gaelic roll over the Galway Bay Irish Pub in Ocean Shores on Tuesday afternoon before an attentive crowd, marking the official beginning of the 19th annual Celtic Music Feis.

“When it comes to Irish music, this feis is the place to be,” said Liam Gibbons, co-owner of the pub, in an interview in the quiet beer garden behind the building as Hank Cramer, the opening performer, wound up.

The feis — Gaelic for a traditional Irish or Scottish arts and culture festival- has run since 2003, when Gibbons and co-owner Chris Doyle moved the Galway Bay from a smaller location elsewhere in Ocean Shores.

“We moved here in 2003. I said, ‘this is a big enough place to do a music festival, I’m gonna do it!’” Gibbons said. “All these musicians, they’re like my family, they’ve been here so long.”

Michael S. Lockett | The Daily World Hank Cramer, playing Tuesday, said he got his first taste of Irish music from going to concerts like the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem with his grandmother, Agnes O’Toole, who grew up in Mayo in Ireland.

Cramer, who opened this year’s feis, has played every single feis since the event began, and was singing at the pub’s previous location for years before.

“This is my 30th year singing for the pub. The pub has grown over the years,” said Cramer after playing the opening set, in a bright, quiet dart room behind the bar on the way out to the beer garden. “Liam has made this a Mecca of Irish music in the Northwest.”

Cramer, who grew up in America, said he got his first taste of Irish music from going to concerts like the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem with his grandmother, Agnes O’Toole, who grew up in Mayo in Ireland.

“Agnes took me to one of their concerts and I fell in love with the music and the humor and the energy,” Cramer said. “You gotta tell stories. You gotta tell jokes. You got to make them feel like they’re joining you in the living room.”

That quiet, narrative form of folk singing is a draw for many, including Larrie Pretzer, an Ocean Shores resident enjoying her first feis.

“I’ve always loved Celtic music,” Pretzer said. “It’s real music to me. They tell a story tied with good music.”

Pretzer enthusiastically recommended the feis to all, saying she was enjoying the feis from the start.

“I’m just here enjoying it,” Pretzer said. “Don’t doubt it. Come do it.”

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Peter Daldry, once of Scotland, performs at Galway Bay’s 19th annual Celtic Music Fest on Oct. 18 at the Ocean Shores pub and restaurant. The festival will run until Sunday, Oct. 23.

That low key and intimate atmosphere won’t be every performer in the feis, Cramer said — as the feis widens its gaze and spreads to the city’s convention center beginning on Thursday, many more singers and bands from Ireland, Scotland, Canada and the United States will enter the rotation, including a number whose music is more rock and roll and less folk-recalling.

“We’re getting well known around the world. We’re a unique experience,” Doyle said. “I think we’re the only (Celtic music) festival that does it all indoors.”

After two years of somewhat limited events — one year entirely digital, one year held only at the pub sans convention center — Doyle said putting back the full event went cleanly.

“It’s been fairly smooth,” Doyle said. “I think everything’s fallen in line. We’ve been doing it for so long.”

Many of the bands have been participating for many years, Doyle said. A core of volunteers and long-time employees also helps the festival to run smoothly.

“They help the customers enjoy the experience we want them to have,” Doyle said.

Without other businesses in Ocean Shores, Doyle said, this event wouldn’t be possible. From the 10 hotels that host musicians for free, as well as being available to rent for guests coming from out of town, to other restaurants, to local businesspeople like Rich Hartman, who helps provide shuttle services for guests around the area, it’s a major event for what could otherwise be a slow time for the beach town.

“As this place has gotten bigger, it’s like the Field of Dreams thing,” Cramer said. “If you build it, they will come.”

For now, anyone wanting to hear the music derived from thousands of years of Gaelic tradition, to see the coordination of the Irish dance teams, to sip the cold beers and whiskeys, to feel the stirrings in their souls in time with the music, the feis is just beginning, with tickets and more information available at celticmusicfeis.com.

Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.

Peter Daldry, once of Scotland, performs at Galway Bay.

Hank Cramer talks after his performance at Galway Bay’s 19th annual Celtic Music Fest on Oct. 18 at the Ocean Shores pub and restaurant. The festival will run until Sunday, Oct. 23. (Matt Wells / The Daily World)

The Galway Bay’s 19th annual Celtic Music Fest began on Oct. 18 at the Ocean Shores pub and restaurant. The festival will run until Sunday, Oct. 23. (Matt Wells / The Daily World)