The egg shakers are rapidly beginning to play an integral part of the Irish session. We carry two types of egg shaker: a pair of egg shakers available in green, red, blue, yellow, orange, purple and black (€6.00 per pair) or the more professional “eggz” shaker at €4.50 for one and a stand is also available for them at €4.50.
I found this little gem in a link posted on the Whistle Forum,
I wonder what keys they come in 
Slan,
D.
It’s “pure drop” I reckon. Sure didn’t yer man Seamus Ennis always want to play the eggz before they strapped him to the pipes, and him only 8 at the time?
Long ago, my brother got one with a built-in pick, so that it shakes a little while you play the guitar… odd, but neat.
We have one gal who plays the bodhran, whistles, and is learning the concertina, who uses a variety of ‘novelty instruments’ at various times. Unless she gets obnoxious about it, it adds some fun. Of course, the main focus of our sessions is fun, rather than re-enactment of other players’ perfect renditions, so it’s OK.
I can see where those expecting purely specific time and place tradition would not care for it.
It can get to be a bit much when more than two people start in with them.
Come to think of it, I’m sure Amar’s got a set, but I think they’re Chinese.
Wow! I started a trend! 
Seriously, I started playing the egg shaker years ago in session, as a way to pass the time when I didn’t know the tunes everyone was playing.
Now I suppose I’ll have to change my identity and get plastic surgery so that I can avoid being lynched as the guy who invented “the session’s newest bodhran”.
Music being what it has alwasy been, a (usually) joyful noise, has always inspired people to pick up what was at hand and join in. I can’t imagine that there never was a can of summat sitting in reach that din’t get shaken a bit in the joy of the tune.
edited to ad… Oh! And Wanderer, after your nose job, when you take up the harp instead, can I have yer whistles? Pulez? 
I don’t have half the whistles I used to. I sold a lot of them between 2000-2003 when I was mostly out of work due to the internet bubble bursting. Sold some more when I moved to Dallas.
I have a nice whistle case that I got NancyF to make for me, and I think it holds like 8 or 9 whistles..I used to carry it full..now, it’s usually half full, and swabs and the like are taking up the rest of the space.
I probably have 30 whistles now, and of those, 23 of them are worth around $5. Ah, but those 7 fancy whistles… 
It could be worse Dubh. I remember a mighty session once in Ripon when us Yellowbellies were visiting. Everything was great until this one fella pulled out a pair of spoons and starting playing them. We could’ve stood that (even though he was really bad on them) but the barmaid said “Oo, that’s a good idea” and vanished into the restaurant section of the pub and came back with a bucketful of spoons. She then handed out a pair to everyone in the (very crowded) bar.
We still have nightmares about that one.
Historically, I believe the tradition was started by Irish musicians who carried around Lucky Charms cereal (or possibly teeth they lost in fights) in empty whiskey bottles and had seizures during fast songs.
You know… although it certainly can be, and often is, overdone, it still is just not something I care to get all bent about. They are having fun too, participating and enjoying the evening. They get to feel like they are part of the ‘magic’ for a bit… even though the magic is really what happens between those who are seriously getting into the playing of their own instruments and the tunes in a different perspective, it all relates and works out well enough most of the time. If we want to focus just on the playing together of some fine tune, we simply focus on that, not the other stuff… and we all end up having a pretty good time. There are thos times of genuine magic, when things click extremely well and there is not “interference”, but the general hubub just makes those time all the more tastey.
I just don’t see the need to shut people up. Sometimes it is necessary, but rarely.
edited to add: In fact, the music store that sponsores the jams, and the pizza place thatlets us use their space, have collaborated, and there are usually fun little pizza box or cup instruments for the patrons to play along with the band with. IT’s cute, it’s silly, and it makes it more fun for those who don’t actually play a real instrument. Especially the kids.
I thought we weren’t supposed to get chuckles out of the stereotypical drunken Irish stories… Or was that just in the St. Paddy’s Dae joke thread.
my eggs are the silent but deadly kind.
stereotypical drunken Irish stories?
I’ll have you know my Uncle Paddy O’Furniture told me that for a fact.
I was about 5 and we were out drunk, looking for a pot of gold.
YOW!
I was thinking more in the line of cowbell, like in that Saturday Night Live skit, but yours is worse!
annismcu wrote:
“the music store that sponsores the jams, and the pizza place thatlets us use their space”
A friend of mine does a “pizza box bodhran” workshop at festivals. It’s a hoot!
But, I too, have been in jams that were overpowered by spoons and bones. Teethgrating!!!
Missy
You all have given me a great idea. I’m going to start taking a tambourine to Irish sessions. Now if I could get to Ireland and find where Peter hangs out. MUAAHAHAHAHA.
Maybe a few extras in case someone doesn’t have an instrument.
Thanks a bunch you guys are the cat’s pajamas.
ummmhmmm… and wait til you figure out what the pajamas are made of… heehee
Probably made from the bee’s knees, hmm?
EGGZ are fine with me at a session, if they aren’t over done, just over easy.
But a few years ago someone showed up with one of these and it was the most annoying thing and the sad thing was that this guy was serious.
MarkB
Last time I was out at faire working the Maypole dance, we once had a really drunk lady enthusiastically beating along on a tambourine, very loudly and totally off the beat.
EJ Jones (who was playing with us for that particular gig) piped his way over to her, mentioned how great of an instrument it was she had, and asked if he could beat on it. She gushed and said yes of course, and he spent the rest of the maypole keeping good time for us on it. He’s so mucy more of a gentleman than I am..I could learn a lot from him. 