Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerry O’Reilly.
Hi Kerry, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In 2014, I was serving on the board of the TBBCA, an arts and culture advocacy organization that was hosting an event on St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Tampa. We didn’t have a big budget for entertainment but we thought live Irish music would add to the event. I asked a few musician friends if they had an interest in putting together a band to perform Irish music. All of them said yes and the Paddy O’Furniture band was born!
After that first event, we kept getting calls to perform. Since then, we’ve performed nearly 300 times for audiences ranging from small pubs in Tampa Bay to a three show tour in Ireland! (We’re taking a group to Ireland again in 2026 if anyone is interested in joining us!)
It’s a thrill to see people sing, clap and dance along to our music which ranges from traditional Irish sing-alongs, to modern country/folk favorites, to instrumental jigs and reels. Having Irish heritage, I’m glad to keep Irish music alive. Who knows, maybe my ancestors were playing some of the same tunes in Ireland 100+ years ago.
And if you’re wondering about the band name, here’s the story. It comes from the joke: “What’s Irish and spends all night out by the pool?” “Paddy O’Furniture.” It’s a silly name, but we want to let audiences know from the start we are all about having fun!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We have been blessed to perform for fun and friendly audiences wherever we go. Since most of the band members all work a second job, the biggest challenge is coordinating our schedules to find time to rehearse and perform.
Once we get on stage and hear the applause, it’s all worthwhile.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My full time job is as the Director of Marketing for the Tampa Bay Times. I’m proud to say I’m celebrating 25 years at the Times this year! Every year has been different, exciting and challenging in its own way. But my colleagues and our mission to provide independent local journalism makes it fulfilling.
In my role, I get to work with a team of incredibly creative people who use their talents to create ads for the Times and our advertising partners.
Performing in the Paddy O’Furniture band is a fun activity to do after hours to blow off steam!
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Any time you step on stage you stand in front of people and speak, or sing, into a microphone you’re taking a risk.
We perform some original songs which adds to the risk. Cover tunes are safe but you never know how the audience will react to originals. We’ve performed songs on stage that we’ve learned during a set break that have come by request. That’s always a big risk and has backfired on me a time or two!
We’ve played in front of a few audiences that have been ambivalent when we started playing. However, despite the risk of driving them further away, we give it our all and we always get the crowd into it by the end of the performance!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paddyofurnitureband.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paddyofurnitureband/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paddyofurnitureband
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paddyofurnitureband
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7haiDx1SQzUZxqS8Gpeu5W
Image Credits
The photo of me playing guitar was taken by Jayne Drooger
