May 8, 2026
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Making and Breaking Records: An Irish-American Band
by Jay Randy Gordon
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Dave Browne (left) and Dave Rooney burn down the Napa Film Fest Ball in Nov 2019, shortly after the showing of the doc about them. photo: D. Blair THREE CHEERS FOR THE BLACK
Donnellys, which consists of two talented Daves, Browne and Rooney, their incredible music and now a fine film, "An Irish Story: This Is My Home", distributed by Vision Films.
The film starts with their quest to earn a world record for gigging in all 50 American states, in the shortest amount of time: 35 days. For its remaining 90 minutes, the documentary features compelling performances and insightful interviews, ranging from friends and family to celebrity chef Jose Andres, bar owners and motorcyclist enthusiasts, see trailer.
The two Daves met in 2004, in the Canary Islands, no less. But since then, they have made it their mission to share their songs, Irish heritage and joie-de-vivre, at literally record breaking levels. Indeed, they currently hold the Guinness World Record for marathon guitar-playing and longest multiple-artist concert, 114 hours and 372 hours, respectively, see their website or Facebook.
On top of which, the music is excellent. Browne is a Thin Lizzy-inspired guitarist, vocalist, and mandolinist, while Rooney is a gifted guitarist and song writer. Bubbling with earthy charisma, The Black Donnellys are magical musical partners straight outta Dublin.
Over the 35-day cross-country race covered in the film, the Daves encounters volcanoes, hurricanes, cancellations, injuries and cash-flow crunches. But their laughter, fortitude and dogged determination, not to mention access to abundant alcohol, helped them rally.
Poster for the film 'An Irish Story: This Is My Home', starring Dave Browne and Dave Rooney. illo: courtesy Kristen Bedno/Lise Romanoff (Vision Films)Indeed, the Daves burst off the stage to interact with the audience and produce something very American. Indeed, over, above and around their music swirls a testament to American multiculturalism, given they play both Irish jigs and "Hotel California" and make their homes in Las Vegas, replete with wives and kids, where they’ve been playing the Rí Rá Irish Pub, in Mandalay Bay, for over five years.
Nevertheless, they love to tour, which is why they concocted the challenge of 60 gigs across 50 States in 35 days.
“The Black Donnellys are bad ass,” noted a third Dave (Matthews) of the well revered Dave Matthews Band, who is also a fan.
“Along the journey, the Black Donnellys aren’t just performers,” I was told by Director Karl Nickoley at the Napa Valley Film Festival last November, "they’re immigrants setting off on an adventure to discover America."
“They are exploring the country's deep Irish heritage, and their wider relationship to recent immigrants from across the world. As a nation defined by immigrants, these two musicians offered the perfect opportunity to discover our collective national character.”
Nickoley starts the adventure nicely, riffing through images of their world record quest while they cover “Wagon Wheel”, a big country hit for Darius Rucker, co-written by Bob Dylan. “It was the 'theme' song of the tour,” explained Simon Skjøde Knudsen, the half-Danish manager of the 2018 tour. "They just kept rolling along like a wagon wheel.”
“My favorite stops were Boxcars in Clinton, Wisconsin, O’Toole’s in Honolulu and the youth prison in Pueblo, Colorado, which unfortunately did not make the movie. We could not film inside the prison. My favorite part of the drive was Interstate 5 through Northern California and Oregon.”
But tours can be nightmares of tight travel and scheduling, so I inquired, “What was the key save that kept the tour moving forward?”
The two Daves representing Las Vegas with Philly's favorite son, Sly Stallone. photo: K. Nickoley “That would be hauling ass to Salt Lake City, Utah,” Knudsen answered, chortling, “to catch the flight to Honolulu and then, after the volcano incident—" when they were almost caught in flowing lava "—and getting the guys back stateside to make up for a lost gig. Crucial.”
“I think the movie represents the 35 days in a very real way," Knudsen concluded. "Despite all that went down, we pretty much kept it together. Alcohol is a powerful thing.”
After thirty-five days, they finished in New York City at the notorious McSorley’s Ale House, “The most Irish establishment that ever existed, including in Ireland!” according to Browne.
Which brings us back to the nut of the story: how a couple of middle-aged Irish lads made their home in glitterglam Vegas, became one of the better bar bands around, toured the heartland endlessly and found the American dream.
“When we discovered this joyous, uplifting, inspirational, indie film, we knew we had to distribute it,” I was told by Lise Romanoff, Managing Director and CEO of Vision Films.
“We made a slight twist by adding the phrase ‘An Irish Story’ to the film, to help it find a passionate audience," she said, concluding, "it’s such a fun, Murphy’s-Law type of journey to take with these guys.”
To distribute Romanoff teamed up with John Comerford, Alex Nohe and Jeff Dowd, the indie film marketing guru who has done everything from “Chariots of Fire” (1984) to “The Blair Witch Project” (1999) and was the real life “The Dude” from “The Big Lebowski” (1998), see story).
“I’m half Irish. The other half is Jewish, I’m guilty of everything” Dowd explained to me. “These two guys”—The Black Donnellys—“really capture the spirit and energy of The Irish… and what I find in them is really inspiring and something that we all can relate to – to never give up and to keep things in perspective, with some humor and song.”
'The Black Donnellys are bad ass,' according to Dave Matthews ( (2nd from right) of the famous band of the same name (also shown Tim Reynolds). photo: K. Nickoley “I loved the fact that these guys just decided they could make this journey,” enthused actor Jeremy Holm, who is known for character parts in “House of Cards” (2009-18) and “Mr. Robot” (2013). “They decided they would find a way to play in every state, and do it in record time. But more than that I love that they were sharing this adventure, that really IS the American Story.”
“It’s the American dream of a better life- it’s retracing the steps of so many immigrants who have started over and remade America. And there are no musicians like the Irish. I was able to see them at the end of their amazing trek near my home in Vermont when they played in Burlington. It was a special night. The Daves were on fire.”
On their first trip to California, the Daves also won the heart of Greg Ahn, the owner of Folktale Winery & Vineyard in Carmel, who became an early believer in the film project. “The idea of ‘An Irish Story: This Is My Home’ is 'How do I stay myself and become something completely new,” Ahn told me.
“There were a lot of downs along the way,” Dave Rooney explained to me, over a glass of Folktale at the Napa Film Festival. "This trip was insane, and a nice glass o’ fine wine more than helped at the end of a long day."
And what does the future hold? Well, The Black Donnellys be very busy.
They had a launch party-performance with the Las Vegas Review Journal (circ: 400K) on March 10th and a Los Angeles press kickoff on March 12th. Indeed, the guys were all set for their March 17th St. Patrick’s Day performance, singing the National Anthem at the T-Mobile Arena for the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.
Alas, the NHL season has been postponed, so they will play PaddyFest 2020 at their home bar, the Rí Rá at Mandalay Bay. “Rí Rá is an old Gaelic term," according to Dave Browne. "It means boisterous merriment—that’s why we play there.”
Unfortunately, a lot of these March gigs could be cancelled due to the CoronaVirus pandemic —so check ahead—but they are still scheduled at the Folktale Winery & Vineyard, Carmel, CA, March 15th; Fremont Street, Las Vegas, March 16th; Rí Rá Irish Pub for PaddyFest, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, March 17th; The Flying X Saloon, Lake Havasu, AZ, March 18th; and Pub 32 and Anchor Bar Costa Mesa, CA, March 20/21.
Karl Nickoley takes the People Choice Award at the Beloit International Film Fest in March, 2020. photo: Peer Canvas Then in April back to the Rí Rá for the 14th through the 19th, the 21st to the 26th and April 28th to May 3rd.
For a full schedule, go here or follow them on Twitter.
Like the famous song, what we take away from this film is both encouraging and uplifting. The dream is alive. It all sounds great, since there is no sad ending, as in so many Irish films .
“An Irish Story; This Is My Home” is an evergreen doc you will want to watch multiple times. It is available on digital for $4.99 to rent and $9.99 to own from platforms including iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Xbox, Amazon, and FandangoNow as well as on over 200 smaller cable affiliates and V.O.D. platform.
Jay “Randy” Gordon, The MARINsider, is a marketing expert, film writer and author of 'BusiBUZZ: Business Buzzwords for Survivin’ and Thrivin’ in The Big City' and can be reached .
Posted on Mar 13, 2020 - 07:54 PM
by Jay Randy Gordon
Please support our stories by liking articles—thanks!
Dave Browne (left) and Dave Rooney burn down the Napa Film Fest Ball in Nov 2019, shortly after the showing of the doc about them. photo: D. Blair Donnellys, which consists of two talented Daves, Browne and Rooney, their incredible music and now a fine film, "An Irish Story: This Is My Home", distributed by Vision Films.
The film starts with their quest to earn a world record for gigging in all 50 American states, in the shortest amount of time: 35 days. For its remaining 90 minutes, the documentary features compelling performances and insightful interviews, ranging from friends and family to celebrity chef Jose Andres, bar owners and motorcyclist enthusiasts, see trailer.
The two Daves met in 2004, in the Canary Islands, no less. But since then, they have made it their mission to share their songs, Irish heritage and joie-de-vivre, at literally record breaking levels. Indeed, they currently hold the Guinness World Record for marathon guitar-playing and longest multiple-artist concert, 114 hours and 372 hours, respectively, see their website or Facebook.
On top of which, the music is excellent. Browne is a Thin Lizzy-inspired guitarist, vocalist, and mandolinist, while Rooney is a gifted guitarist and song writer. Bubbling with earthy charisma, The Black Donnellys are magical musical partners straight outta Dublin.
Over the 35-day cross-country race covered in the film, the Daves encounters volcanoes, hurricanes, cancellations, injuries and cash-flow crunches. But their laughter, fortitude and dogged determination, not to mention access to abundant alcohol, helped them rally.
Poster for the film 'An Irish Story: This Is My Home', starring Dave Browne and Dave Rooney. illo: courtesy Kristen Bedno/Lise Romanoff (Vision Films)Nevertheless, they love to tour, which is why they concocted the challenge of 60 gigs across 50 States in 35 days.
“The Black Donnellys are bad ass,” noted a third Dave (Matthews) of the well revered Dave Matthews Band, who is also a fan.
“Along the journey, the Black Donnellys aren’t just performers,” I was told by Director Karl Nickoley at the Napa Valley Film Festival last November, "they’re immigrants setting off on an adventure to discover America."
“They are exploring the country's deep Irish heritage, and their wider relationship to recent immigrants from across the world. As a nation defined by immigrants, these two musicians offered the perfect opportunity to discover our collective national character.”
Nickoley starts the adventure nicely, riffing through images of their world record quest while they cover “Wagon Wheel”, a big country hit for Darius Rucker, co-written by Bob Dylan. “It was the 'theme' song of the tour,” explained Simon Skjøde Knudsen, the half-Danish manager of the 2018 tour. "They just kept rolling along like a wagon wheel.”
“My favorite stops were Boxcars in Clinton, Wisconsin, O’Toole’s in Honolulu and the youth prison in Pueblo, Colorado, which unfortunately did not make the movie. We could not film inside the prison. My favorite part of the drive was Interstate 5 through Northern California and Oregon.”
But tours can be nightmares of tight travel and scheduling, so I inquired, “What was the key save that kept the tour moving forward?”
The two Daves representing Las Vegas with Philly's favorite son, Sly Stallone. photo: K. Nickoley “I think the movie represents the 35 days in a very real way," Knudsen concluded. "Despite all that went down, we pretty much kept it together. Alcohol is a powerful thing.”
After thirty-five days, they finished in New York City at the notorious McSorley’s Ale House, “The most Irish establishment that ever existed, including in Ireland!” according to Browne.
Which brings us back to the nut of the story: how a couple of middle-aged Irish lads made their home in glitterglam Vegas, became one of the better bar bands around, toured the heartland endlessly and found the American dream.
“When we discovered this joyous, uplifting, inspirational, indie film, we knew we had to distribute it,” I was told by Lise Romanoff, Managing Director and CEO of Vision Films.
“We made a slight twist by adding the phrase ‘An Irish Story’ to the film, to help it find a passionate audience," she said, concluding, "it’s such a fun, Murphy’s-Law type of journey to take with these guys.”
To distribute Romanoff teamed up with John Comerford, Alex Nohe and Jeff Dowd, the indie film marketing guru who has done everything from “Chariots of Fire” (1984) to “The Blair Witch Project” (1999) and was the real life “The Dude” from “The Big Lebowski” (1998), see story).
“I’m half Irish. The other half is Jewish, I’m guilty of everything” Dowd explained to me. “These two guys”—The Black Donnellys—“really capture the spirit and energy of The Irish… and what I find in them is really inspiring and something that we all can relate to – to never give up and to keep things in perspective, with some humor and song.”
'The Black Donnellys are bad ass,' according to Dave Matthews ( (2nd from right) of the famous band of the same name (also shown Tim Reynolds). photo: K. Nickoley “It’s the American dream of a better life- it’s retracing the steps of so many immigrants who have started over and remade America. And there are no musicians like the Irish. I was able to see them at the end of their amazing trek near my home in Vermont when they played in Burlington. It was a special night. The Daves were on fire.”
On their first trip to California, the Daves also won the heart of Greg Ahn, the owner of Folktale Winery & Vineyard in Carmel, who became an early believer in the film project. “The idea of ‘An Irish Story: This Is My Home’ is 'How do I stay myself and become something completely new,” Ahn told me.
“There were a lot of downs along the way,” Dave Rooney explained to me, over a glass of Folktale at the Napa Film Festival. "This trip was insane, and a nice glass o’ fine wine more than helped at the end of a long day."
And what does the future hold? Well, The Black Donnellys be very busy.
They had a launch party-performance with the Las Vegas Review Journal (circ: 400K) on March 10th and a Los Angeles press kickoff on March 12th. Indeed, the guys were all set for their March 17th St. Patrick’s Day performance, singing the National Anthem at the T-Mobile Arena for the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.
Alas, the NHL season has been postponed, so they will play PaddyFest 2020 at their home bar, the Rí Rá at Mandalay Bay. “Rí Rá is an old Gaelic term," according to Dave Browne. "It means boisterous merriment—that’s why we play there.”
Unfortunately, a lot of these March gigs could be cancelled due to the CoronaVirus pandemic —so check ahead—but they are still scheduled at the Folktale Winery & Vineyard, Carmel, CA, March 15th; Fremont Street, Las Vegas, March 16th; Rí Rá Irish Pub for PaddyFest, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, March 17th; The Flying X Saloon, Lake Havasu, AZ, March 18th; and Pub 32 and Anchor Bar Costa Mesa, CA, March 20/21.
Karl Nickoley takes the People Choice Award at the Beloit International Film Fest in March, 2020. photo: Peer Canvas For a full schedule, go here or follow them on Twitter.
Like the famous song, what we take away from this film is both encouraging and uplifting. The dream is alive. It all sounds great, since there is no sad ending, as in so many Irish films .
“An Irish Story; This Is My Home” is an evergreen doc you will want to watch multiple times. It is available on digital for $4.99 to rent and $9.99 to own from platforms including iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Xbox, Amazon, and FandangoNow as well as on over 200 smaller cable affiliates and V.O.D. platform.
Jay “Randy” Gordon, The MARINsider, is a marketing expert, film writer and author of 'BusiBUZZ: Business Buzzwords for Survivin’ and Thrivin’ in The Big City' and can be reached .
Posted on Mar 13, 2020 - 07:54 PM
