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Barghest, a traditional Irish band of UCLA students, practices songs for “O’Bruins,&#

Between telling jokes and sharing stories, the guitarist, bongo drummer, flutist and two fiddlers of the student band Barghest fill the room with a unique fusion of traditional Irish, Scottish, English and Celtic music during their practice every week.

On March 17, Barghest and actors from the student group Erin Go Bragh will perform together in a play called “O’Bruins” in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

The band came together to practice for the event Tuesday night, as well as to meet with Annie Oakley, one of the founders of Erin Go Bragh and a fourth-year English student.

The two student groups have joined forces to make St. Patrick’s Day entertaining and memorable for fellow students, Oakley said.

The show is an original play, written by Oakley, and combines contemporary stories with cultural music.

“The play is about four college students hanging out in a bar on St. Patrick’s Day just telling stories. There’s lots of jokes and stories and traditional Irish music and some unexpected elements,” Oakley said.

The members of Erin Go Bragh have been rehearsing for the play since the first week of winter quarter, but Oakley began writing in December.

As part of the supporting accompaniment, Barghest will play several traditional Irish songs, such as “Morrison’s Jig,” throughout the performance.

“O’Bruins” is the second St. Patrick’s Day event put on by the club.

Erin Go Bragh, meaning “Ireland forever” in Gaelic, was officially founded on St. Patrick’s Day in 2004 by Oakley and Shea Stella, a fourth-year chemistry student.

“We wanted to explore our Irish culture and heritage,” Oakley said. “I’m personally sixth, seventh generation American and I felt like I had no real cultural roots, ... so I kind of saw the club as an opportunity to explore my Irish culture.”

Last year, the club sponsored a St. Patrick’s Day festival in Bruin Plaza, complete with Irish step dancers and lively music.

The club also shows Irish movies once or twice a quarter, and the band rehearses for club events and outside venues, Oakley said.

Barghest has played at events put on by Erin Go Bragh in the past, but also tries to perform as much as possible at other venues, said Ian Martyn, the founder of the band and a second-year linguistics and computer science student.

In the past, they have secured gigs in old town Pasadena and Crossroads High School.

The band meets every Tuesday in the dorms to practice songs and record for their upcoming CD.

“I’d always wanted a traditional Irish band, so when I came to UCLA I thought, out of 30,000 students here, there has to be a few who can play,” Martyn said.

After a combination of personal connections, Facebook messages and an acquaintance with Erin Go Bragh, Martyn formed Barghest in February 2005 before teaming up with Oakley.

Erin Go Bragh and Barghest hope to provide thought-provoking, humorous entertainment for the play’s audience Friday, Oakley said.

“Mostly we just want to make people laugh on St. Patrick’s Day, while bringing a sense of Irishness to the UCLA campus and getting our name out there.”

The play is scheduled to be held in the Kerckhoff Grand Salon at 5 p.m. Friday.