Even though I’ve never been big on celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day, this year I did. And let me tell you, I don’t think I’ll ever top it, because on 17 March 2026, I celebrated it with Dea Matrona.
The Irish duo were playing at Berlin’s Badehaus, tucked into Revaler Straße, and the room felt ready before they even started. There were more pints in the air than at a football match, which, considering the date, it was less a coincidence and more like proper scene setting.
Their debut album, For Your Sins, already carries that mix of classic rock, Irish roots, country touches and big guitar energy, but live, it grew teeth. You could hear where they come from, the folk foundations, the Fleetwood Mac shadows or the Belfast busking years. Like songs that had travelled a long way and somehow arrived louder than expected.
There’s also a sense that Dea Matrona are already moving into their next chapter. Their second album, Hate That I Care, is set to arrive on 5 June 2026, and the singles so far point to something sharper and a little darker. Magic Spell is as hypnotic as riff-driven, while the title track talks about the exhaustion of hiding emotions and trying to stay present in an honest way.
Orláith Forsythe and Mollie McGinn looked so at ease on stage that you could almost forget how young they still are. I’m pretty sure they’re in their 20s. Wow, that’s an old guy thing to say.
But that was part of the charm. The whole room seemed to meet them halfway. Kids on shoulders, people singing back, glasses raised, strangers smiling like they’d known each other longer than one chorus. We all became friends of Irish folk. Never better said.
And with a raised glass, a story about how they met, and a cheer to Ireland, Dea Matrona made my Saint Patrick’s Day feel like a tradition I accidentally joined.
If you ever get the chance to see them, Saint Patrick’s Day or not, there’s a good chance you’ll leave under the same magic spell.
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