Played in an 'Irish' pub band last year. Coming from a 'folk/country/bluegrass' background and having been dormant for a few years all the songs mentioned were new and fresh to me. I was just happy to be working again. However, it got old relatively quickly and I tried to move the band in a more 'musical' direction. They'd been slamming out passable versions of 'Fields'..'Whiskey in..' 'Leavin' of'..'Loch Lomond', etc. and doing very well. Plenty of bookings and a good website. The songs I'd suggest and we'd arrange were always things like 'Queen of All Argyle'(Even 'it's' overdone, now) or 'Skibbereen', 'Ramblin' Irishman' and 'Nancy Whiskey'. Even tried 'Ordinary Man' and 'Feet of a Dancer'(Maura O'connell). Did them as well as we could and the audience would just sit there and look...polite applause, etc. We'd finish the night with 'Rattlin' Bog' and the place would go nuts. Go figure. What I think happens is that people find a 'musical comfort zone' and don't like to be challenged to think too much in a pub situation. We, as musicians like to stretch and once we've got our 'chops' together it takes alot to keep us interested. Once, I saw the late Gamble Rogers get a request for 'Salty Dog Blues' in the middle of his show. An embarrassed hush fell over the audience. Gamble asked, "Son, where are you from?" "Michigan", came the reply. Gamble stared at him for awhile, half smiling. Tapped his guitar twice and launched into the wickedest version of 'Salty Dog Blues' I've ever seen or heard. Took an instrumental break w/fingerpicks any bluegrass guitarist would have been proud to have played with a flatpick! Of course it brought the house down...That kid bought a whole box of LP's to take home to his friends and relatives...