Playing Celtic music is a tradition that knows no boundaries. Amateur musicians join together to jam, spreading Ireland's music in pubs around the world. Java Joe's Coffeehouse has followed that tradition for the last 14 years by playing host to its own jam session the second Tuesday of every month.

"We tend to play lively music, the more up-tempo tunes. It tends to be jigs and reels," said Dean Wipperman, who regularly plays his tin whistle and Bodhran drum at the monthly jams. An open, inviting atmosphere usually draws six to 12 musicians who range in age from teens to their 60s.

The core musicians include Wipperman; Phil Dean, guitar; Leon Johnson, banjo, violin and mandolin; Connor Hood, mandolin; Kristin Fallon, harp; Eric Northway, flute and whistle; and Jon Greising, flute. Most nights, the audience will be treated to such traditional tunes as "Whiskey Before Breakfast," "Banish Misfortune," "Drink the Night Away" and "Humours of Ballyloughlin." "With divorce forbidden by the church, not surprisingly, a number of songs involve the drowning of a spouse," Wipperman said.

The group plays mostly instrumentals, but when Jaime Woodson joins in she sings Gaelic songs a capella. Wipperman, one of the longest-tenured participants, played rock music in college but found Celtic music struck an emotional chord with him. "The Irish people have quite a history of hard times and social upheaval," Wipperman said.

"They put a lot of their soul and emotion into their music. It can be lively and fun or heart-wrenching." Jamming among friends and strangers seems to go hand in hand with Celtic music.

International favorite, the Chieftains, regularly brings local musicians on stage to perform with them on the last set of each concert. Wipperman has done that three times. "It was frightening at the time," said Wipperman, "but it was such an amazing experience that musicians of their caliber would still invite local amateurs to join them and share the same musical experience.

" For more than a decade, Java Joe's has provided a home for musicians to share the Celtic musical experience, and a strong community has resulted. In fact, 15 members of the Irish Jam showed up to provide the music at the reception when Wipperman and his wife, Jackie, married ..

. appropriately on St. Patrick's Day of this year.