Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, August 13, 1994                   TAG: 9408150037
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Paul Dellinger
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE                                 LENGTH: Short

IRISH PUB ENDS 6 TUNEFUL YEARS IN WYTHEVILLE

It served its last lunch to a room full of patrons and locked its doors for the last time at 4 p.m.

Although its meals drew many midday downtown diners, its entertainment put it on the map.

Words & Music was founded by Frank Emerson, a professional singer and entertainer from Ireland, and his wife, Frances, a Wytheville native.

They met at an Irish festival in Washington, D.C., and, after they were married, decided to experiment with a store that could offer live entertainment on occasional weekends.

Emerson performed there when he was not on the road doing other engagements, as did jazz, bluegrass, folk and other groups. Now his wife will be able to accompany him on those out-of-town trips.

Former Roanoke Times & World-News columnist Ed Shamy once was a guest of Wytheville Mayor Trent Crewe at one of Emerson's performances.

Crewe had taken exception to one of Shamy's gibes about a lack of culture in Wytheville and invited him to visit. Shamy later did a column on the virtues of the pub and its vicinity.

Besides food and music, the store offered magazines, Celtic goods and recordings.