Totally agree about the mighty Guestbook and links that are made…it’s great to be connected
Story telling is the essence of folk music…and today’s music choice has surprised me…earlier,I was in a book shop ,mulling over the life,genius and atrocious treatment of Alan Turing. I realised that the display of books also contained vinyl and CDs…looking at them,I was intrigued- and bought the vinyl…so,The Pet shop Boys might get a debut mention here!? They’ve written and collaborated to tell the poignant story of a genius and national hero,persecuted to an early death because of his sexuality.
‘a man from the future’ is totally absorbing…spoken word,orchestration,choral and pulsating PSB power….
Lots of online info and YouTube tracks are available…I wouldn’t have ever expected to prattle about the Pet Shop Boys,but I quite like surprises…
Dave
Christy's reply
your post aint no “prattle”
what about Bob meeting The Pope
what might them boys be prattling about ?
Hi Christy, I like this guestbook so much. It’s such a positive platform for recommendations and connections. So thank you for this! @Matthias and Günter: I’ll let you know! But the next little session will probably in the Old Punch Bowl in Booterstown 😉.
Christy's reply
the guestbook has delivered everything everything I hoped ….a place for songsters to share and swap….to read of German songsters gathering to sing some of the songs is such a buzz….
Hello Christy,
I hope all our 4711ers who are close enough together in Germany, get together for a sing and a play.
I can’t find a recording of Rocks of Bawn either, thankyou to Birgit for having a look for it. Maybe it came out of my flu-addled brain. I missed a meeting of the Puzzle session because I had no voice and didnt want to lumber other people with such an awful dose of flu.
Anyway, I found a beautiful acapella recording of James Connolly that ive listened to a lot. I’m wondering if the two got combined in my head and produced the fabulous acapella Rocks of Bawn…
Congratulations to all our Democrat friends over the pond!!!
Rebecca
Christy's reply
I discovered the song in a little red book in London….I had no idea who wrote it…I described it as Traditional until , 25 years on, I met the man who wrote it…Patrick Galvin ,the Poet and Writer who lived in Cork….he was a good friend of my Brother Andy who also dwells Leeside
Dear Christy. For sure the ITMA is now one more reason to visit Dublin. I want to come over next year. I hope it will fit with another gig as I do not have a ticket for the Vicar St run.
@Birgit @Matthias: I’m a Duisburg boy, now living very close on the other side of the Rhine. I could join in 🙂
All the Best and Good luck to all
Günter
Christy's reply
good man Gunter…I dont know how to get those two dots over the u
you have to tell me, when there you got your next stage experience. So far I only sang Ordinary man in the pub where my favourite Dublin pub singer Billy Treacy sings it. 😉
As Rebecca mentioned the Rocks of Bawn. Unfortunately I haven’t found a recording by you. But as there are some “Oysterheads” here in the guestbook, too: I like John Jones’ version of that song, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJqQCYqnO_o Sorry, if I have mentioned/linked that here before.
I think I got a few talents but guitar playing is not one of them. But some clever portugues – learning uillean pipe over in clare at the moment – in the Cobblestone told me that I have to be patient with myself.
And Alice Weidel is one of the leaders of our far right party called AfD. (Alternative für Deutschland – Alternative for Germany). They come along with all the content we know from this kinds of fascist parties. Everything is the migrants fault and they want a millionfold “remigration” of migrants. They hate LGBTQ and other leftist, hate the EU but love MAGA, Musk, Trump and Putin, too. Strange combination.And Alice Weidel is a homosexuell and lives with her wife in Switzerland – that makes it even more strange.
And they get stronger and stronger every election we had in our federal states. Of course I could tell you more, but for the first time that should be enough.
Hotel for easter 2027 is booked – just to say something positive at the end.
Hi Christy,
ah, that all sounds so promising 😊. I’m so looking forward to coming back to the HQ later in November – and also to seeing the ITMA. This will be a perfect introduction to the gig in the evening I guess.
@Matthias: great that you start to sing Christy’s songs here in Germany, too. I do the same every now and then – sometimes at private gigs or open mic nights and in September we had the pleasure of playing at a local community festival here in Essen – my first time on a real stage. We played Ordinary Man, A Pair of Brown Eyes and Sail on Jimmy/Irish Pagan Ritual (among others). Meanwhile some of my friends here can sing along at least to the chorus. And when I’m in Dublin my local friends let me sing a few songs when they play at pub gigs. Still being pretty nervous as all this is still very new to me, I’m getting a bit more used to it by now 😊. It’s the best training I can get, a lot of fun and the reactions were really uplifting…
@Matthias: As Duisburg is not far from Essen, we might sing Christy’s songs together here one day😉.
All the best to you
Birgit
Kate/Mary/Catherine….
a fine bit of writing there…
you create an atmosphere that brings me right back to a time 40 years ago…
back to a time when black porter was a big factor in my daily routine…
I enjoyed many long years of devotion to James’s Gate…
eventually the delightful brew caught up with me…
I realised I’d had my fill
Dylan performs his song “Man In The Long Black Coat.”
Very wise of Bob to take an umbrella on his travels…
A hard rain’s gonna fall…
The Pope said to Bob…
Yes,I do have Christy’s phone number, but I promised I wouldn’t pass it on to anyone…
D
Hi Christy
Totally agree about the mighty Guestbook and links that are made…it’s great to be connected
Story telling is the essence of folk music…and today’s music choice has surprised me…earlier,I was in a book shop ,mulling over the life,genius and atrocious treatment of Alan Turing. I realised that the display of books also contained vinyl and CDs…looking at them,I was intrigued- and bought the vinyl…so,The Pet shop Boys might get a debut mention here!? They’ve written and collaborated to tell the poignant story of a genius and national hero,persecuted to an early death because of his sexuality.
‘a man from the future’ is totally absorbing…spoken word,orchestration,choral and pulsating PSB power….
Lots of online info and YouTube tracks are available…I wouldn’t have ever expected to prattle about the Pet Shop Boys,but I quite like surprises…
Dave
your post aint no “prattle”
what about Bob meeting The Pope
what might them boys be prattling about ?
Hi Christy, I like this guestbook so much. It’s such a positive platform for recommendations and connections. So thank you for this! @Matthias and Günter: I’ll let you know! But the next little session will probably in the Old Punch Bowl in Booterstown 😉.
the guestbook has delivered everything everything I hoped ….a place for songsters to share and swap….to read of German songsters gathering to sing some of the songs is such a buzz….
Hello Christy,
I hope all our 4711ers who are close enough together in Germany, get together for a sing and a play.
I can’t find a recording of Rocks of Bawn either, thankyou to Birgit for having a look for it. Maybe it came out of my flu-addled brain. I missed a meeting of the Puzzle session because I had no voice and didnt want to lumber other people with such an awful dose of flu.
Anyway, I found a beautiful acapella recording of James Connolly that ive listened to a lot. I’m wondering if the two got combined in my head and produced the fabulous acapella Rocks of Bawn…
https://youtu.be/BV-muRlLIyA?is=IheF1N-194GnXHAM
Congratulations to all our Democrat friends over the pond!!!
Rebecca
I discovered the song in a little red book in London….I had no idea who wrote it…I described it as Traditional until , 25 years on, I met the man who wrote it…Patrick Galvin ,the Poet and Writer who lived in Cork….he was a good friend of my Brother Andy who also dwells Leeside
Dear Christy. For sure the ITMA is now one more reason to visit Dublin. I want to come over next year. I hope it will fit with another gig as I do not have a ticket for the Vicar St run.
@Birgit @Matthias: I’m a Duisburg boy, now living very close on the other side of the Rhine. I could join in 🙂
All the Best and Good luck to all
Günter
good man Gunter…I dont know how to get those two dots over the u
To Birgit,
you have to tell me, when there you got your next stage experience. So far I only sang Ordinary man in the pub where my favourite Dublin pub singer Billy Treacy sings it. 😉
Matthias
As Rebecca mentioned the Rocks of Bawn. Unfortunately I haven’t found a recording by you. But as there are some “Oysterheads” here in the guestbook, too: I like John Jones’ version of that song, too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJqQCYqnO_o Sorry, if I have mentioned/linked that here before.
Hi Christy,
I think I got a few talents but guitar playing is not one of them. But some clever portugues – learning uillean pipe over in clare at the moment – in the Cobblestone told me that I have to be patient with myself.
And Alice Weidel is one of the leaders of our far right party called AfD. (Alternative für Deutschland – Alternative for Germany). They come along with all the content we know from this kinds of fascist parties. Everything is the migrants fault and they want a millionfold “remigration” of migrants. They hate LGBTQ and other leftist, hate the EU but love MAGA, Musk, Trump and Putin, too. Strange combination.And Alice Weidel is a homosexuell and lives with her wife in Switzerland – that makes it even more strange.
And they get stronger and stronger every election we had in our federal states. Of course I could tell you more, but for the first time that should be enough.
Hotel for easter 2027 is booked – just to say something positive at the end.
Matthias
Hi Christy,
ah, that all sounds so promising 😊. I’m so looking forward to coming back to the HQ later in November – and also to seeing the ITMA. This will be a perfect introduction to the gig in the evening I guess.
@Matthias: great that you start to sing Christy’s songs here in Germany, too. I do the same every now and then – sometimes at private gigs or open mic nights and in September we had the pleasure of playing at a local community festival here in Essen – my first time on a real stage. We played Ordinary Man, A Pair of Brown Eyes and Sail on Jimmy/Irish Pagan Ritual (among others). Meanwhile some of my friends here can sing along at least to the chorus. And when I’m in Dublin my local friends let me sing a few songs when they play at pub gigs. Still being pretty nervous as all this is still very new to me, I’m getting a bit more used to it by now 😊. It’s the best training I can get, a lot of fun and the reactions were really uplifting…
@Matthias: As Duisburg is not far from Essen, we might sing Christy’s songs together here one day😉.
All the best to you
Birgit
Was always a pint of Stout with my Father
12/1/2021
The Pint of Stout
There’s a fire in the corner
And rain against the glass
The old men tell their stories
Of the good days that have passed
But give me one small moment
When the whole world can slow down
With a pint of dark stout in my hand
And the music in the town
Oh, give me a pint of stout, boys
Black as a winter’s night
With a creamy head like a Donegal cloud
And a fire burning bright
We’ll raise a glass for those we’ve lost
And those still hanging round
For there’s a friendship in a pint of stout
When the music’s going down
The fiddle starts the dancing
The bodhran finds its beat
And someone starts a rebel song
With two left dancing feet
The barman knows our stories
He knows just what we’ll shout
‘Ah sure one for the road, my friend
And make it a pint of stout
Oh give me a pint of stout boys
Black as the winter’s night with a creamy head like a Donegal cloud
And a fire burning bright
We’ll raise a glass to those we’ve lost
And those still hanging round
For there’s friendship in a pint of stout
When the music’s going down
And if tomorrow brings the rain
Sure let it pour away
Tonight we’ve got the craic and songs
And nothing more to say
For life is short and roads are long
And hearts can carry doubt
But somehow everything feels just right
With a good auld pint of stout
So give me a pint of stout, boys
And pull it nice and slow
For the nights we’ll never get again
And the friends we used to know
Oh raise that pint of stout boys
Let every glass ring out
To Ireland, love and friendship
And the mighty pint of stout
Kate Breslin September 2026
© 2026 Kate Breslin. All rights reserved.
Kate/Mary/Catherine….
a fine bit of writing there…
you create an atmosphere that brings me right back to a time 40 years ago…
back to a time when black porter was a big factor in my daily routine…
I enjoyed many long years of devotion to James’s Gate…
eventually the delightful brew caught up with me…
I realised I’d had my fill
thanks for sharing..wish you well
Is there any way of forwarding you some poetry or ballads
post one here if you wish