Christy Chat

“As I went out by Galway Town, to seek for recreation” One night last May, in Nuremore near Carrickmacross in the County of Monaghan, a woman’s voice quietly requested “The Curragh of Kildare”. I made mental note and continued to sing out into the night. It was a great gathering. My first time back in

June 15th 2012. It’s a crazy old world these days. Hard to know what to believe, who to believe, where we will all end up, what’s going to happen…. But this beautiful day the sun shines, there is great singing going on in the trees and bushes. There is a gang of Magpies lurking around.

April 1st.  (On The Mail Boat) We sailed across the Irish Sea and into Holyhead. We sashayed through the shed, over the Menai Bridge and loaded up the SatNav for The Pennines. Before we knew it we were freewheeling down into Leeds, great City of fame where I first played Club Memphis in 1967. Back

March-April 2012 I’m writing this in The Riverside Hotel in Enniscorthy. Amazed to hear that it is 6 years since we played here as I have very clear recall of the last time. Jimmy McCarthy came to that gig and joined us afterwards for a mug of tea in the Bridle Suite. Having the writer

February 7th 2012 I’m back in Manchester again 45 years on. Back then I went from club to club doing floor spots and trying to pick up a gig anywhere I could. Pickings were lean, but for my Auntie Kathleen out in the Lancashire town of Bury, I might not have survived my folk apprenticeship.

Thanks to all who have been in touch since the last letter. Thanks too for Seasonal greetings proffered in great abundance and for all your support during the recent run of gigs.  Some interesting talk about venues on the site recently. I like it when we get your impressions of various gigs and venues. Michael

Just home from The Liffey Banks sessions at the Grand social – The Máirtín O’Connor Band featuring Maírtín O’ Connor on Accordion, Cathal Hayden on fiddle and banjo, Seamie O’Dowd on guitars and vocals and Jim Higgins on percussion. It was my first time in The Grand Social and it was a great treat. It’s

Germany, Holland, Belgium 2011. Michael collected me at 8.30 am on Thursday 29th and we make our way to the Stena Seacat out of North Wall, Dublin Port. I love the way the on board traffic controllers park the vehicles, they remind me of the lads with the green cap bands that used to help

It’s that time of summer again. Paddy is gone to the Boston Fleadh. Johnny’s at the hay in Rossnowlagh. Geoff at the lights on Sandymount Green. Mick with the Dubs on Hill 16. Dickon at the Black and Decker hammer and thongs. Davy at the mixer mixing Altan songs. Decky on the roads with The

News has come in of the passing of Mike Waterson. We send our condolences to Ann and all the childer and grand children, to Norma and her family and to all the extended clan. Mike was an old friend whom I did not see often enough since 1972.There was great soul in his singing. Along

Barrowland, Glasgow, Sat 16th April 2011… (I am writing this in Manchester having travelled here after last nights gig in Barrowland, Glasgow.) We returned to Scotland and kicked off with 2 nights at The Queens Hall Edinburgh and then Westwards to The Clyde where we played the Glasgow Concert Hall before heading to The East

Dear Listeners…. The Spring Gigs have been going well and we have settled back in after our Jan-Feb break. Starting back after 2 months I was uneasy and nervous. However, the welcome and good vibes from the Mullingar audience soon had us well primed and the never ending tour was back on track. Wexford went

Sunday, Jan 23rd 2011. This 3rd Sunday of 2011 kicked off for me when I heard John Spillane and his brother Maurice doing an interview on “Miriam meets” (RTE Radio 1). It was spellbinding. John and I share many things in common from our boyhood days (mine in Kildare and his in Cork 15 years

Nov 27th.Morning of GPO (SIPTU gathering) A state of fear and panic, the Soldiers of Destiny are exhausted trying to remember which yarn they spun 5 minutes ago. The bankers, developers, regulators and swindlers have, collectively, spent less time under arrest than Joe McNamara who parked his lorry at Government Gates in a peaceful enough

Good day from Monaghan as the season commences. Three and a half months since the last chat and here we are again….. Everything here has been dominated by the passing of young Kevin Sinnott, Declan and Kathy’s beautiful son. Kevin was 22 and studying philosophy in the United States. I met him a number of

Last Saturday night I was honoured to perform “Minds Locked Shut” on RTE 1, and to present the “People of the Year Award” to Jean Hegarty and Allanah Burke. They accepted it on behalf of the 28 Families who have been campaigning for 38 years seeking justice for the victims of the Bloody Sunday Murders

I played a gig last night at the opening of this years “Masters of the Tradition” festival, which is celebrating its 7th year. I enjoyed playing with Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill and Damian Mullane. The gig was a fundraiser for the festival which has lost some of its sponsors in recent years. Anyone who likes

The Forum Theatre, Waterford, Friday 11th June I love this room. It is run by Ciaran O’Neill who has a passion for his venue and what goes on in it. If every heavily subsidised Arts Centre in Ireland had such passion at its heart, Our large circuit of publicly funded arts centres would surely enjoy

Friday Afternoon – 9th April It has been talked about and mulled over these past years and the time has finally come around. Driving once more through The Burren towards Mecca, myself and Michael Devine are looking forward to whatever lies ahead. Paddy Doherty and his family have been busy planning and preparing for the

It has been slow coming, this first chat of 2010. I have been run off my feet relaxing since Vicar Street in the snow. John Spillane and I have been putting a few chords together. We started after the County Cork night at the Button Factory. I Visited John at his home in Passage (his

Dear Listeners, I commence these few words on the N11 as we wing our way through the water covered, but sunny, southeast. Many parts of the country are under flood this morning and I can but hope that Declan’s journey from the Southwest is going well. Yesterday many roads were impassable and it was particularly bad in the area of

After Barrowland, October 26th 2009 Back home once more from Scotland Ö We had a great week in Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The 4 gigs went well, and as always, it was great to spend some time amongst our neighbours. Perth Concert Hall  Usher Hall Glasgow Concert Hall Barrowland  1. So Do I  1. So

After Barrowland, October 26th 2009 Back home once more from Scotland Ö We had a great week in Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The 4 gigs went well, and as always, it was great to spend some time amongst our neighbours. Perth Concert Hall  Usher Hall Glasgow Concert Hall Barrowland  1. So Do I  1. So

Dear Listeners, In April, We had a gathering of songsters in Lisdoonvarna. A gaggle of 4711ers gathered for a weekend of devotion to song, A Burren walk, 3 nights of singing till dawn, an exhibition of memorabilia, 3 gigs featuring Smalltown Talk, Declan Sinnott, Wally Page and myself. We also had a forum/discussion about this

The summer is flying along far too rapid. After the marquee in Cork I blinked. In an inst a fortnight has passed. There has been a brace of giglets to keep the fingers hard and the throat well oiled. First up was Aras an Uachtarain where President McAleese  invited me to sing to guests whom

28th October 2009 After Barrowland, October 26th 2009 Back home once more from Scotland Ö We had a great week in Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The 4 gigs went well, and as always, it was great to spend some time amongst our neighbours. Perth Concert Hall  Usher Hall Glasgow Concert Hall Barrowland  1. So Do