Hi Christy, another thanks for a fantastic night in Manchester & wishes for the ‘Pool. You sang about “real men crying” & then continued with a set that reduces any gender to tears of happiness, sadness and embarrassment for mankinds failings! And a great encore, poignant reminder of the these times! But lets all keep the faith for John Lennon & Christy!
Heading down now on the train to Liverpool from Darlington for ( I’m embarrassed to say ) my first ever Christy gig ..we are all having a little sing song and the excitement is fever pitch ,even the conductor on the Trans Pennie train is joining in ,can’t wait for the show have a good one and god bless Ciaran de Burca
Christy's reply
a namesake of the mighty Ciaran Bourke….him who drove the rhythm section on all the early Dubliners albums, who chirped in whistle riffs, sang lustily and brought anarchy wherever he trod
“If you want your child to grow
give him a jar of porter”
he would sing and him and Jeannie with 5 beautiful daugters
I got lotsa flashbacks from your neck of the woods….Darlington with Tony Foxworthy, Stockton with The Fettlers, Southbank with Pete Betts, Eston with Vinnie Garbutt, Middlesboro with Jim The Fish…Redcar with Johnny Taylor….
safe travels with your tranny conductor
Hi Christy, thanks for a fantastic night in Manchester and I hope you enjoy Liverpool tonight.
I didn’t catch the name of the two brilliant musicians who played with you and Declan, last night, can you enlighten me please as I’m writing a review for the Yorkshire Post and I’d like to include them.
Regards – Julie
Christy's reply
Jimmy Higgins ….Percussion, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Cathal Hayden…..Fiddle, Banjo
Hya Christy
Great show in the “suffragette” city last night! Hope you got to see Mrs P before you travel to the other gem in the NW. This was the first time I had seen the new line up!!! Excellent!
See you tonight at the Philly!
Love
Steve
Hey Christy so exited for your gig at the phill tonight in liverpool.
Il be bringing your book with me one voice any chance I could get you to sign it for me.
I’m such a huge fan would mean a great deal to me thanks again.
Ryan Carey
Christy's reply
give it to one of the crew on the stage and I’ll get it done…..just getting ready to exit Manchester now…gonna sail down that old Ship Canal
also to’ the orchestra ‘and ace sound/lights crew…tonight transcended ‘folk’…it was music for the soul…
the ambience was perfect for one of the mellowest vocal performances ever to grace The Bridgewater stage.Spancilhill had me ‘miles away’,visualising faces and places unseen for many years…and the ‘home’song ,First Time Ever…. was very very special…
Light and shade/nuances…the gig sped by…only half a century since the nights in small folk clubs!Maybe,we’re all nearer the end of the journey,than the beginning,but with nights like this-viva the never ending tour…
All good wishes to you and companeros -The Phil is in for a treat tomorrow.
Dave
Christy's reply
thats it Dave..
you have cracked it for me..
a Genre at last !
“Transcendental Folk”…
a new shelf in the record shops
file under TF
good to see you last night..sorry for the delay,thanks for hangin on , and for the books….
Christy , that was some encore, absolutely brilliant message to the far right and foot tapping magic to tap all the way back over the border, great gig.
Thanks
Rory
Christy's reply
Rory,
Thank You !
I appreciate your insights into the songs..
we must have a mug of tea along the road..
“when will we see you again”
I couldn’t wait till the spring so my friend and partners are making the trip south to be with you tomorrow night. One of the great features of your story telling gig is the ability to drop into the jukebox and pull out a classic that that has a personal connection. Hopefully Bright Blue Rose gets a airing but I look forward to your selection. Have a good one Christy. Charles & Gerry
Christy's reply
“Come all you Dreamers
hear the sound O The Barras Hummin”
Thanks for asking Christy. Little or no ‘opportunities’ on the ‘performance’ front lately, but can feel the writing brewing away, just need to sit down with it and give it some attention without distraction. Euro tour for Nov/Dec fell through, but that’s how it goes sometimes. 6 months off the smokes and gargle again, lost a little weight have lost my appetite for the drink, just haven’t got the rime for it, too much to do… …thanks again for the RTE malarky and delighted about Rob’s song resonating while being released too. Hope you’re doing good, Dylan
Christy's reply
Manchester..Wed Morning..
Hey Dylan Walsh…greetings from Suffragette City…..I know where you are coming from ….when you cant get a foot in the door…when things fall thru, dont work out….but I believe these are the experiences we can build upon….I travelled the Dublin ballad scene for 3 years and could not get a gig of any sort…Peggy Jordan gave me a set of 3 songs in the (old) Embankment Pub in Tallaght in 1964…I did an audition for a gig in The Abbey Tavern in Howth but never heard back…I got a spot in Clonmel opening for Frank Patterson who was home form Rome giving a concert in his native place..that was it, 2 gigs in 3 years…but fuck it….kept goin, kept truckin and strummin and learnin and weavin….kept gathering and borrowing ( there were no songwriters back then !!! twas an unheard of concept !!)
You got a big voice, you got somethin to say, to sing, do it as long as you can, keep the light burning….its the journey we gotta embrace, the journey is the destination….
packin the box now for Liverpool..we’ll give it the lash tonight and then head for Holyhead…
Sing Out Dylan Walsh…..Gitser
PS..well done on the gargle and smokes…sobriety is a wonderful gift…after 30 years on the looney soup I broke free,I’ve just past 30 years of sober days, one day at a time
….as for the Woodbines, its pure madness for a singer to smoke….a bit like the pope pullin his wire…
Hi Christy, just wondering if I can throw my hat in the ring for a shout out for tomorrow at the Phil. Its for my wife Mo (Maureen Sharkey) its her birthday tomorrow (better not say how old) we will be sitting in row C, so close enough to see the twinkle in your eye and the sweat on your brow. Doesn’t seem like over ten years since her & I had a Rogan Josh with Declan & yourself backstage after the concert (D,I,D, Winner), Hopefully we’ll still be going to see you in another ten years time..Any song would be great but if its on the set list then Nancy Spain is one of her favourites I fully understand if its not possible as you will be inundated with requests, especially at the Phil but I will keep my ears peeled and fingers crossed.
Keep Her Lit John
Christy's reply
Cant believe its10 years since we ran that Desert Island Disc challenge…. plenty of Rogans under the bridge since that night…..
Still listening to D.I.D. …Lauren Laverene has settled into Kirsty Long/Suelawley?Roy Plumley’s chair and made it her own..not to everyone’s satisfaction by all accounts….critics sometimes forget the priviledge enjoyed by BBC audiences….
unprecedented number of requests for callouts tonight…..simply impossible to fit a tenth of them in…gotta try and save some time for the songs and tunes, the intros and outros, the jigs the reels, the blues and reds and greens and ballads..the rap and trad, the fusion and handbag…
thanks John…hope you two have a blast tonight…no Rogan for me…heading for Holyhead as soon as the lights come up
Christy, we’re from the Isle of Skye, Scotland but have managed to include a trip to Liverpool as part of our family holiday to Hereford this year. This allows our boys, John-Angus (11) and Edward (7) the chance to go to their first ever gig tomorrow night at the Philharmonic. We’re all really looking forward to it. If you were able to give the wee lads a shout out they’d be tickled to bits…
Their Dad and I have seen you in Belfast and the Barrowland before…can we ever get you Skye, I wonder…?! Got a great wee venue for you…
Here’s to another great gig tomorrow.
Kind regards, or, as we say in Skye, Deagh dhūrachd.
Claire Nicolson
Christy's reply
Claire, beidh fáilte róimh go léir insan Sasana anocht,beidh ceol agus craic againn go léir insan halla Philharmonic
We’ll do our best for the two lads……half the audience tonight have requested shout outs….for grandmothers, husbands, songsters, wooers, woofers, spoofers, sailors,tailors, bouncers, counsellors, MPs,TDs….
speaking of which…..
Last night I dreamt that Ms Arlene Foster was a TD in Leinster House
just a quick note to let you know there will be at least one Lilywhite in the audience tonight in Manchester, so its virtually a home gig and all the old favourites are fair game- Curragh of Kildare, Lily, Bogman etc.
I’m not expecting it to be as raucous as the gig in Killashee in February, but you can still let loose on The Ballad of Ruby and we’ll right there with you galloping down the home straight!
But a word of warning- the mother-in-law is in tow for her first Christy gig (she’s a Christy virgin)- so no bad language or it’ll reflect badly on me having bought her a ticket!
Really looking forward to it and hope you are too.
All the best,
Paul Boland
(ex Walshestown, Droichead Nua)
Christy's reply
Feck it Paul
its the mornig after and I’ve only just read your mail now
I’m still buzzin after last nights fun
what a crowd in The Bridgewater last night
if only I’d known in time that there was a “townie” in the throng
and one from the “back-of-the-barracks”
did’nt I serve Mass with you Da in St Conleth’s
we swung the thurible together
he often lit my incense
we took turns to ring the bell and quench the candles
I hope your Dear Mother-in-Law was not too shocked when my Granny told the man from the NHS to “Fuck Off”
Had I known she was coming I’d have moderated myl tongue
Please extend my good wishes to all the folks back home upon the Liffey Bank
tell Frankie that we’re serving the half seven next Sun morning before the Moorefield/Sarsfield Kildare Senior County Final ……
I was looking for an email address to get in contact with you or your team but haven’t found one via this site. Could you forward me to some contact details for business inquiries please
Thank you
Christy's reply
You are welcome
its all here on the site
I’ve no head for business mysel
but I can talk about songs “til the cows come home”
Apparently it Thatchers anniversary today, so we definitely need Ordinary Man to counteract those negative times.
Hi Christy, another thanks for a fantastic night in Manchester & wishes for the ‘Pool. You sang about “real men crying” & then continued with a set that reduces any gender to tears of happiness, sadness and embarrassment for mankinds failings! And a great encore, poignant reminder of the these times! But lets all keep the faith for John Lennon & Christy!
Brendan Meehan (Family from Meath)
Heading down now on the train to Liverpool from Darlington for ( I’m embarrassed to say ) my first ever Christy gig ..we are all having a little sing song and the excitement is fever pitch ,even the conductor on the Trans Pennie train is joining in ,can’t wait for the show have a good one and god bless Ciaran de Burca
a namesake of the mighty Ciaran Bourke….him who drove the rhythm section on all the early Dubliners albums, who chirped in whistle riffs, sang lustily and brought anarchy wherever he trod
“If you want your child to grow
give him a jar of porter”
he would sing and him and Jeannie with 5 beautiful daugters
I got lotsa flashbacks from your neck of the woods….Darlington with Tony Foxworthy, Stockton with The Fettlers, Southbank with Pete Betts, Eston with Vinnie Garbutt, Middlesboro with Jim The Fish…Redcar with Johnny Taylor….
safe travels with your tranny conductor
Hi Christy, thanks for a fantastic night in Manchester and I hope you enjoy Liverpool tonight.
I didn’t catch the name of the two brilliant musicians who played with you and Declan, last night, can you enlighten me please as I’m writing a review for the Yorkshire Post and I’d like to include them.
Regards – Julie
Jimmy Higgins ….Percussion, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Cathal Hayden…..Fiddle, Banjo
Thank You…..
Thin Lizzy Nominated for Rock Hall of Fame.
It would be well deserved.
Came from a time when 1 night might be a folk band, another night a rock band and another a mixture.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/thin-lizzy-nominated-for-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-2020-induction-1.4051360?fbclid=IwAR0C6S7se49el__7ySKX6aYyYwGNcn3frH2RcZmvok2yZ7IWnCQU8YrnqXk
Hya Christy
Great show in the “suffragette” city last night! Hope you got to see Mrs P before you travel to the other gem in the NW. This was the first time I had seen the new line up!!! Excellent!
See you tonight at the Philly!
Love
Steve
Hey Christy so exited for your gig at the phill tonight in liverpool.
Il be bringing your book with me one voice any chance I could get you to sign it for me.
I’m such a huge fan would mean a great deal to me thanks again.
Ryan Carey
give it to one of the crew on the stage and I’ll get it done…..just getting ready to exit Manchester now…gonna sail down that old Ship Canal
Back over the tops, cockles warmed.
Thank you.
Hope Patsy got a lie in this morn
Thanks Christy
also to’ the orchestra ‘and ace sound/lights crew…tonight transcended ‘folk’…it was music for the soul…
the ambience was perfect for one of the mellowest vocal performances ever to grace The Bridgewater stage.Spancilhill had me ‘miles away’,visualising faces and places unseen for many years…and the ‘home’song ,First Time Ever…. was very very special…
Light and shade/nuances…the gig sped by…only half a century since the nights in small folk clubs!Maybe,we’re all nearer the end of the journey,than the beginning,but with nights like this-viva the never ending tour…
All good wishes to you and companeros -The Phil is in for a treat tomorrow.
Dave
thats it Dave..
you have cracked it for me..
a Genre at last !
“Transcendental Folk”…
a new shelf in the record shops
file under TF
good to see you last night..sorry for the delay,thanks for hangin on , and for the books….
Christy , that was some encore, absolutely brilliant message to the far right and foot tapping magic to tap all the way back over the border, great gig.
Thanks
Rory
Rory,
Thank You !
I appreciate your insights into the songs..
we must have a mug of tea along the road..
“when will we see you again”
I couldn’t wait till the spring so my friend and partners are making the trip south to be with you tomorrow night. One of the great features of your story telling gig is the ability to drop into the jukebox and pull out a classic that that has a personal connection. Hopefully Bright Blue Rose gets a airing but I look forward to your selection. Have a good one Christy. Charles & Gerry
“Come all you Dreamers
hear the sound O The Barras Hummin”
Thanks for asking Christy. Little or no ‘opportunities’ on the ‘performance’ front lately, but can feel the writing brewing away, just need to sit down with it and give it some attention without distraction. Euro tour for Nov/Dec fell through, but that’s how it goes sometimes. 6 months off the smokes and gargle again, lost a little weight have lost my appetite for the drink, just haven’t got the rime for it, too much to do… …thanks again for the RTE malarky and delighted about Rob’s song resonating while being released too. Hope you’re doing good, Dylan
Manchester..Wed Morning..
Hey Dylan Walsh…greetings from Suffragette City…..I know where you are coming from ….when you cant get a foot in the door…when things fall thru, dont work out….but I believe these are the experiences we can build upon….I travelled the Dublin ballad scene for 3 years and could not get a gig of any sort…Peggy Jordan gave me a set of 3 songs in the (old) Embankment Pub in Tallaght in 1964…I did an audition for a gig in The Abbey Tavern in Howth but never heard back…I got a spot in Clonmel opening for Frank Patterson who was home form Rome giving a concert in his native place..that was it, 2 gigs in 3 years…but fuck it….kept goin, kept truckin and strummin and learnin and weavin….kept gathering and borrowing ( there were no songwriters back then !!! twas an unheard of concept !!)
You got a big voice, you got somethin to say, to sing, do it as long as you can, keep the light burning….its the journey we gotta embrace, the journey is the destination….
packin the box now for Liverpool..we’ll give it the lash tonight and then head for Holyhead…
Sing Out Dylan Walsh…..Gitser
PS..well done on the gargle and smokes…sobriety is a wonderful gift…after 30 years on the looney soup I broke free,I’ve just past 30 years of sober days, one day at a time
….as for the Woodbines, its pure madness for a singer to smoke….a bit like the pope pullin his wire…
Hi Christy, just wondering if I can throw my hat in the ring for a shout out for tomorrow at the Phil. Its for my wife Mo (Maureen Sharkey) its her birthday tomorrow (better not say how old) we will be sitting in row C, so close enough to see the twinkle in your eye and the sweat on your brow. Doesn’t seem like over ten years since her & I had a Rogan Josh with Declan & yourself backstage after the concert (D,I,D, Winner), Hopefully we’ll still be going to see you in another ten years time..Any song would be great but if its on the set list then Nancy Spain is one of her favourites I fully understand if its not possible as you will be inundated with requests, especially at the Phil but I will keep my ears peeled and fingers crossed.
Keep Her Lit John
Cant believe its10 years since we ran that Desert Island Disc challenge…. plenty of Rogans under the bridge since that night…..
Still listening to D.I.D. …Lauren Laverene has settled into Kirsty Long/Suelawley?Roy Plumley’s chair and made it her own..not to everyone’s satisfaction by all accounts….critics sometimes forget the priviledge enjoyed by BBC audiences….
unprecedented number of requests for callouts tonight…..simply impossible to fit a tenth of them in…gotta try and save some time for the songs and tunes, the intros and outros, the jigs the reels, the blues and reds and greens and ballads..the rap and trad, the fusion and handbag…
thanks John…hope you two have a blast tonight…no Rogan for me…heading for Holyhead as soon as the lights come up
Christy, we’re from the Isle of Skye, Scotland but have managed to include a trip to Liverpool as part of our family holiday to Hereford this year. This allows our boys, John-Angus (11) and Edward (7) the chance to go to their first ever gig tomorrow night at the Philharmonic. We’re all really looking forward to it. If you were able to give the wee lads a shout out they’d be tickled to bits…
Their Dad and I have seen you in Belfast and the Barrowland before…can we ever get you Skye, I wonder…?! Got a great wee venue for you…
Here’s to another great gig tomorrow.
Kind regards, or, as we say in Skye, Deagh dhūrachd.
Claire Nicolson
Claire, beidh fáilte róimh go léir insan Sasana anocht,beidh ceol agus craic againn go léir insan halla Philharmonic
We’ll do our best for the two lads……half the audience tonight have requested shout outs….for grandmothers, husbands, songsters, wooers, woofers, spoofers, sailors,tailors, bouncers, counsellors, MPs,TDs….
speaking of which…..
Last night I dreamt that Ms Arlene Foster was a TD in Leinster House
Dear Christy,
just a quick note to let you know there will be at least one Lilywhite in the audience tonight in Manchester, so its virtually a home gig and all the old favourites are fair game- Curragh of Kildare, Lily, Bogman etc.
I’m not expecting it to be as raucous as the gig in Killashee in February, but you can still let loose on The Ballad of Ruby and we’ll right there with you galloping down the home straight!
But a word of warning- the mother-in-law is in tow for her first Christy gig (she’s a Christy virgin)- so no bad language or it’ll reflect badly on me having bought her a ticket!
Really looking forward to it and hope you are too.
All the best,
Paul Boland
(ex Walshestown, Droichead Nua)
Feck it Paul
its the mornig after and I’ve only just read your mail now
I’m still buzzin after last nights fun
what a crowd in The Bridgewater last night
if only I’d known in time that there was a “townie” in the throng
and one from the “back-of-the-barracks”
did’nt I serve Mass with you Da in St Conleth’s
we swung the thurible together
he often lit my incense
we took turns to ring the bell and quench the candles
I hope your Dear Mother-in-Law was not too shocked when my Granny told the man from the NHS to “Fuck Off”
Had I known she was coming I’d have moderated myl tongue
Please extend my good wishes to all the folks back home upon the Liffey Bank
tell Frankie that we’re serving the half seven next Sun morning before the Moorefield/Sarsfield Kildare Senior County Final ……
I was looking for an email address to get in contact with you or your team but haven’t found one via this site. Could you forward me to some contact details for business inquiries please
Thank you
You are welcome
its all here on the site
I’ve no head for business mysel
but I can talk about songs “til the cows come home”