Chrisry, a belates thanks for bringing Nancy Spain to Trim last week. We decided to venture out of the Royal county to Budoran tonight before we head back to Jersey…need to check out the chandeliers in the room , see if they as shiny as Knighsbrook!! And of courae looking forward to few songs and stories. Alan
CM
How are you? are you keeping well ?
Just heading out ag déanamh stocaireachta le haighaidh Catherine Connolly.
Shes my cousin on Dad’s side. He was always so proud of Catherine and the fact their shared ancestry.
Dad’s great grandfather Hughie Connolly is our common ancestor. During the famine some poor créatúr stole his potatos. He left one island called Maínis and moved to Inis Bearachain.
He took the rafters from the old house in a Galway hooker and put them onto the new house in Inish Bearachain. The same house my dad was born in.
Such different times not so long ago.
CS 21
Never actually met Johnny…. but have a vague memory of being at a concert that he played in our local parish hall @1973/74…. I was a only a nipper of 9 or 10.
Looking forward to seeing you once again in Bundoran tonight, always a fantastic night. It would be magic if The Contender made it in to your set! See you later!
This is the day….. the best of the best rolls back in to Bundoran…cead mile failte aris.
I seen that John Doherty , John Simey, as he was known to all…. get mention on the guestbook……Ger can remember him staying in a neighbours house on his travels…. making pandys and the like and playing the fiddle in the evenings.
I seem to remember being told once that his brother Simon died young , maybe 30 years of age , in tragic circumstances.
His other brother Mickey was also a renowned fiddler. They were all known as the Simey Doherty clan.
John Simey lived to around 80 years of age and died in The Rock nursing home in Ballyshannon in 1980.
Christy's reply
Eamon O’Doherty sketched a beautiful portrait of Simey for a book on Donegal Fiddle Music…I managed to purchase the portrait
at an exhibition about 40 years ago..it now hangs above my Sisters fireplace ..I often sit beneath it singing a song with her and her husband Peter…did you evr meet Johnny yourself ?
on the road up now ,between Lucan and Leixlip….across the flat lands of Condae Cill Dara
Heading to Bundoran tomorrow to see your good self sir. Could I ask if you might sing my little honda 50, great memories to be had from this little tune.
Many sincere thanks,
Claire Bow
Christy's reply
if I can get her started………..catch you later Le Cónamh Dé
How are you Christy my parents are going to bundoran tomorrow night to your gig
Would it be possible to give my mother Joan Lennon from Cootehill co Cavan a birthday shout out
My parents have been going to your gigs for over 40 years
Thanks for all the brilliant memories
Ride on !
We are coming to see you in Bundoran tomorrow night and we really can’t wait. Many times we have heard you playing up in derry and always ‘class’ .
If you could, it’d be amazing if you could play ‘the voyage’ as this was our wedding day song back in Donegal.. .this would get me serious brownie points for a day or so at least is the rumour Christy ?? 😃..
For Norman and Charlene shongo from burt in lovely Donegal.
a legend Christy and thank you !!
Christy's reply
a fierce rake of call out requests for tomorrow night,,if I did them all there would be no time to sing !!! yours is gone into the raffle bag..I’ll pick a few out before the gig
Hello Christy,
Read your new verse for Bord na Móna Man.
Loving it!
“She spent 7 days creating the World the Sun the Moon & the Stars
The Plough The Milky Way then Jupiter & Mars
taking a Bone from her Rib Cage She carved a little man
put him down near Timahoe where the Human Race began”
I love the way you’ve made her so much more active in making the little man. It warms my heart!
Finding 3 sausages in the fridge, all cooked and ready to go. That’s a good evening!!!
Morning Christy, i stayed in Free Derry last saturday with Declan and went to see David Keenan play.
It is heartwrenching to see only 40 people ( yes at least there were 40) witness his complete genius.
This from him….folks please spread the word……….
Low tickets warning for Listowel & Clonakilty friends – tickets at davidkeenan.com
Sunday’s gig in magical Dingle is free to those who land first.
That’s how they roll in Dick Macs & as most of you may realise by now, I’m not in this for the money, this is the vocation and I’m grateful for the invites.
Onwards,
Grá to you all!
Christy's reply
It can be a hard old slog….fair play to you Rory for spreading the word
went to see a film today
“From Ground Zero”
a compilation of short films from Gaza…all made on the ground by people of that flattened place…. awful to view , heartbreaking, surely a holocaust…
We have a Presidential campaign gathering momentum…its gonna be a struggle to get the vote out….I support Catherine Connolly
Bourkey
October 8, 2025 at 12:46 am
Location: Those in power write the history and those who suffer write the songs.
Hi Christy,
You sometimes say how the good auld days were
when we didn’t talk about the good auld days …
Truth in that for sure. Anyways,
I came across a book – The Dublin Pub.
(No mention of The Dockers, The Ferryman or
even Darkey Kelly’s but no matter)
There is mention of Frank Harte and he says
“The thought of a song dying with its singer,
or lying in a book or a tape on a shelf gathering dust,
fills me with horror. if a song is lost, it means the loss
of a story that will never again be told, a story told
possibly hundreds of years ago that I could have heard
again today. A story that could give me insight into the
feelings of that particular time as no history book can”
Minded me of Spancil Hill, Carrickfergus amongst others.
There’s a lovely phot of him enjoying and sharing a drink.
Big smiley head on him.
Always Good to see John Spillane mentioned in dispatches
The four Hillary mentions and that you sing are special
But The Dunnes Stores girl rules my world.
Tabhair Aire
Bourkey
Christy's reply
you were on my radar last night
there were 3 left-over sausages calling me from the fridge…
I wrestled for a while trying to ignore them but eventually I gave in…
Buttering the Batch I was about to reach for the mustard when I spotted the Western Chutney….ye hit the spot again
I love when John sings about The Cherry Tree
Frank Harte’s Voice still resounds….across a life time he gathered and saved 20,000 songs,snippets, verses., tales, gathered and saved them for us all and later generations….I gather there are moves afoot to have his collection digitised ..what a great process that will be
I still miss his company, Frank was ( and remains) a songster of the highest degree, always happy to share a song, to supply missing verses or alternate lines….always done with humour and compassion
We are moving closer to Bundoran. My daughter’s name is Emma. We are looking forward to listening to you and your music on Thursday!! And to seeing you, of course.
Made the trip home last night from Learpholl last night, and heading to Bundoran Thursday to see the wonderful wild Atlantic and hear the few tunes. Would love to hear a bit of “Smoke and Strong Whiskey”, or “A Pair of Brown Eyes”, if those around floating around the setlist this weather.
Still bashing out the few tunes around Liverpool myself… It’s a wonderful thing to be able to tell all these stories to people interested, and if not least to myself for the great buzz off it.
Hello Christy,
So much creativity here.
Love Easkey’s song.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
“She spent 7 days creating the World the Sun the Moon & the Stars
The Plough The Milky Way then Jupiter & Mars
taking a Bone from her Rib Cage She carved a little man
put him down near Timahoe where the Human Race began”
Hi C great news from the John Spillane Hit Factory his epic folk opera Fíoruise – The Legend of the Lough is on the shortlist for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in the Global Music category. Best of luck to him, first the RTE Folk Award and now this recognition. I saw him last week in the INEC and it was the first time, as far as I recall, that he sang all four songs that you recorded in a single gig Magic Nights, Ballad of Patrick Murphy, Gortagort & Johnny Don’t Go, among many others as Bearla agus Gaelige. The Hills await, safe travelling all. Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Christy's reply
another ball in the back of the net for Johnny Spillane
[Verse]
The fields are green but the hearts are gray
Whiskey spills where the children play
Old songs echo in the crooked streets
History’s tired it can’t compete
[Chorus]
Ireland’s gone to hell
They say
The devil’s dancing in the bay
But we still fight
We still yell
Even if Ireland’s gone to hell
[Verse 2]
The pubs are full but the soul is bare
Dreams get lost in the smoky air
Church bells ring but no one kneels
We traded faith for spinning wheels
[Prechorus]
Is this the land we loved so much
Or just a ghost we’ll never touch
[Chorus]
Ireland’s gone to hell
They say
The devil’s laughing every day
But we still sing
We still tell
Stories of Ireland gone to hell
[Bridge]
There’s cracks in the castles cracks in the sky
The rain keeps falling but the ground stays dry
We hold on tight to the things we know
Even when the roots refuse to grow
Hoping to hear Ordinary Man tonight in honour of my cousin Tom in America who is retiring this month after a long career as a hard working man!
Chrisry, a belates thanks for bringing Nancy Spain to Trim last week. We decided to venture out of the Royal county to Budoran tonight before we head back to Jersey…need to check out the chandeliers in the room , see if they as shiny as Knighsbrook!! And of courae looking forward to few songs and stories. Alan
CM
How are you? are you keeping well ?
Just heading out ag déanamh stocaireachta le haighaidh Catherine Connolly.
Shes my cousin on Dad’s side. He was always so proud of Catherine and the fact their shared ancestry.
Dad’s great grandfather Hughie Connolly is our common ancestor. During the famine some poor créatúr stole his potatos. He left one island called Maínis and moved to Inis Bearachain.
He took the rafters from the old house in a Galway hooker and put them onto the new house in Inish Bearachain. The same house my dad was born in.
Such different times not so long ago.
CS 21
CS
Never actually met Johnny…. but have a vague memory of being at a concert that he played in our local parish hall @1973/74…. I was a only a nipper of 9 or 10.
Looking forward to seeing you once again in Bundoran tonight, always a fantastic night. It would be magic if The Contender made it in to your set! See you later!
Barry and Roisin.
Getting set for the trip to Bundoran tonight and another hall full of songs and music. Safe travels to you and all the crew.
This is the day….. the best of the best rolls back in to Bundoran…cead mile failte aris.
I seen that John Doherty , John Simey, as he was known to all…. get mention on the guestbook……Ger can remember him staying in a neighbours house on his travels…. making pandys and the like and playing the fiddle in the evenings.
I seem to remember being told once that his brother Simon died young , maybe 30 years of age , in tragic circumstances.
His other brother Mickey was also a renowned fiddler. They were all known as the Simey Doherty clan.
John Simey lived to around 80 years of age and died in The Rock nursing home in Ballyshannon in 1980.
Eamon O’Doherty sketched a beautiful portrait of Simey for a book on Donegal Fiddle Music…I managed to purchase the portrait
at an exhibition about 40 years ago..it now hangs above my Sisters fireplace ..I often sit beneath it singing a song with her and her husband Peter…did you evr meet Johnny yourself ?
on the road up now ,between Lucan and Leixlip….across the flat lands of Condae Cill Dara
Dear Christy,
Heading to Bundoran tomorrow to see your good self sir. Could I ask if you might sing my little honda 50, great memories to be had from this little tune.
Many sincere thanks,
Claire Bow
if I can get her started………..catch you later Le Cónamh Dé
How are you Christy my parents are going to bundoran tomorrow night to your gig
Would it be possible to give my mother Joan Lennon from Cootehill co Cavan a birthday shout out
My parents have been going to your gigs for over 40 years
Thanks for all the brilliant memories
Ride on !
its in the tombola
Good luck for your gig in Bundoran tomorrow.
Sorry joan and I can’t be with you. Hope to see you next year, God willing.
Onwards and upwords.
Thu Night
The Beggarmen
Crown & Anchor
back of Piccadilly
(a Wilson’s House)
MCs Gerry and Eamon
Tickets 3/6
Hi Christy ,
Good afternoon ,
We are coming to see you in Bundoran tomorrow night and we really can’t wait. Many times we have heard you playing up in derry and always ‘class’ .
If you could, it’d be amazing if you could play ‘the voyage’ as this was our wedding day song back in Donegal.. .this would get me serious brownie points for a day or so at least is the rumour Christy ?? 😃..
For Norman and Charlene shongo from burt in lovely Donegal.
a legend Christy and thank you !!
a fierce rake of call out requests for tomorrow night,,if I did them all there would be no time to sing !!! yours is gone into the raffle bag..I’ll pick a few out before the gig
Hello Christy,
Read your new verse for Bord na Móna Man.
Loving it!
“She spent 7 days creating the World the Sun the Moon & the Stars
The Plough The Milky Way then Jupiter & Mars
taking a Bone from her Rib Cage She carved a little man
put him down near Timahoe where the Human Race began”
I love the way you’ve made her so much more active in making the little man. It warms my heart!
Finding 3 sausages in the fridge, all cooked and ready to go. That’s a good evening!!!
Rebecca
watched Murder in Mirfield last night…
Morning Christy, i stayed in Free Derry last saturday with Declan and went to see David Keenan play.
It is heartwrenching to see only 40 people ( yes at least there were 40) witness his complete genius.
This from him….folks please spread the word……….
Low tickets warning for Listowel & Clonakilty friends – tickets at davidkeenan.com
Sunday’s gig in magical Dingle is free to those who land first.
That’s how they roll in Dick Macs & as most of you may realise by now, I’m not in this for the money, this is the vocation and I’m grateful for the invites.
Onwards,
Grá to you all!
It can be a hard old slog….fair play to you Rory for spreading the word
went to see a film today
“From Ground Zero”
a compilation of short films from Gaza…all made on the ground by people of that flattened place…. awful to view , heartbreaking, surely a holocaust…
We have a Presidential campaign gathering momentum…its gonna be a struggle to get the vote out….I support Catherine Connolly
Hi Christy,
You sometimes say how the good auld days were
when we didn’t talk about the good auld days …
Truth in that for sure. Anyways,
I came across a book – The Dublin Pub.
(No mention of The Dockers, The Ferryman or
even Darkey Kelly’s but no matter)
There is mention of Frank Harte and he says
“The thought of a song dying with its singer,
or lying in a book or a tape on a shelf gathering dust,
fills me with horror. if a song is lost, it means the loss
of a story that will never again be told, a story told
possibly hundreds of years ago that I could have heard
again today. A story that could give me insight into the
feelings of that particular time as no history book can”
Minded me of Spancil Hill, Carrickfergus amongst others.
There’s a lovely phot of him enjoying and sharing a drink.
Big smiley head on him.
Always Good to see John Spillane mentioned in dispatches
The four Hillary mentions and that you sing are special
But The Dunnes Stores girl rules my world.
Tabhair Aire
Bourkey
you were on my radar last night
there were 3 left-over sausages calling me from the fridge…
I wrestled for a while trying to ignore them but eventually I gave in…
Buttering the Batch I was about to reach for the mustard when I spotted the Western Chutney….ye hit the spot again
I love when John sings about The Cherry Tree
Frank Harte’s Voice still resounds….across a life time he gathered and saved 20,000 songs,snippets, verses., tales, gathered and saved them for us all and later generations….I gather there are moves afoot to have his collection digitised ..what a great process that will be
I still miss his company, Frank was ( and remains) a songster of the highest degree, always happy to share a song, to supply missing verses or alternate lines….always done with humour and compassion
We are moving closer to Bundoran. My daughter’s name is Emma. We are looking forward to listening to you and your music on Thursday!! And to seeing you, of course.
Hi Christy, hope all is well.
Made the trip home last night from Learpholl last night, and heading to Bundoran Thursday to see the wonderful wild Atlantic and hear the few tunes. Would love to hear a bit of “Smoke and Strong Whiskey”, or “A Pair of Brown Eyes”, if those around floating around the setlist this weather.
Still bashing out the few tunes around Liverpool myself… It’s a wonderful thing to be able to tell all these stories to people interested, and if not least to myself for the great buzz off it.
Thanks a million, all the best to ya.
fáilte romhat arais …
Hello Christy,
So much creativity here.
Love Easkey’s song.
Rebecca
“She spent 7 days creating the World the Sun the Moon & the Stars
The Plough The Milky Way then Jupiter & Mars
taking a Bone from her Rib Cage She carved a little man
put him down near Timahoe where the Human Race began”
Hi C great news from the John Spillane Hit Factory his epic folk opera Fíoruise – The Legend of the Lough is on the shortlist for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in the Global Music category. Best of luck to him, first the RTE Folk Award and now this recognition. I saw him last week in the INEC and it was the first time, as far as I recall, that he sang all four songs that you recorded in a single gig Magic Nights, Ballad of Patrick Murphy, Gortagort & Johnny Don’t Go, among many others as Bearla agus Gaelige. The Hills await, safe travelling all. Beir bua agus beannacht. H
another ball in the back of the net for Johnny Spillane
Great to find your page and read about what you are doing, all the best for the months ahead, it sounds like you are busy and happy 🙏
happy returns Amanda
[Verse]
The fields are green but the hearts are gray
Whiskey spills where the children play
Old songs echo in the crooked streets
History’s tired it can’t compete
[Chorus]
Ireland’s gone to hell
They say
The devil’s dancing in the bay
But we still fight
We still yell
Even if Ireland’s gone to hell
[Verse 2]
The pubs are full but the soul is bare
Dreams get lost in the smoky air
Church bells ring but no one kneels
We traded faith for spinning wheels
[Prechorus]
Is this the land we loved so much
Or just a ghost we’ll never touch
[Chorus]
Ireland’s gone to hell
They say
The devil’s laughing every day
But we still sing
We still tell
Stories of Ireland gone to hell
[Bridge]
There’s cracks in the castles cracks in the sky
The rain keeps falling but the ground stays dry
We hold on tight to the things we know
Even when the roots refuse to grow
Thanks for sharing Martin… lovely hurlin