Last weekend I went to my first John Spillane gig, at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith. A wonderful evening. I picked up some of John’s albums, which I have been listening to during the week. I particularly like his description of you, in his song for John Reilly “The Man Who Came in from the Dark”, as “a hungry hunter for a ballad”.
“Young Christy Moore he came down hunting,
And a hungry hunter for a ballad was he,
Recorded the songs of ol’ John Reilly,
With a Raggle-Taggle band that they call Planxty”
Ah, yes, I think there are two Anne Lanes, or maybe an Anne and Ann, not sure. My middle name is Patricia, so I shall attempt to add a middle initial to my profile on here.
I do also love the Planxty version of Sweet Thames and the outro, although I only know it from the record, as I was a few years late hearing Planxty. It was after a friend introduced Mike and I to Moving Hearts in the early 80s that we got copies of your albums and the Planxty albums, and started coming to your gigs.
I remember a few years ago playing that Planxty recording of Sweet Thames (quite loudly, for the benefit of the swans) as I steered our boat between the meadows, along the twists and turns of the upper Thames.
It’s been some time since I last left a note on this page. But fear not, I have been getting lost in your music in the interim, taking more meaning from the lyrics as the years go by.
Youtube is a great thing, I love the 2006 Planxty reunion videos. Never have I seen a deeper collection of music, lyrics poetic and equally spine tingling: little musgrave, only our rivers, true love knows no season, good ship kangaroo..
Has there ever been a quartet on this island that had the ability and the might to pull such a wonderful collection of songs together.
Only our Rivers is a special song, as I walk round the mountains of South Fermanagh I feel the lyrics in the heather and the rivers. I watch the standards of living slip in the North now more than ever before versus the republics transformation into a modern, forward, European metropolitan country and on this side of the border we are stuck in time. Mickey was right.
I wish you health and happiness Christy, your music has been there in my darkest days, its seen me through the dusty outback of Australia, and home again, and in happy times too. Its the gift that keeps on giving, it takes us places and sometimes it brings me back. The melody is stitched in time, in places I long for, with people I dearly miss and the sights and smells. But the music is the magic carpet, it takes us there.
All the very best, I hope to see you soon
Christy's reply
Morra Jerpat…
Fair play, your fairly dishing out the plaudits this morning…you have me purring here like a contented pussy (cat) after dining on a bog springer..
that last Planxty run out was memorable…we kicked off in The Royal Spa Lisdoonvarna and, 4 months later finished up in London on the Southbank…that was it..Planxty time was up …
between 1972 and 2006 there were a number of line ups .. we started and finished with the same original 4 …Liam, Andy, Donal and myself….
in between times the band had many line -ups featuring Johnny Moynihan, Paul Brady, Arty McGlynn, Nollaig Casey, Bill Whelan , Matt Molloy, Noel Hill, Tony Linnane and , I think, Dolores Keane and James Kelly…
along the way we travelled long roads helped by legions …Des Kelly, Nicky Ryan, Kevin (Lofty)Flynn,Half-shaft McFadden, Leon Brennan, Fumes, Johnny Divilly, Sean & Seamus McCabe, Humphry Weightman,Dermot Healy, Maurice (not my responsibility) Cassidy, George McManus,Bill Leader, Phil Coulter to name but a few,
I think we recorded 7 albums ..plus a few retro and live releases….
I really love your new recording of Sweet Thames for the expanded edition of A Terrible Beauty. I’ve been listening to it round and round on your YouTube channel all day! I’ve pre-ordered the vinyl album.
I’m enjoying reading about all the gigs this autumn, and very much looking forward to your Vicar Street gig on 15th December.
All the best,
Anne
Christy's reply
Thank you Anne…I’ve always loved this song since hearing Ewan MacColl sing it 55 years ago..You’ll remember the Planxty 1972 version when Liam and Andy duetted on the outro on Pipes and Hohner..I always remember hearing that sound in rehearsal over Scruffy Murphy’s Beehive
PS…I’m reliably informed that I may be getting 2 “Anne Lanes” mixed up…regrets to you both
Cheers for the reply Christy, some lovely history and a few wild stories in it for the people of Carlow/KK. Take her handy, HUP.
Christy's reply
is Pedigree Corner still running gigs……had some great nights there in the 70s…Noel was an all rounder…and a hurler…he booked the acts, served the porter, kept law &.order, compared the cabaret and , most importantly, had a very practical way of dealing with trickies, lewdermawns and flibbertyjibbets
Hello Christy,
Ooh goodie! Extended Rerrible Beauty on Cream vinyl. Lovely!
I said goodbye to working at Calderdale yesterday. Coffee and cakes. One person turned up who I worked with in 1993, the year I started when I was nowt but a girl.
It was more stressful than performing! No gap…!
The night before I had a weird dream. I was taking the English Literature A level exam. The person sat at the front desk watching us was Donald Trump.
Rebecca
Continuing the radio theme…if possible,well worth tracking down, Desert Island Discs…with Ronnie Wood,hosted by the excellent Lauren Laverne…
A wonderful programme…amazing life,stories and blues…
Hope last night’s gig and travels went well
Dave
Christy's reply
will do…Ron’s a good raconteur…Carrickdale was hoppin last night
Hazz, will you give us a time for your broadcast (and web address of station) and will try and spin ‘da oul VHF’ dial to see can you be found; please allow for Australian time. Gipp, I’m going to look up that M Black recording, I think I know it; great.
Great full length interview with Mary Black on Oliver Callan this morning! Mentioned how good you’ve been to her, Christy! Spoke fondly of how you introduced her to Declan and her performance on CM and Friend’s 1980, “Anachie Gordon” with Gerry O’Beirne, a classic, and how the transmission of it on RTE was the night of her wedding! Well worth a listen to all!
Well Christy, this guestbook is an amazing idea. Fair play to you. My favourite songs of yours have always been the ones you sang with your own Bodhrán accompaniment. (I also love your rendition of Cricklewood by John B Keane and have sung that at every gig I have done over the last few years).
Anyway, inspired by your Charlie Byrne playing, I wrote a song on the Bodhrán about a man that was born with pints for hands who desperately wants to be a musician, Eamonn PintHands. It’s a song about making the best with the hand you’re dealt(or pints in his case). I wrote it after a gig in which some eejit banged 2 pints glasses off eachother at the bar for 2 hours, staring me in the eyes. Torture. Here is a link to listen to the song if you ever got very bored and curious. I painted a picture of Eamonn with my daughter before the song was even written, that’s the art for the song. Enjoy the gig tonight. Hup. https://open.spotify.com/album/0pgPHyBpOBdVfKhfBe0j7w?si=A7rx5KhtS-KOw_2z8hxX_w
Christy's reply
you’re flyin it Hugsie…
used to play a fair bit in Carlow/Kilkenny way back in the mid 1970s….El Ruedo, Fury’s, Goresbridge,The Ridge Coolcullen,Gowran, Sheerins of The Ridge, Larkins of Kanesbridge, Ballyragget, drove the red 4L into a ditch near Muckalee and ended up in the Salmon Pool…Pedigree Corner was the top spot back then…manys the gig and lock-in…all that before I put the cork in the bottle, The Coalmine and Conway’s in ‘Comer
Hi Christy (and Hillary)!
Just a quick note to wish you the best for tonight’s gig. We won’t be there unfortunately as the tickets were released whilst we were at my nephew’s wedding on a mountain in Spain with shite phone signal 😂 wishing you all the best and Hilary, please send me any recordings you get!
Dearbhla.
Christy's reply
reading about the wedding celebration on a mountain top in Spain brings me back to weddings of yore….nothing compared to what passes for a wedding breakfast these days…I hear that, in some cases, it can stretch to a 3 day event….
I recall “Wedding Breakfasts” where a ham sandwich and a bottle of ale did the trick…more affluent folk might stretch to 25 in Mrs McKenna’s Hotel ( The Grand) in Newbridge….
I was at a wedding a few years back that was a 2 day job…no expense spared,…I hear it cost north of a hundred gand….2 years on and they’re not even talking to each other…he’s decided that they is a she, she thinks they might be a he, AIB has the deeds of their 5 bed detached and all the furniture has been repossessed …
Looking forward to updates about Kevin’s guitar…an exiting project. I have an Epiphone/Gibson…it was c 20years old when it lured me into a charity shop c10 years ago…lovely to play and the machine heads hold tuning brilliantly…reminds me of Mike Harding’s line about guitar makers. Strings should be weldedin tune to save a lot of trouble!!
Enjoy tonight….I’ll be listening to the Mercury prize awards…Martin Carthy,a contender…as is Dunboyne’s C MAT…I don’t think Martin will win but the fact that he’s in the mix is ace.
Springsteen bio pic soon…I’m with Bourkey about ‘Nebraska’, but ‘ The ghost of Tom Joad’ is genius…
All the best
Dave
Christy's reply
I got my first guitar from Ned Bulfin at a Fleadh Ceol in Portalington in 1962 for £3
Second was a £10 new guitar from McCullough Piggots in 1963 ….got it on the HP…..I had a Spanish Guitar when I went on the road in 1966….soon changed to a steel Yamaha FG180 in 1967….from then to1982 I stuck with the FG180s….had a few different Martins and one Gibson along the way..
G’day Christy & mates…
How the flippin’ heck are yous all?
Hoping life smiles upon ye…
Summer eying us off here
Think I’ll give the shovel song a Burl on next Tues show
(trying to squeeze in a CM song each show)
Keep up the good vibes
Danny Harris
Christy's reply
“I woke up one morning, the sun did’nt shine
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
I loaded 16 tons, number 9 coal
the foreman said “God Bless MY Soul”
Hi Christy,
Mighty talk of guitars and such on the guestbook.
Over my shiny head. Never picked one up in anger
or otherwise. Still time I guess … hope …
New film about Bruce Springsteen on the horizon
and he throws his tuppence ha’penny into the ring …
“Two of the best days of my life were the day I picked
up the guitar and the day that I learned to put it down.
The day that you pick it up, that’s the three hours onstage.
And the day you put it down, that’s the other twenty one “
Looking forward to the film. Set around the time of Nebraska.
Love giving that one a spin, probably my favourite.
Tabhair Aire
Bourkey
Christy's reply
still trying to figure out that Bruce quote…..good to hear he has a new movie pending…I really enjoyed his talking book..great road trip accompaniment….had a chance to play with him once…I funked it …and still regret it..
Greetings Christy,
I want to thank you for making our visit to Ireland even more special than it already was. My wife and I came over from the US in September (we both turned 60 this year and this was our gift to each other). When I found out the dates we’d be there,, I checked your touring schedule and was psyched to find that you’d be in Galway. I bought show tickets and planned our itinerary around your show. We enjoyed it so much. Your voice sounds as strong and clear as ever. Thanks for the great memory!!
Christy's reply
Morra Michael…glad that you had a good trip over and that the gig worked for you…
Thanks too for feedback on the vocals…
I feel blest that this 80 year old instrument is still serving the songs well…its such a fragile and complex piece of equipment..in younger years I did not always appreciate it or take care of it…. I give thanks every day that it still functions…
Thanks Christy. The plan is to capture some of the guitar building process and sound once complete, so I’ll be more than happy to share. At risk of sounding like a picky fecker, I have three guitars that I like different components of. The aim is to try and bring them all together in an instrument that feels and sounds right. I wasn’t blessed with long fingers so a reduction in fretboard depth will help. I’ve also become used to smaller bodied guitars – so have chosen an OM (orchestra model) size, slightly less bulky than a dreadnought. To make up for the reduction in size, the choice of timbers will ensure the sound is still strong. Rosewood back and sides, spruce top, mahogany neck, maple binding and ebony fingerboard and headstock are the choices. Have also requested an extended clear pick guard, as I have a habit of strumming beyond and scratching the guitar. For the techies, I have opted for an LR Baggs stagepro element pickup. Let’s hope it comes together as planned..
Christy's reply
respect to your process and practice….I’ve never managed to get deep into the instruments….Ed Sheeran gifted me a beautiful Louden….played it for a while but could not do it justice…I gifted it to Declan Sinnott who is more capable of finding its sweet spots….
I’m using the same guitars for 40 years… I don’t promote them… the company treated me like shit when I sought some info about pick-ups…I was not seeking anything for nothing, just some info….
I have a 1925 acoustic Gibson which I play here in the workroom every day, also a lovely (aged) Atkin that is in constant use….I’ve tried various guitars on stage but always revert to my trusted ….got the first one in 1981 during the Moving Hearts era ….I have 5 of them now….all over 35 years old…three of them picked up second hand along the way…
I did try some later models when they changed tack in the 90s ..but No Thanks…I prefer these old instruments…
Derek Nelson looked after my intruments until he retired last year ..now Johnny gets them serviced by Zack Drummond from Tullaghan,nr Bundoran who’s been doing a good job with the frets and upkeep…
I cant share any info about my Bodhrán..I had to sign a non disclosure before he/she/they would part with it….many players have been on to me about it, all of them mad curious about her sweet tone, one well heeled percussionist offered me a Ferguson TVO plus 10,000 euro in exchange…said he’s throw in a signed Corr’s album as well….I sought a second opinion from a well known Galway skin merchant..he advised me to keep my powder dry
I’m coming to your concert tomorrow night in Carrickdale and I’d love to ask for a very special shout-out if possible. My aunt, Pauline McLarnon, is currently in hospice care in Belfast and nearing the end of her journey. She’s always loved your music, especially “Ride On”.
If you could dedicate “Ride On” to her, it would mean the world to me and to our whole family — a moment of comfort, love, and connection through your song.
Thank you so much for all the heart and soul you’ve shared over the years.
Go raibh maith agat
With love and gratitude,
Aodhán, Lisa & Bump…..Béal Feirste
Christy's reply
Thank You..
we send very best wishes to Pauline and her family….Christy
Hello Christy,
Last weekend I went to my first John Spillane gig, at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith. A wonderful evening. I picked up some of John’s albums, which I have been listening to during the week. I particularly like his description of you, in his song for John Reilly “The Man Who Came in from the Dark”, as “a hungry hunter for a ballad”.
“Young Christy Moore he came down hunting,
And a hungry hunter for a ballad was he,
Recorded the songs of ol’ John Reilly,
With a Raggle-Taggle band that they call Planxty”
All the best,
Anne
Hello Christy,
Ah, yes, I think there are two Anne Lanes, or maybe an Anne and Ann, not sure. My middle name is Patricia, so I shall attempt to add a middle initial to my profile on here.
I do also love the Planxty version of Sweet Thames and the outro, although I only know it from the record, as I was a few years late hearing Planxty. It was after a friend introduced Mike and I to Moving Hearts in the early 80s that we got copies of your albums and the Planxty albums, and started coming to your gigs.
I remember a few years ago playing that Planxty recording of Sweet Thames (quite loudly, for the benefit of the swans) as I steered our boat between the meadows, along the twists and turns of the upper Thames.
Cheers,
Anne
Hi Christy,
It’s been some time since I last left a note on this page. But fear not, I have been getting lost in your music in the interim, taking more meaning from the lyrics as the years go by.
Youtube is a great thing, I love the 2006 Planxty reunion videos. Never have I seen a deeper collection of music, lyrics poetic and equally spine tingling: little musgrave, only our rivers, true love knows no season, good ship kangaroo..
Has there ever been a quartet on this island that had the ability and the might to pull such a wonderful collection of songs together.
Only our Rivers is a special song, as I walk round the mountains of South Fermanagh I feel the lyrics in the heather and the rivers. I watch the standards of living slip in the North now more than ever before versus the republics transformation into a modern, forward, European metropolitan country and on this side of the border we are stuck in time. Mickey was right.
I wish you health and happiness Christy, your music has been there in my darkest days, its seen me through the dusty outback of Australia, and home again, and in happy times too. Its the gift that keeps on giving, it takes us places and sometimes it brings me back. The melody is stitched in time, in places I long for, with people I dearly miss and the sights and smells. But the music is the magic carpet, it takes us there.
All the very best, I hope to see you soon
Morra Jerpat…
Fair play, your fairly dishing out the plaudits this morning…you have me purring here like a contented pussy (cat) after dining on a bog springer..
that last Planxty run out was memorable…we kicked off in The Royal Spa Lisdoonvarna and, 4 months later finished up in London on the Southbank…that was it..Planxty time was up …
between 1972 and 2006 there were a number of line ups .. we started and finished with the same original 4 …Liam, Andy, Donal and myself….
in between times the band had many line -ups featuring Johnny Moynihan, Paul Brady, Arty McGlynn, Nollaig Casey, Bill Whelan , Matt Molloy, Noel Hill, Tony Linnane and , I think, Dolores Keane and James Kelly…
along the way we travelled long roads helped by legions …Des Kelly, Nicky Ryan, Kevin (Lofty)Flynn,Half-shaft McFadden, Leon Brennan, Fumes, Johnny Divilly, Sean & Seamus McCabe, Humphry Weightman,Dermot Healy, Maurice (not my responsibility) Cassidy, George McManus,Bill Leader, Phil Coulter to name but a few,
I think we recorded 7 albums ..plus a few retro and live releases….
Hi Christy,
I really love your new recording of Sweet Thames for the expanded edition of A Terrible Beauty. I’ve been listening to it round and round on your YouTube channel all day! I’ve pre-ordered the vinyl album.
I’m enjoying reading about all the gigs this autumn, and very much looking forward to your Vicar Street gig on 15th December.
All the best,
Anne
Thank you Anne…I’ve always loved this song since hearing Ewan MacColl sing it 55 years ago..You’ll remember the Planxty 1972 version when Liam and Andy duetted on the outro on Pipes and Hohner..I always remember hearing that sound in rehearsal over Scruffy Murphy’s Beehive
PS…I’m reliably informed that I may be getting 2 “Anne Lanes” mixed up…regrets to you both
Cheers for the reply Christy, some lovely history and a few wild stories in it for the people of Carlow/KK. Take her handy, HUP.
is Pedigree Corner still running gigs……had some great nights there in the 70s…Noel was an all rounder…and a hurler…he booked the acts, served the porter, kept law &.order, compared the cabaret and , most importantly, had a very practical way of dealing with trickies, lewdermawns and flibbertyjibbets
Hello Christy,
Ooh goodie! Extended Rerrible Beauty on Cream vinyl. Lovely!
I said goodbye to working at Calderdale yesterday. Coffee and cakes. One person turned up who I worked with in 1993, the year I started when I was nowt but a girl.
It was more stressful than performing! No gap…!
The night before I had a weird dream. I was taking the English Literature A level exam. The person sat at the front desk watching us was Donald Trump.
Rebecca
that was your chance to shoot the cur
Hi Christy
Continuing the radio theme…if possible,well worth tracking down, Desert Island Discs…with Ronnie Wood,hosted by the excellent Lauren Laverne…
A wonderful programme…amazing life,stories and blues…
Hope last night’s gig and travels went well
Dave
will do…Ron’s a good raconteur…Carrickdale was hoppin last night
Hazz, will you give us a time for your broadcast (and web address of station) and will try and spin ‘da oul VHF’ dial to see can you be found; please allow for Australian time. Gipp, I’m going to look up that M Black recording, I think I know it; great.
Athlone calling Oz…the site is working
Must look that up
Great full length interview with Mary Black on Oliver Callan this morning! Mentioned how good you’ve been to her, Christy! Spoke fondly of how you introduced her to Declan and her performance on CM and Friend’s 1980, “Anachie Gordon” with Gerry O’Beirne, a classic, and how the transmission of it on RTE was the night of her wedding! Well worth a listen to all!
good on ye Maro……Callan is a humdinger
Im 71. Should be 72 .but i was sick for a year.
your song reminds me of Ewan MacColl’s “Tunnel Tigers”
Well Christy, this guestbook is an amazing idea. Fair play to you. My favourite songs of yours have always been the ones you sang with your own Bodhrán accompaniment. (I also love your rendition of Cricklewood by John B Keane and have sung that at every gig I have done over the last few years).
Anyway, inspired by your Charlie Byrne playing, I wrote a song on the Bodhrán about a man that was born with pints for hands who desperately wants to be a musician, Eamonn PintHands. It’s a song about making the best with the hand you’re dealt(or pints in his case). I wrote it after a gig in which some eejit banged 2 pints glasses off eachother at the bar for 2 hours, staring me in the eyes. Torture. Here is a link to listen to the song if you ever got very bored and curious. I painted a picture of Eamonn with my daughter before the song was even written, that’s the art for the song. Enjoy the gig tonight. Hup. https://open.spotify.com/album/0pgPHyBpOBdVfKhfBe0j7w?si=A7rx5KhtS-KOw_2z8hxX_w
you’re flyin it Hugsie…
used to play a fair bit in Carlow/Kilkenny way back in the mid 1970s….El Ruedo, Fury’s, Goresbridge,The Ridge Coolcullen,Gowran, Sheerins of The Ridge, Larkins of Kanesbridge, Ballyragget, drove the red 4L into a ditch near Muckalee and ended up in the Salmon Pool…Pedigree Corner was the top spot back then…manys the gig and lock-in…all that before I put the cork in the bottle, The Coalmine and Conway’s in ‘Comer
My name is Jimmy
I came here in 52
Took the boat to London
There was nothing else to do
Do you remember me..
Do you remember me.
My name is Johnny
Outside of easkey town
Took the bus to Glasgow
Picking spuds up off the ground
Do you remember me
Do you remember me.
My name is Tommy
In this bed I lie
Thinking of my childhood
Outside of pamaroy
Do you remember me
Do you remember me.
My name is Mary
Im in the family way
Couldn’t hide my secret
So I had to move away
Do you remember me
Do you remember me..
I’ve seen you in Cricklewood
I’ve seen you in the crown
I’ve seen your lonely faces
Around London underground
I remember you
Yes I remember you..
you must be older then myself…I did’nt make it “over” until 1961
Hi Christy (and Hillary)!
Just a quick note to wish you the best for tonight’s gig. We won’t be there unfortunately as the tickets were released whilst we were at my nephew’s wedding on a mountain in Spain with shite phone signal 😂 wishing you all the best and Hilary, please send me any recordings you get!
Dearbhla.
reading about the wedding celebration on a mountain top in Spain brings me back to weddings of yore….nothing compared to what passes for a wedding breakfast these days…I hear that, in some cases, it can stretch to a 3 day event….
I recall “Wedding Breakfasts” where a ham sandwich and a bottle of ale did the trick…more affluent folk might stretch to 25 in Mrs McKenna’s Hotel ( The Grand) in Newbridge….
I was at a wedding a few years back that was a 2 day job…no expense spared,…I hear it cost north of a hundred gand….2 years on and they’re not even talking to each other…he’s decided that they is a she, she thinks they might be a he, AIB has the deeds of their 5 bed detached and all the furniture has been repossessed …
sorry to hear you missed the tickets…
Hi Christy
Looking forward to updates about Kevin’s guitar…an exiting project. I have an Epiphone/Gibson…it was c 20years old when it lured me into a charity shop c10 years ago…lovely to play and the machine heads hold tuning brilliantly…reminds me of Mike Harding’s line about guitar makers. Strings should be weldedin tune to save a lot of trouble!!
Enjoy tonight….I’ll be listening to the Mercury prize awards…Martin Carthy,a contender…as is Dunboyne’s C MAT…I don’t think Martin will win but the fact that he’s in the mix is ace.
Springsteen bio pic soon…I’m with Bourkey about ‘Nebraska’, but ‘ The ghost of Tom Joad’ is genius…
All the best
Dave
I got my first guitar from Ned Bulfin at a Fleadh Ceol in Portalington in 1962 for £3
Second was a £10 new guitar from McCullough Piggots in 1963 ….got it on the HP…..I had a Spanish Guitar when I went on the road in 1966….soon changed to a steel Yamaha FG180 in 1967….from then to1982 I stuck with the FG180s….had a few different Martins and one Gibson along the way..
G’day Christy & mates…
How the flippin’ heck are yous all?
Hoping life smiles upon ye…
Summer eying us off here
Think I’ll give the shovel song a Burl on next Tues show
(trying to squeeze in a CM song each show)
Keep up the good vibes
Danny Harris
“I woke up one morning, the sun did’nt shine
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
I loaded 16 tons, number 9 coal
the foreman said “God Bless MY Soul”
Hi Christy,
Mighty talk of guitars and such on the guestbook.
Over my shiny head. Never picked one up in anger
or otherwise. Still time I guess … hope …
New film about Bruce Springsteen on the horizon
and he throws his tuppence ha’penny into the ring …
“Two of the best days of my life were the day I picked
up the guitar and the day that I learned to put it down.
The day that you pick it up, that’s the three hours onstage.
And the day you put it down, that’s the other twenty one “
Looking forward to the film. Set around the time of Nebraska.
Love giving that one a spin, probably my favourite.
Tabhair Aire
Bourkey
still trying to figure out that Bruce quote…..good to hear he has a new movie pending…I really enjoyed his talking book..great road trip accompaniment….had a chance to play with him once…I funked it …and still regret it..
Bound for the Border tonight…
Greetings Christy,
I want to thank you for making our visit to Ireland even more special than it already was. My wife and I came over from the US in September (we both turned 60 this year and this was our gift to each other). When I found out the dates we’d be there,, I checked your touring schedule and was psyched to find that you’d be in Galway. I bought show tickets and planned our itinerary around your show. We enjoyed it so much. Your voice sounds as strong and clear as ever. Thanks for the great memory!!
Morra Michael…glad that you had a good trip over and that the gig worked for you…
Thanks too for feedback on the vocals…
I feel blest that this 80 year old instrument is still serving the songs well…its such a fragile and complex piece of equipment..in younger years I did not always appreciate it or take care of it…. I give thanks every day that it still functions…
Thanks Christy. The plan is to capture some of the guitar building process and sound once complete, so I’ll be more than happy to share. At risk of sounding like a picky fecker, I have three guitars that I like different components of. The aim is to try and bring them all together in an instrument that feels and sounds right. I wasn’t blessed with long fingers so a reduction in fretboard depth will help. I’ve also become used to smaller bodied guitars – so have chosen an OM (orchestra model) size, slightly less bulky than a dreadnought. To make up for the reduction in size, the choice of timbers will ensure the sound is still strong. Rosewood back and sides, spruce top, mahogany neck, maple binding and ebony fingerboard and headstock are the choices. Have also requested an extended clear pick guard, as I have a habit of strumming beyond and scratching the guitar. For the techies, I have opted for an LR Baggs stagepro element pickup. Let’s hope it comes together as planned..
respect to your process and practice….I’ve never managed to get deep into the instruments….Ed Sheeran gifted me a beautiful Louden….played it for a while but could not do it justice…I gifted it to Declan Sinnott who is more capable of finding its sweet spots….
I’m using the same guitars for 40 years… I don’t promote them… the company treated me like shit when I sought some info about pick-ups…I was not seeking anything for nothing, just some info….
I have a 1925 acoustic Gibson which I play here in the workroom every day, also a lovely (aged) Atkin that is in constant use….I’ve tried various guitars on stage but always revert to my trusted ….got the first one in 1981 during the Moving Hearts era ….I have 5 of them now….all over 35 years old…three of them picked up second hand along the way…
I did try some later models when they changed tack in the 90s ..but No Thanks…I prefer these old instruments…
Derek Nelson looked after my intruments until he retired last year ..now Johnny gets them serviced by Zack Drummond from Tullaghan,nr Bundoran who’s been doing a good job with the frets and upkeep…
I cant share any info about my Bodhrán..I had to sign a non disclosure before he/she/they would part with it….many players have been on to me about it, all of them mad curious about her sweet tone, one well heeled percussionist offered me a Ferguson TVO plus 10,000 euro in exchange…said he’s throw in a signed Corr’s album as well….I sought a second opinion from a well known Galway skin merchant..he advised me to keep my powder dry
Hi Christy,
I’m coming to your concert tomorrow night in Carrickdale and I’d love to ask for a very special shout-out if possible. My aunt, Pauline McLarnon, is currently in hospice care in Belfast and nearing the end of her journey. She’s always loved your music, especially “Ride On”.
If you could dedicate “Ride On” to her, it would mean the world to me and to our whole family — a moment of comfort, love, and connection through your song.
Thank you so much for all the heart and soul you’ve shared over the years.
Go raibh maith agat
With love and gratitude,
Aodhán, Lisa & Bump…..Béal Feirste
Thank You..
we send very best wishes to Pauline and her family….Christy