Sixty years ago tonight,a heckle sent this city into music infamy…’Judas’…Bob Dylan/ The Hawks,The Free Trade Hall…
Now,Castle Gallery,King Street,celebrates Dylan’s 21st century art via a’Retrospectum’…drawings,paintings,iron works…train tracks,rural scenes,illustrated lyrics…something for everyone.A basement foyer and room.Superbly lit…it’s a great wander. Staff happy to talk about Dylan,not just sell product…and,more recent pieces on the ground floor.
Lots of online info,but nothing like seeing the real things…I hope some 4711ers can make the trip…on until early August
Enjoy tonight’s gig.
Dave
Christy's reply
60 years ago I was living in that great United City ….
no interest whatsoever in the Man back then
too busy knockin around the Folk Clubs hopin for a floor spot
Free Trade Hall was Mount Everest
I was sharing a room in Moss Side , trying to make rent
my last two real jobs:
a “box-jumper” in a waste paper factory off Shudehill
a “cold meats porter” in John Lewis’s..
they still have my cards
started hearing Bob when I got back here in the 70’s
no doubt about, He sure can write a song
sometimes makes no sense and utter sense at the same time
what an output…..I have endless CDs,Cassettes, Albums here that I’ll never get around to hearing…
all his radio shows for starters..I think that alone is 90 cds
I’ve heard 3 so far…I need a lot more time !
“the lassies of The Broomielaw
on their Cuban Heels are dancin
Here’s Our Lady of the Clyde
And there goes Jinky Johnston
come to rock and roll at the Church of Céili
To waltz beneath the carousel of healing
To jitterbug
and boogie the night away”
Chorus
…..”Come all you dreamers” etc …
Enjoy the gig tomorrow night.
Tabhair Aire
Bourkey
Christy's reply
What a time we had,
Wally (god be good to him) came over to Glasgow and we reccied the joint together….
( if memory serves we sang a couple of songs together that night in the holy of holys )
the result was this beautiful old ballad
I think of it now
early on this Summer May morning
thinking back to the few days with Wally in the East End of Glasgow
I’m remembering the songs we wrote together
they all have a particular colour about them;
Barrowland
Johnny Connors
Two Conneeleys
Yellow Furze Woman
and his own songs that I covered;
Biko Drum
Smoke & Strong Whiskey
Finglas Boys (aka All for The Roses)
16 Jolly Ravers
This is the Day
Mercy
I think there were others too
and another gem yet to come
I mourn the passing of this old ship mate
he was a one and only
Gotta turn over now,
gonna try and grab a few more hours
I’m very late to the party but I met your brother Luka at his gig in Doolin recently and he graciously accepted a recently recorded CD as a thank you for an amazing performance. I recently saw your interview from the Late Late Show in which you spoke of how you still remember your Dad despite his loss so long ago. My younger brother and I lost our Dad in 1961 and we still miss him as well. One of the songs I presented to Luka is a song to my 8 year old self called
“The Man of the Family”. With permission I’d like to share it with you. I look forward to hearing from you and wish you the very best as you continue your wonderful musical journey.
Tim McCorry
Christy's reply
Gonna chat Luka a nd hear your song….safe travels Tim
Well Christy,
We’re off on a small road trip tomorrow evening, a first for me seeing you in The National Concert Hall, so can’t wait. It’ll only be the second time my partner Frances will have had the pleasure of your live performance, we managed to hit Vicar street in November and had a fantastic evening. Frances’ father was one of the 11 murdered during the Ballymurphy massacre, Frank Quinn. He went out that day to assist another victim and never returned. Frances was only born 6 months later and was never given the opportunity to meet her father, but she keeps his harmonica in pride of place. Her mother, Franks wife said he carried a great tune and adored music. Perhaps you could sing a song for Frank and Frances tomorrow night?
Take care Christy.
John
Christy's reply
Terrible story John, but thank you for sharing
The slaughter at Ballymurphy never gained the global notoriety of Bloody Sunday in the Bogside…all at the hands of The First Parachute Regiment of the British Army ( was King Charles not their Colonel in Chief ?)
I hope that Frances and yourself have a good time this evening in the NCH
Hi Christy
Always great when Nic Jones gets a mention…so,good news related to his music
.
Sam Carter is an ace guitarist,singer…based in Sheffield. He’s a long time devotee of Nic…now, releasing an album of his takes on NJ…recorded at Celtic Connections,a few weeks ago…and a lengthy UK tour. Details at
Dear Christy
As a massive fan I would be honoured if you could check out a song that I have written especially for you to perform.
It tells of the agonies of watching a loved one slip away into the clutches of dementia and I know you would make the song poignant and heartfelt.
Kindest regards
Gerry Sweeney gerrysweeney@sky.com
Hi Christy,
We have been extremely fortunate to spend many an evening listening to you in concert over the past decades and now, after many years of willing you to return to Brum, we decided to come to Dublin NCH and are now totally excited to see and hear you once again on the 30th……ride on….see you !
Steve & Chris
Christy's reply
we are in full training mode here
not a day passes without rehearsal for each upcoming gig
safe travels, happy landing
Hi Christy,
A brilliant week of under 20s Hurling on TG4. There is a freedom about underage Hurling. There will be nobody left to turn off the lights here in the Lake County on Sunday, all off to Crocker for the Leinster final, and more of us off to NCH. Sure where would we be without the Sport and the Music.
Ride on.
Best Regards,
Patsy
Hi C. I hope it’s ok to post this here, that iconic Rebel songster Jimmy Crowley = is going through a hard time because of illness and has been in hospital for months, a Go Fund Me has been organised to help him achieve his aim of returning home to Cobh, this is the link, I hope !! https://www.gofundme.com/f/3fzwqa-help-jimmy-come-home/donate?source=btn_donate Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Christy's reply
Thanks for posting this H
we all send Jimmy our best wishes
hoping he will soon be home and back to full health
Hi Christy,myself and my better half are away from Cornwall to see you again ,we saw you last year in Cork and you were as good then as at the Fleadh in Finsbury Park way back with the Pogues and Mary Black.
Just like to personally thank you because yourself and Joe Strummer have been great contributors to my political leanings in the past and still are now!
I don’t suppose you know or can comprehend how many people you have actually put on the right political path throughout their lives and how much you have highlighted injustices and got people of their arses to do something about them!
We saw you at the Birmingham Odeon a couple of times years ago and I have spoke to you on this forum in the past about my friendship with Mick Hipkiss who you knew from way back who came over on the boat originally from Cork and met my Mother on there.
Anyway if you do Go The Big Marquee or Go Move Shift on Sunday be nice if you gave us a mention.
My wife has us front row tickets for my Birthday on Sunday so even at the sprightly age of 65 for once again I will see you again in full HD😂
Keep up the good work Christy.
Never doubt what you have achieved .
Danny and Alison
Christy's reply
sound Danny….Mick Hipkiss brought me to Birmingham in 1967 to play in his wonderful Folk Club…it ran every Sunday night in The Old Contemptible Pub…from Mick’s club I got many gigs in around the midlands.. I met up with Ian Cambell, Tommy Dempsey, John Swift, The Munstermen,….met up with Bob Cooney …..learned a lot from Bob who was Spainish Civil War veteran …Bob always remained a Brigadista…on top of all that Mick invited me to stay in his home where I was priviliged to befriend his family….Mick was a great singer….I still recall his “Barr na Sráide” and “Come by The Hill”
How are you feeling now Christy? I was back home in Dublin last week to attend the Guinness Choir in St Patrick’s Cathedral as my daughter sings with them
It was great ! City of Dreaming.
Raineyday😉
Christy's reply
Very good Thank You…
sorry I missed that recital…
another soft day here today Thanks Be
Hi Christy
Thanks to this gathering,I greatly enjoy the chat,news and views from German balladeers,with Pat D’Arcy well in the mix…no wonder that you have great memories of gigs there…and Luka still working the magic.
Yesterday,I was playing Leo Rowsome’s superb piping. As well as YouTube http://www.pipers.ie is brilliant to get background info
Vielen dank
Dave
Christy's reply
always good to hear from Suffragette City
Keep coming back Dave
Dear Christy. Good luck for the NCH gig on sunday. I actually intended to see Luka’s performance in Cologne, but we arranged spending holidays with the whole family during this week. Also something very nice. Last week Andy Irvine was great as ever, his tour in Germany has ended now.
As Birgit I will also watch Germany’s football leagues. I hope my team will promote back into the 2nd division to meet her’s in next year.
All the best to you Christy
and all around the guestbook
Günter
Christy's reply
I love the sound of your name
“GUNTER”
has a great ring to it…
First Thing First…Luka will understand…Family Holidays top of the list
He’ll be back to Cologne..maybe I’ll join him for a dip in the Rhine
we were playing in Barrowland
after the soundcheck we went downstairs to Bairds
I asked for a pint of water… all I got was strange looks and utter derision
the angelus rang from RTE TV
all the pub fell silent
I met Jinky that night…Packie Bonner was at the gig
my first visit to Parkhead was 1967…
“off to Dublin in The Green:”resounded from the terraces
40 years later I was there and they played Quinta Brigada on the tannoy
that was a career high
Hi Christy, sorry, no Kraftwerk gigs for me. I mainly stick to Irish/English/Scottish folk music – with a few exceptions as the Toten Hosen. They are a local band for me and once saved my favourite soccer team from going bankrupt after being relegated to 3rd division. So there’s a special bond to them in addition to their songs 😉.
I just circled around London to see the follow-up group of the Oysterband (whom Dave and Astrid liked too 😀 ). Luckily their singer John Jones didn’t want to retire yet. So he asked two former mates and they go on. In Cranbrook they played in a church and their cello player Ray Cooper was allowed to play the organ for a song, which gave it a very special vibe.
Now I’m looking forward to listening to your younger brother who plays as well in a church in Cologne next week. And I might meet Pat there, too.
Curious about your new songs. Hope I can listen to them live one day..
All the best to you and your crew
Birgit
Christy's reply
I’ll never forget it
I had a free night on an extensive, lengthy German Tour..
it was a Monday Night in Kaiserslautern
there were two gigs in town
Toten Hosen und Kraftwerk
I could not decide
In confusion I entered de authentic Irisch tavern in Gooter Strasse
as the time passed my confusion turned to oblivion
I missed the Tue night gig in Monchengladbach
Myself, my brother & sister are taking our dad Aidan Spierin to your gig in NCH this Sunday 17th May. He’s a lifelong fan and introduced us all to your music too since we were kids. We’re going to the gig for his birthday which is the same day. He’s had a tough time recently since his brother, our uncle, Brian Spierin passed away suddenly a few weeks ago. We’d love if you could play The Voyage for him, it’s one of our favourites and my dad does a great rendition of it himself!
Looking forward to Sunday!
Chris, Aoife & Conor
Christy's reply
deep in prep here;
oiling vocals
tuning guitars
stretching goat skin
hearing news
judging trends
trimming nose hairs
watching for trickies
seeking opportunity
making comparisons
seeking peace of mind
striving for continued sobriety
and
looking forward to the next outing in the National Ballad Lounge
Hi C I missed the RTE interview this am with Jimmy MacCarthy but am listening to it now, you get an honourable mention, among other notables, and I feel compelled to share it https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22611619/ Jimmy Mac is doing a residency with Declan Sinnott on four Mondays in June in the White Horse in Ballincollig, all sold out. He also has sold out dates in NCH and Cork Opera House in the Autumn and hopefully more gigs will follow. All roads will lead to the NCH on Sun. Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Christy's reply
it was great to hear Jimmy talk about the formation of his songs….grewat that he’s heading back out on the road…I wish him every success and satisfaction
Hi Christy
I just want to thank Pat Darcy for shearing the link to the Late Late show with your mother and sister. I found it very touching and beautiful.😍
I can imagine you can’t find words to express your feelings for hearing your mother and sister so many years ago. They seem very powerful woman 💪.
See you soon in Castlebar, already counting the days…
Chris
Christy's reply
safe travels….Castlebar always a good night…really good venue and lively listeners
Looking forward to the NCH gig tonight.
Remembering your amazing tribute to Liam O’Flynn in the Moat Theatre about 18mths ago. Keep her lit!
Táimse im Codhladh
Si Bheag Sí Mhór
The Starting Gate
Lord MacDonalds
The Bucks
Yellow Bittern
Junior Crehan’s
Dublin Reel
Hi Christy
Sixty years ago tonight,a heckle sent this city into music infamy…’Judas’…Bob Dylan/ The Hawks,The Free Trade Hall…
Now,Castle Gallery,King Street,celebrates Dylan’s 21st century art via a’Retrospectum’…drawings,paintings,iron works…train tracks,rural scenes,illustrated lyrics…something for everyone.A basement foyer and room.Superbly lit…it’s a great wander. Staff happy to talk about Dylan,not just sell product…and,more recent pieces on the ground floor.
Lots of online info,but nothing like seeing the real things…I hope some 4711ers can make the trip…on until early August
Enjoy tonight’s gig.
Dave
60 years ago I was living in that great United City ….
no interest whatsoever in the Man back then
too busy knockin around the Folk Clubs hopin for a floor spot
Free Trade Hall was Mount Everest
I was sharing a room in Moss Side , trying to make rent
my last two real jobs:
a “box-jumper” in a waste paper factory off Shudehill
a “cold meats porter” in John Lewis’s..
they still have my cards
started hearing Bob when I got back here in the 70’s
no doubt about, He sure can write a song
sometimes makes no sense and utter sense at the same time
what an output…..I have endless CDs,Cassettes, Albums here that I’ll never get around to hearing…
all his radio shows for starters..I think that alone is 90 cds
I’ve heard 3 so far…I need a lot more time !
Hi Christy,
Football. Bloody hell.
Any excuse …
“the lassies of The Broomielaw
on their Cuban Heels are dancin
Here’s Our Lady of the Clyde
And there goes Jinky Johnston
come to rock and roll at the Church of Céili
To waltz beneath the carousel of healing
To jitterbug
and boogie the night away”
Chorus
…..”Come all you dreamers” etc …
Enjoy the gig tomorrow night.
Tabhair Aire
Bourkey
What a time we had,
Wally (god be good to him) came over to Glasgow and we reccied the joint together….
( if memory serves we sang a couple of songs together that night in the holy of holys )
the result was this beautiful old ballad
I think of it now
early on this Summer May morning
thinking back to the few days with Wally in the East End of Glasgow
I’m remembering the songs we wrote together
they all have a particular colour about them;
Barrowland
Johnny Connors
Two Conneeleys
Yellow Furze Woman
and his own songs that I covered;
Biko Drum
Smoke & Strong Whiskey
Finglas Boys (aka All for The Roses)
16 Jolly Ravers
This is the Day
Mercy
I think there were others too
and another gem yet to come
I mourn the passing of this old ship mate
he was a one and only
Gotta turn over now,
gonna try and grab a few more hours
I’m very late to the party but I met your brother Luka at his gig in Doolin recently and he graciously accepted a recently recorded CD as a thank you for an amazing performance. I recently saw your interview from the Late Late Show in which you spoke of how you still remember your Dad despite his loss so long ago. My younger brother and I lost our Dad in 1961 and we still miss him as well. One of the songs I presented to Luka is a song to my 8 year old self called
“The Man of the Family”. With permission I’d like to share it with you. I look forward to hearing from you and wish you the very best as you continue your wonderful musical journey.
Tim McCorry
Gonna chat Luka a nd hear your song….safe travels Tim
Well Christy,
We’re off on a small road trip tomorrow evening, a first for me seeing you in The National Concert Hall, so can’t wait. It’ll only be the second time my partner Frances will have had the pleasure of your live performance, we managed to hit Vicar street in November and had a fantastic evening. Frances’ father was one of the 11 murdered during the Ballymurphy massacre, Frank Quinn. He went out that day to assist another victim and never returned. Frances was only born 6 months later and was never given the opportunity to meet her father, but she keeps his harmonica in pride of place. Her mother, Franks wife said he carried a great tune and adored music. Perhaps you could sing a song for Frank and Frances tomorrow night?
Take care Christy.
John
Terrible story John, but thank you for sharing
The slaughter at Ballymurphy never gained the global notoriety of Bloody Sunday in the Bogside…all at the hands of The First Parachute Regiment of the British Army ( was King Charles not their Colonel in Chief ?)
I hope that Frances and yourself have a good time this evening in the NCH
Let Us Remember
Hi Christy
Always great when Nic Jones gets a mention…so,good news related to his music
.
Sam Carter is an ace guitarist,singer…based in Sheffield. He’s a long time devotee of Nic…now, releasing an album of his takes on NJ…recorded at Celtic Connections,a few weeks ago…and a lengthy UK tour. Details at
http://www.samcartermusic.co.uk
I know that Sam is keen to play gigs in Ireland. He’s checking out venues etc. I really hope that happens…
All the best
Dave
we’ve given Sam a good spin here this morning
he sure can sing and play
thanks for posting
Dear Christy
As a massive fan I would be honoured if you could check out a song that I have written especially for you to perform.
It tells of the agonies of watching a loved one slip away into the clutches of dementia and I know you would make the song poignant and heartfelt.
Kindest regards
Gerry Sweeney
gerrysweeney@sky.com
you may post it here if you wish….
Hi Christy,
We have been extremely fortunate to spend many an evening listening to you in concert over the past decades and now, after many years of willing you to return to Brum, we decided to come to Dublin NCH and are now totally excited to see and hear you once again on the 30th……ride on….see you !
Steve & Chris
we are in full training mode here
not a day passes without rehearsal for each upcoming gig
safe travels, happy landing
Hi Christy,
A brilliant week of under 20s Hurling on TG4. There is a freedom about underage Hurling. There will be nobody left to turn off the lights here in the Lake County on Sunday, all off to Crocker for the Leinster final, and more of us off to NCH. Sure where would we be without the Sport and the Music.
Ride on.
Best Regards,
Patsy
Game on Patsy
Hi C. I hope it’s ok to post this here, that iconic Rebel songster Jimmy Crowley = is going through a hard time because of illness and has been in hospital for months, a Go Fund Me has been organised to help him achieve his aim of returning home to Cobh, this is the link, I hope !! https://www.gofundme.com/f/3fzwqa-help-jimmy-come-home/donate?source=btn_donate Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Thanks for posting this H
we all send Jimmy our best wishes
hoping he will soon be home and back to full health
Hi Christy,myself and my better half are away from Cornwall to see you again ,we saw you last year in Cork and you were as good then as at the Fleadh in Finsbury Park way back with the Pogues and Mary Black.
Just like to personally thank you because yourself and Joe Strummer have been great contributors to my political leanings in the past and still are now!
I don’t suppose you know or can comprehend how many people you have actually put on the right political path throughout their lives and how much you have highlighted injustices and got people of their arses to do something about them!
We saw you at the Birmingham Odeon a couple of times years ago and I have spoke to you on this forum in the past about my friendship with Mick Hipkiss who you knew from way back who came over on the boat originally from Cork and met my Mother on there.
Anyway if you do Go The Big Marquee or Go Move Shift on Sunday be nice if you gave us a mention.
My wife has us front row tickets for my Birthday on Sunday so even at the sprightly age of 65 for once again I will see you again in full HD😂
Keep up the good work Christy.
Never doubt what you have achieved .
Danny and Alison
sound Danny….Mick Hipkiss brought me to Birmingham in 1967 to play in his wonderful Folk Club…it ran every Sunday night in The Old Contemptible Pub…from Mick’s club I got many gigs in around the midlands.. I met up with Ian Cambell, Tommy Dempsey, John Swift, The Munstermen,….met up with Bob Cooney …..learned a lot from Bob who was Spainish Civil War veteran …Bob always remained a Brigadista…on top of all that Mick invited me to stay in his home where I was priviliged to befriend his family….Mick was a great singer….I still recall his “Barr na Sráide” and “Come by The Hill”
hope you have a safe trip and a good visit
How are you feeling now Christy? I was back home in Dublin last week to attend the Guinness Choir in St Patrick’s Cathedral as my daughter sings with them
It was great ! City of Dreaming.
Raineyday😉
Very good Thank You…
sorry I missed that recital…
another soft day here today Thanks Be
Hi Christy
Thanks to this gathering,I greatly enjoy the chat,news and views from German balladeers,with Pat D’Arcy well in the mix…no wonder that you have great memories of gigs there…and Luka still working the magic.
Yesterday,I was playing Leo Rowsome’s superb piping. As well as YouTube
http://www.pipers.ie is brilliant to get background info
Vielen dank
Dave
always good to hear from Suffragette City
Keep coming back Dave
Dear Christy. Good luck for the NCH gig on sunday. I actually intended to see Luka’s performance in Cologne, but we arranged spending holidays with the whole family during this week. Also something very nice. Last week Andy Irvine was great as ever, his tour in Germany has ended now.
As Birgit I will also watch Germany’s football leagues. I hope my team will promote back into the 2nd division to meet her’s in next year.
All the best to you Christy
and all around the guestbook
Günter
I love the sound of your name
“GUNTER”
has a great ring to it…
First Thing First…Luka will understand…Family Holidays top of the list
He’ll be back to Cologne..maybe I’ll join him for a dip in the Rhine
Did you see The Celtic last night ?
we were playing in Barrowland
after the soundcheck we went downstairs to Bairds
I asked for a pint of water… all I got was strange looks and utter derision
the angelus rang from RTE TV
all the pub fell silent
I met Jinky that night…Packie Bonner was at the gig
my first visit to Parkhead was 1967…
“off to Dublin in The Green:”resounded from the terraces
40 years later I was there and they played Quinta Brigada on the tannoy
that was a career high
Hi Christy, sorry, no Kraftwerk gigs for me. I mainly stick to Irish/English/Scottish folk music – with a few exceptions as the Toten Hosen. They are a local band for me and once saved my favourite soccer team from going bankrupt after being relegated to 3rd division. So there’s a special bond to them in addition to their songs 😉.
I just circled around London to see the follow-up group of the Oysterband (whom Dave and Astrid liked too 😀 ). Luckily their singer John Jones didn’t want to retire yet. So he asked two former mates and they go on. In Cranbrook they played in a church and their cello player Ray Cooper was allowed to play the organ for a song, which gave it a very special vibe.
Now I’m looking forward to listening to your younger brother who plays as well in a church in Cologne next week. And I might meet Pat there, too.
Curious about your new songs. Hope I can listen to them live one day..
All the best to you and your crew
Birgit
I’ll never forget it
I had a free night on an extensive, lengthy German Tour..
it was a Monday Night in Kaiserslautern
there were two gigs in town
Toten Hosen und Kraftwerk
I could not decide
In confusion I entered de authentic Irisch tavern in Gooter Strasse
as the time passed my confusion turned to oblivion
I missed the Tue night gig in Monchengladbach
“O Goodbye to the Port and the Brandy”
Hi Christy,
Myself, my brother & sister are taking our dad Aidan Spierin to your gig in NCH this Sunday 17th May. He’s a lifelong fan and introduced us all to your music too since we were kids. We’re going to the gig for his birthday which is the same day. He’s had a tough time recently since his brother, our uncle, Brian Spierin passed away suddenly a few weeks ago. We’d love if you could play The Voyage for him, it’s one of our favourites and my dad does a great rendition of it himself!
Looking forward to Sunday!
Chris, Aoife & Conor
deep in prep here;
oiling vocals
tuning guitars
stretching goat skin
hearing news
judging trends
trimming nose hairs
watching for trickies
seeking opportunity
making comparisons
seeking peace of mind
striving for continued sobriety
and
looking forward to the next outing in the National Ballad Lounge
You are welcome Chris, I find it a beautiful clip.
this old site really fulfilling what I had hoped ..listeners hooking up and sharing… Belgium calling Germany
Hi C I missed the RTE interview this am with Jimmy MacCarthy but am listening to it now, you get an honourable mention, among other notables, and I feel compelled to share it https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22611619/ Jimmy Mac is doing a residency with Declan Sinnott on four Mondays in June in the White Horse in Ballincollig, all sold out. He also has sold out dates in NCH and Cork Opera House in the Autumn and hopefully more gigs will follow. All roads will lead to the NCH on Sun. Beir bua agus beannacht. H
it was great to hear Jimmy talk about the formation of his songs….grewat that he’s heading back out on the road…I wish him every success and satisfaction
Hi Christy
I just want to thank Pat Darcy for shearing the link to the Late Late show with your mother and sister. I found it very touching and beautiful.😍
I can imagine you can’t find words to express your feelings for hearing your mother and sister so many years ago. They seem very powerful woman 💪.
See you soon in Castlebar, already counting the days…
Chris
safe travels….Castlebar always a good night…really good venue and lively listeners