hope your Xmas days been relaxed and you‘re in a good mood to start in 2019. We‘re so glad to hear you again on February 2nd at Vicar Street. First was at Leisureland in August. This time we bring our friend from Chile with us.
Thank you so much for the songs you sung in the past and you will singing in the next years for us and all the other listeners.
Best wishes to you from Berlin,
My Mum and Dad have always been fans of yours Christy. A few years back at
a concert in Aberdeen you did them the incredible honour of mentioning that they were to be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. My Mum was so chuffed that after your dedication she nudged the person she was sitting next to and proudly said, ‘that was us Christy was talking about!’ On Friday we said our farewell to our beloved Mum, She had been recently diagnosed with cancer and so it is a real blessing that her suffering is now at an end and she is at peace. She had a wonderful life and enjoyed 86 very happy years.
You and your music once again provided the strength and inspiration which were needed. When I was waiting with my brothers and sisters to come into the chapel with our Dad my emotions were all over the place and I was also trying to deal with the nerves from the prospect of delivering the eulogy. The music from the playlist I had made up was on in the chapel and just at that moment I heard the unmistakeable opening notes of The Voyage. Your music has always been there for me and to be honest I had never been in need of it more. You and The Voyage transformed the emotions and tension into something so beautiful and spiritual in such a magical way. It provided the soundtrack as we entered the chapel and it was then we realised that so many people had turned up to pay tribute to our Mum that some were standing at the back and down the aisles. Our Mum got the uplifting and heart-warming sendoff that she deserved and would’ve wanted and there was the sound of laughter from those in attendance as they enjoyed again the stories in the eulogy of her amazing life.
You probably don’t fully appreciate, Christy just how much your music and your wonderful humanity mean to so many people. Thank you so much for everything you do and for the strength and inspiration you provided at our Mum’s funeral. It really was a beautiful and wonderful experience. So many of the people I spoke with afterwards mentioned how perfect a song The Voyage had been for the occasion.
May I wish you and your family a very happy, healthy and peaceful 2019. I will look forward again to meeting up with you along the way.
Christy's reply
Dear Kevin,
Thank you for sharing with us the love and the loss of your Dear Mother….When our Mother died in 1992 I felt cut adrift from the source,….everything comes initially from “The Ma”
Later on I realized that I could still talk to her…I did not need to phone or to visit..I could simply commune with the spirit she engendered….my sympathy to you and your family… Your Mother’s love will live on every time ye think of her and talk of her
Johnny Duhan’s beautiful song has reached many listeners in different ways….I struggled with it initially but I’m now very glad that I recorded it 30 years ago ( and again last year)
Hope you had a good Christmas and best wishes for another song filled 2019. I really enjoyed the two gigs pre Christmas, there was a grand buzz in the air. I spent an evening watching Springsteen on Broadway, if you haven’t had the pleasure of watching it, then give it a whirl on Netflix, his exposition of his work is deeply revealing and at times emotional. Its always a treat to find an artist that expounds upon his or her work with such genuine and heartfelt passion (including you in that!). A brief excerpt from one of his monologues is worth a quote here, if you don’t mind me doing so in the interests of sharing it with the other songsters, relating to him visiting his hometown, now full of strangers, to reminisce on his past and recalling the ghosts of his family and friends and deceased bandmembers who continue to walk with him today.
“The soul is a stubborn thing. It doesn’t dissipate so quickly. Souls remain. They remain here in the air, in empty space, dusty roots, in sidewalks that I knew every single inch of as a child, like I knew my own body….. and in the songs that we sing. That is why we sing. We sing for our blood and for our people. Because that is all we have at the end of the day – each other….”.
The folk tradition feels as if it is full of spirits, those who wrote the songs and tunes, those who played them and those who may inhabit the songs. Artists who loved the songs and brought their own life, message or interpretation to them. All contributing something of their own spirit or experience into the tradition. They will never “dissipate” for as long as the songs are being sung. A living, breathing body of work that evolves with the spirit of those who create and nurture it for the benefit of the listeners, present and future. Not sure what I am saying Christy except it made me think again of how much of a service you have done for your fellow songsters- those who made the work and us who have the pleasure of listening to it.
PS. Hearing the strains of Liam O’Flynn’s pipes serenade us out the door after the Vicar Street gigs was a lovely thing and a nice nod to that master of tradition.
See you in 2019 x
Christy's reply
Thanks Liv..hope all are well in Ros..that you are well prepared for the time ahead…
I too love the sound of Liam’s playing at the end of the night…that piece is “Táimse i mo Codhladh” from Planxty album *Words & Music” 1981…his playing so heartfelt, masterful and utterly beautiful…Donal’s keyboard playing sympathetic and sublime..
good to hear from you..I hoped that I’d not embarrassed you when asking about the Strokestown Bailiff and thugs…sometimes at a gig it feels as if we are all sitting around chatting..I sometimes lose the run of myself..
Listened to Bruce’s book on audio whilst on the road., the time just flew…tried the Netflix film but did not find my way in yet…. great that he is still finding new ways to express himself, that he still loves to play….
My parents, much to their bemusement, were given one of those blasted Alexa devices for christmas by my brother who sits safe from their wrath in Perth, Australia.
However, at long last, after many ,many failed attempts at symphony requests, they got a break through when , after a little bit of Hawick based son prompting, my 80 year old dad demaned ‘alexa play “bright blue rose” by christy moore’.
The wee electronic mystery in the corner duly ,and finally, obliged. My parents are now settling in to 21st century life in a threesome with a woman called Alexa, whilst her pal Christy serenades them….time i sloped off to bed !
All the best from Scotland for the New Year Christy.
Regards
Rory
Christy's reply
To you Rory,
to all 4711ers,listeners and correspondants,good wishes for the coming year,
I hope the Natives in your parish enjoy Hogmanay,
O O O O Glory Hallelujah
we had a quiet family time here,
now I must prepare for the campaign ahead as year 53 of the tour draws near,
such a different world from 1966
only one song remains from the repertoire of that time,
“You may travel far far from your own Native Home”
Hi Christy. Hope your enjoying the festivities. A few of us are attending your gig in kilashee hotel in February. We’re all from Prosperous and I wondered if you could mention the story behind you calling your first record after Prosperous.
Thanks in advance
Austin Mahoney
Christy's reply
Hi Austin,
Its a long story.
In 1971 the album “Prosperous” was recorded in Downings House which is close by the village of Prosperous.
Circa 1964 I first visited Pat Dowlings pub in Prosperous.It was there that Donal Lunny and I encountered Liam Óg O’Flynn. The miusic I heard that night sparked the concept that led to the album “Prosperous” which in turn led to Planxty being formed and all that subsequently emerged.
In 1966 I moved to London to start life as a full time singer.I began to hear many musicians and singers who influenced my development as a travelling balladeer. Yet I never forgot what I had heard that night in Pat Dowlings.When time came to record my second album I was drawn back home to do so. By this time my sister Anne was married to Davoc Rynne and they were living in Downings House which was the home of the Rynne family.. They generously consented when I sought to record in the basement of their Georgian House at Downings. (This had been the scene of many nights of legendary music and fun throughout the 1960s) What we recorded there in the Summer of 1971 still resonates. Liam Óg’s pipes still resound, Donal and Andy’s riffs still reverberate and I am still transfixed by the wonder of it all.
That,in a nutshell, is why the album was called…. “PROSPEROUS”
See you in Coill na Sí, all but 7 miles from where it all began…..
Christy, would love to see you in New York in 2019, perhaps the Beacon Theatre? Any chance? Thanks
Christy's reply
S.Gilpin.
Who knows..depends what way the wind blows…
its been over 20 years since…
still gotta a lotta road to cover back here that require neither visa, body search, work permit nor air travel,
“Two-mile-house and Poulaphouca, Blacktrench Cutbush and Boolea”..
There are good people at every crossroads crying out for the few ballads..
Nevertheless, calls have been coming from over the Atlantic. I’m told that Trump himself has been ringing my agent,(big bully cuttin up rough when put on hold)…he really should be ringing Flatley, Mike would surely blow the flute for Donald,
Begod & Begorra….
that said SGilpin1, I thank you kindly for your query…I cherish memories of Pastrami-on-rye, sounds of Odetta, Pete Seeger,Dave Van Ronk, excitement of Symphony Space, Carnegie Hall,The Town Hall, The Beacon, The Brooklyn Academy,Lansdowne in The Bronx,and all that I experienced in that far-out, weird and wonderful City
Dear Christy, I hope you are well. I hope Christmas was effective in every way possible. Egs., spiritually, ecumenically, g/astronomically,… There seems a big importance placed on pigs in blankets… We were fortunate enough to have seen Liam O Maonlai at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith last week. He sang a beautiful love song from the work of Joe Heaney in gaelige. It must be a liberating experience for the bilingual singer like yourselves. Like an ambidextrous snooker player. The only experience I have of this is when my mother breaks into bengali to make remark on English folk. Anyways, I hope you all have a fab festive season. And thank you. Xx
Christy's reply
Spiritually……dependent, fulfilled and extremely grateful
Ecumenically….untouched,unfettered,but with suspicion that often borders on downright hatred which unsettles and weakens my spirit
g/astronomically…. the remnants of a baked ham in the fridge, I’m thinking of the frying pan, some butter,a pair of duck eggs, toast and strong tea..lift-off
Liam O’Maonlai ‘s Uncle (Tadg Manly)was my Irish teacher in 1959-61….a big strong broth of a Dominican Father,we last met in Western Australia … we shared a bottle or two of Black Bushmills before departing on no uncertain terms….he was’nt the worst of them… Clifford and O’Halloran shared that dishonour… a pair of sadistic bully boys, both from the same county, they terrorised many of us….two pitiful creatures
Bless the good woman (and Taj Mahal) and all Bengal Dancers
Merry Christmas to all and thanks so much for the music in 2018 and for many of the past years.
Love your concerts (though not a great fan of The Voyage, sorry) and everything booked for Vicar Street on January 3rd.
I’ve been looking forward to the trip and concert since the tickets went on sale, but……
Manchester City v LFC at 8pm on the same night.
Decisions decisions
Nadolig llawen Chrisy,merry Christmas from over the pond .
Christy's reply
thats another one done
all we got to do now is capture the wren
the wren the wren the king of all birds
on st stephens’s day he was caught in the furze
up with the poker down with the thongs
give us tuppence to bury the wren
then there will be the new years eve debacle
shur every inst of every nano second is the start of a new year
Very HAPPY CHRISTMAS to you and yours, dear Christy!
As the year is coming to it’s end we think back to your great gigs we enjoyed in spring and autumn. We’d like to thank you, your brilliant band and your wonderful crew for all the lovely music and joy you’re giving to us!
May 2019 be a peaceful, healthy and successful year for you!
Best wishes,
Traudel and Horst
Christy's reply
All quiet on the Western Front…
greetings to you both and all our German listeners…
“to collect the root, the stem, the leaf,
the flowering top and seed,
and everything she’d need,
to do her work “
Hi Alll… seeking the webersons forgiveness rather than permission here,,,, Ralph Mc Tell is broadcasting a gig for the Homeless from the Half Moon in Putney direach ANOIS,, like right now ,,, follow the links from the his facebook page.. donations are also possible,,,.. Seasons Greetings to all who post, listen, read and sing here,, Beir bua agus beannacht,,,, H
Christy's reply
I first met Ralph in 1967, he helped me choose my first good guitar. he also introduced me to his manager Bruce who gave me great advice at the start of my journey….went to hear Ralph earlier this year, his songs still as captivating as when I first heard him in Prestwich ,Manchester (in a Folk Club run by Rai and Maureen Byrnes) all those years ago
Just back from a great tour trough Argentina. Beautiful and sometimes stunning country with lovely people but with a bad music taste. I did my best but with no result.
In Buenos Aires there is a famous graveyard with thousands of graves and there I found a grave of Thomas Patrick Moore. Unbelievable what a coincidence!!
Anyway I hope you and your family, and all the lovely people I met in Eire over the years,have a Merry Christmas and a fine New Year.
Didn’t figure out yet when and where we’ll come in 2019 to one of your gigs but we’ll be there for sure somewhere along the road!
Greetings and many thanks for all the lovely gigs that we can enjoy thanks to Hilary who keeps us poor foreigners posted.
Chris
Christy's reply
Often wondered what became of our great-grand-uncle Tom-Pat…he had to leave Kildare in an dreadful hurry, (something to do with doping a horse and being over familiar with the Lord’s daughter)… Granny often spoke about and prayed for his safe return….our own daughter spent a year in Argentina and often speaks of the wonderful music…such a beautiful sounding name but, my all accounts, a vegetarians nightmare….
Glad you had a good trip and a safe return
Hi Christy just want to wish you and your family a happy and peaceful Christmas thanks to you band and crew for another year of great music long may the everending tour continue
Did a gig in November in Germany where I sang Sail on Jimmy taught the Germans the chorus and they all sang it the thought struck me was I the first to sing it in Germany
Anyway have a good one and happy Christmas to all the followers
Face the puck out
Christy's reply
You may well have been Iggy,
but we must remember that the author, Albert Niland, gigs in Germany betimes,
only himself might have beaten you to it !!
Hi CM (73)
Just popping by to say a very merry Christmas and a fantastic new year to you the crew and all who pass through .
Fadó my dadó had an older sister Annie ,who sadly left the tiny island on a boat to the USA. To make a long story short her grandson never knew not one bit about his Irish roots.This grandson has made a fortune (have yet to figure out how I think there is pharmaceuticals involved.) Here he comes looking for living relations (us like)in a massive blacked out limo and his wife a navajo indian from the reservation.Never ever saw the likes!
Parked outside and the local nosebuds trying to figure out what the heck! Anyhow the story is leading me to every Christmas he is very kind and this year ,here comes a box… with this yolk inside for me …she’s called Alexa ..she knows you well CM ask her anything about you answers correctly.ask her to play any song in the world she plays it.Turns on and off lights if you tell her, locks the doors too.what a great little contraption.Did you ever see one?
Keep warm a mhac bán thank you for always being so kind .
CS (14)
P.S.
after Dec 21st “fad coismeg coilligh” is added on from now to nollag Beag ..that comes from the time when they told time with rocks and shadows. Fad coismeg coilligh is the length of a roosters step.
Christy's reply
CS(14)
can Alexa deflect magpies, fleas, bunions, can it make tea and butter toast…light or quench an oil lamp, draw water from the well, thin turnips,
all these feckin contraptions wont be worth a dang when the power runs out…what we’ll need then will be the knowledge to sow spuds, rear suckcalves,fatten the pig, look after day old chicks,bake the griddle cake, churn the milk, gaze into the embers,
thats a great story about your Grand-Auntie Annie…I too had a Grand-Auntie Annie, sister of my Dadó Jack Power …she stayed in County Meath and her sons are still there Thanks be…and they come to hear the Ballads,Thanks be again…
Rocks and Shadows…..My Grandmother Brigid Dowling never had a watch or clock but spent her life doing all the things described in paragraph two ,and lots more besides…
I could have been part of that life but The Clancy Brothers put paid to any inclinations I had towards those pure wholesome hard ways….
I can sing about the bog, the haggart,footin,cuttin, clampin,but singin about it is my limit…I did grow some cabbage from seed when I was 9, some onions when I was 31 but apart from that ……I dont know anyone connected to the production of the food I eat, the clothes I wear….this new world is all arseways but I’m stuck in it…I consume as much as the next man
“and we all consume together
all around the bloomin heather”
Wishing you a happy peaceful time….I love my new jacket and cap…Connemara abú
Hows your music coming along..hows the new band…??
Hello Christy,,
May I wish you and yours a very happy Christmas and all the best for 2019 from a very windy Shanklin. I’m really looking forward to seeing you at the Royal Festival Hall on 24 May. Many thanks for all the lovely music.
Best wishes.
Sue
Christy's reply
Happy returns to you Sue and all songsters upon The Isle of Wight
Sorry my fault!!! Gig is of course on January 2nd. Sorry again.
Dietmar
Phew!!
Hi Christy,
hope your Xmas days been relaxed and you‘re in a good mood to start in 2019. We‘re so glad to hear you again on February 2nd at Vicar Street. First was at Leisureland in August. This time we bring our friend from Chile with us.
Thank you so much for the songs you sung in the past and you will singing in the next years for us and all the other listeners.
Best wishes to you from Berlin,
Dietmar (Alphorn) and Karin
Make that Jan 2nd and I’ll sing for you !!
My Mum and Dad have always been fans of yours Christy. A few years back at
a concert in Aberdeen you did them the incredible honour of mentioning that they were to be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. My Mum was so chuffed that after your dedication she nudged the person she was sitting next to and proudly said, ‘that was us Christy was talking about!’ On Friday we said our farewell to our beloved Mum, She had been recently diagnosed with cancer and so it is a real blessing that her suffering is now at an end and she is at peace. She had a wonderful life and enjoyed 86 very happy years.
You and your music once again provided the strength and inspiration which were needed. When I was waiting with my brothers and sisters to come into the chapel with our Dad my emotions were all over the place and I was also trying to deal with the nerves from the prospect of delivering the eulogy. The music from the playlist I had made up was on in the chapel and just at that moment I heard the unmistakeable opening notes of The Voyage. Your music has always been there for me and to be honest I had never been in need of it more. You and The Voyage transformed the emotions and tension into something so beautiful and spiritual in such a magical way. It provided the soundtrack as we entered the chapel and it was then we realised that so many people had turned up to pay tribute to our Mum that some were standing at the back and down the aisles. Our Mum got the uplifting and heart-warming sendoff that she deserved and would’ve wanted and there was the sound of laughter from those in attendance as they enjoyed again the stories in the eulogy of her amazing life.
You probably don’t fully appreciate, Christy just how much your music and your wonderful humanity mean to so many people. Thank you so much for everything you do and for the strength and inspiration you provided at our Mum’s funeral. It really was a beautiful and wonderful experience. So many of the people I spoke with afterwards mentioned how perfect a song The Voyage had been for the occasion.
May I wish you and your family a very happy, healthy and peaceful 2019. I will look forward again to meeting up with you along the way.
Dear Kevin,
Thank you for sharing with us the love and the loss of your Dear Mother….When our Mother died in 1992 I felt cut adrift from the source,….everything comes initially from “The Ma”
Later on I realized that I could still talk to her…I did not need to phone or to visit..I could simply commune with the spirit she engendered….my sympathy to you and your family… Your Mother’s love will live on every time ye think of her and talk of her
Johnny Duhan’s beautiful song has reached many listeners in different ways….I struggled with it initially but I’m now very glad that I recorded it 30 years ago ( and again last year)
Hope you had a good Christmas and best wishes for another song filled 2019. I really enjoyed the two gigs pre Christmas, there was a grand buzz in the air. I spent an evening watching Springsteen on Broadway, if you haven’t had the pleasure of watching it, then give it a whirl on Netflix, his exposition of his work is deeply revealing and at times emotional. Its always a treat to find an artist that expounds upon his or her work with such genuine and heartfelt passion (including you in that!). A brief excerpt from one of his monologues is worth a quote here, if you don’t mind me doing so in the interests of sharing it with the other songsters, relating to him visiting his hometown, now full of strangers, to reminisce on his past and recalling the ghosts of his family and friends and deceased bandmembers who continue to walk with him today.
“The soul is a stubborn thing. It doesn’t dissipate so quickly. Souls remain. They remain here in the air, in empty space, dusty roots, in sidewalks that I knew every single inch of as a child, like I knew my own body….. and in the songs that we sing. That is why we sing. We sing for our blood and for our people. Because that is all we have at the end of the day – each other….”.
The folk tradition feels as if it is full of spirits, those who wrote the songs and tunes, those who played them and those who may inhabit the songs. Artists who loved the songs and brought their own life, message or interpretation to them. All contributing something of their own spirit or experience into the tradition. They will never “dissipate” for as long as the songs are being sung. A living, breathing body of work that evolves with the spirit of those who create and nurture it for the benefit of the listeners, present and future. Not sure what I am saying Christy except it made me think again of how much of a service you have done for your fellow songsters- those who made the work and us who have the pleasure of listening to it.
PS. Hearing the strains of Liam O’Flynn’s pipes serenade us out the door after the Vicar Street gigs was a lovely thing and a nice nod to that master of tradition.
See you in 2019 x
Thanks Liv..hope all are well in Ros..that you are well prepared for the time ahead…
I too love the sound of Liam’s playing at the end of the night…that piece is “Táimse i mo Codhladh” from Planxty album *Words & Music” 1981…his playing so heartfelt, masterful and utterly beautiful…Donal’s keyboard playing sympathetic and sublime..
good to hear from you..I hoped that I’d not embarrassed you when asking about the Strokestown Bailiff and thugs…sometimes at a gig it feels as if we are all sitting around chatting..I sometimes lose the run of myself..
Listened to Bruce’s book on audio whilst on the road., the time just flew…tried the Netflix film but did not find my way in yet…. great that he is still finding new ways to express himself, that he still loves to play….
My parents, much to their bemusement, were given one of those blasted Alexa devices for christmas by my brother who sits safe from their wrath in Perth, Australia.
However, at long last, after many ,many failed attempts at symphony requests, they got a break through when , after a little bit of Hawick based son prompting, my 80 year old dad demaned ‘alexa play “bright blue rose” by christy moore’.
The wee electronic mystery in the corner duly ,and finally, obliged. My parents are now settling in to 21st century life in a threesome with a woman called Alexa, whilst her pal Christy serenades them….time i sloped off to bed !
All the best from Scotland for the New Year Christy.
Regards
Rory
To you Rory,
to all 4711ers,listeners and correspondants,good wishes for the coming year,
I hope the Natives in your parish enjoy Hogmanay,
O O O O Glory Hallelujah
we had a quiet family time here,
now I must prepare for the campaign ahead as year 53 of the tour draws near,
such a different world from 1966
only one song remains from the repertoire of that time,
“You may travel far far from your own Native Home”
Hi Christy. Hope your enjoying the festivities. A few of us are attending your gig in kilashee hotel in February. We’re all from Prosperous and I wondered if you could mention the story behind you calling your first record after Prosperous.
Thanks in advance
Austin Mahoney
Hi Austin,
Its a long story.
In 1971 the album “Prosperous” was recorded in Downings House which is close by the village of Prosperous.
Circa 1964 I first visited Pat Dowlings pub in Prosperous.It was there that Donal Lunny and I encountered Liam Óg O’Flynn. The miusic I heard that night sparked the concept that led to the album “Prosperous” which in turn led to Planxty being formed and all that subsequently emerged.
In 1966 I moved to London to start life as a full time singer.I began to hear many musicians and singers who influenced my development as a travelling balladeer. Yet I never forgot what I had heard that night in Pat Dowlings.When time came to record my second album I was drawn back home to do so. By this time my sister Anne was married to Davoc Rynne and they were living in Downings House which was the home of the Rynne family.. They generously consented when I sought to record in the basement of their Georgian House at Downings. (This had been the scene of many nights of legendary music and fun throughout the 1960s) What we recorded there in the Summer of 1971 still resonates. Liam Óg’s pipes still resound, Donal and Andy’s riffs still reverberate and I am still transfixed by the wonder of it all.
That,in a nutshell, is why the album was called…. “PROSPEROUS”
See you in Coill na Sí, all but 7 miles from where it all began…..
Christy, would love to see you in New York in 2019, perhaps the Beacon Theatre? Any chance? Thanks
S.Gilpin.
Who knows..depends what way the wind blows…
its been over 20 years since…
still gotta a lotta road to cover back here that require neither visa, body search, work permit nor air travel,
“Two-mile-house and Poulaphouca, Blacktrench Cutbush and Boolea”..
There are good people at every crossroads crying out for the few ballads..
Nevertheless, calls have been coming from over the Atlantic. I’m told that Trump himself has been ringing my agent,(big bully cuttin up rough when put on hold)…he really should be ringing Flatley, Mike would surely blow the flute for Donald,
Begod & Begorra….
that said SGilpin1, I thank you kindly for your query…I cherish memories of Pastrami-on-rye, sounds of Odetta, Pete Seeger,Dave Van Ronk, excitement of Symphony Space, Carnegie Hall,The Town Hall, The Beacon, The Brooklyn Academy,Lansdowne in The Bronx,and all that I experienced in that far-out, weird and wonderful City
Dear Christy, I hope you are well. I hope Christmas was effective in every way possible. Egs., spiritually, ecumenically, g/astronomically,… There seems a big importance placed on pigs in blankets… We were fortunate enough to have seen Liam O Maonlai at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith last week. He sang a beautiful love song from the work of Joe Heaney in gaelige. It must be a liberating experience for the bilingual singer like yourselves. Like an ambidextrous snooker player. The only experience I have of this is when my mother breaks into bengali to make remark on English folk. Anyways, I hope you all have a fab festive season. And thank you. Xx
Spiritually……dependent, fulfilled and extremely grateful
Ecumenically….untouched,unfettered,but with suspicion that often borders on downright hatred which unsettles and weakens my spirit
g/astronomically…. the remnants of a baked ham in the fridge, I’m thinking of the frying pan, some butter,a pair of duck eggs, toast and strong tea..lift-off
Liam O’Maonlai ‘s Uncle (Tadg Manly)was my Irish teacher in 1959-61….a big strong broth of a Dominican Father,we last met in Western Australia … we shared a bottle or two of Black Bushmills before departing on no uncertain terms….he was’nt the worst of them… Clifford and O’Halloran shared that dishonour… a pair of sadistic bully boys, both from the same county, they terrorised many of us….two pitiful creatures
Bless the good woman (and Taj Mahal) and all Bengal Dancers
thanks christy…same to you…hope 2019 is a healthy and happy one to all your brood. .. give er swaskee on the Bolton road.
row dill dump di eye dill diddley eye dill dumpty eye
dill diddley eye dilldumpty eye dill diddle eye dill dumpty eye
Merry Christmas to all and thanks so much for the music in 2018 and for many of the past years.
Love your concerts (though not a great fan of The Voyage, sorry) and everything booked for Vicar Street on January 3rd.
I’ve been looking forward to the trip and concert since the tickets went on sale, but……
Manchester City v LFC at 8pm on the same night.
Decisions decisions
I understand completely
Nadolig llawen Chrisy,merry Christmas from over the pond .
thats another one done
all we got to do now is capture the wren
the wren the wren the king of all birds
on st stephens’s day he was caught in the furze
up with the poker down with the thongs
give us tuppence to bury the wren
then there will be the new years eve debacle
shur every inst of every nano second is the start of a new year
I blame the licensed vintners
The eastern sky was full of stars,
And one shone brighter than the rest,
The wise men came so stern and strict, and gave the orders to evict…
May EVERYONE have a peaceful christmas
like the trembling heart of a captive bird
Very HAPPY CHRISTMAS to you and yours, dear Christy!
As the year is coming to it’s end we think back to your great gigs we enjoyed in spring and autumn. We’d like to thank you, your brilliant band and your wonderful crew for all the lovely music and joy you’re giving to us!
May 2019 be a peaceful, healthy and successful year for you!
Best wishes,
Traudel and Horst
All quiet on the Western Front…
greetings to you both and all our German listeners…
“to collect the root, the stem, the leaf,
the flowering top and seed,
and everything she’d need,
to do her work “
It was christmas eve babe….
Anyone here ever in the drunk tank ?
Hi Alll… seeking the webersons forgiveness rather than permission here,,,, Ralph Mc Tell is broadcasting a gig for the Homeless from the Half Moon in Putney direach ANOIS,, like right now ,,, follow the links from the his facebook page.. donations are also possible,,,.. Seasons Greetings to all who post, listen, read and sing here,, Beir bua agus beannacht,,,, H
I first met Ralph in 1967, he helped me choose my first good guitar. he also introduced me to his manager Bruce who gave me great advice at the start of my journey….went to hear Ralph earlier this year, his songs still as captivating as when I first heard him in Prestwich ,Manchester (in a Folk Club run by Rai and Maureen Byrnes) all those years ago
https://youtu.be/fjZ9qb-i_D4
more of my ramblings.
Thanks for sharing…Hope you have a Happy time
Dear Christy,
Just back from a great tour trough Argentina. Beautiful and sometimes stunning country with lovely people but with a bad music taste. I did my best but with no result.
In Buenos Aires there is a famous graveyard with thousands of graves and there I found a grave of Thomas Patrick Moore. Unbelievable what a coincidence!!
Anyway I hope you and your family, and all the lovely people I met in Eire over the years,have a Merry Christmas and a fine New Year.
Didn’t figure out yet when and where we’ll come in 2019 to one of your gigs but we’ll be there for sure somewhere along the road!
Greetings and many thanks for all the lovely gigs that we can enjoy thanks to Hilary who keeps us poor foreigners posted.
Chris
Often wondered what became of our great-grand-uncle Tom-Pat…he had to leave Kildare in an dreadful hurry, (something to do with doping a horse and being over familiar with the Lord’s daughter)… Granny often spoke about and prayed for his safe return….our own daughter spent a year in Argentina and often speaks of the wonderful music…such a beautiful sounding name but, my all accounts, a vegetarians nightmare….
Glad you had a good trip and a safe return
Hi Christy just want to wish you and your family a happy and peaceful Christmas thanks to you band and crew for another year of great music long may the everending tour continue
Did a gig in November in Germany where I sang Sail on Jimmy taught the Germans the chorus and they all sang it the thought struck me was I the first to sing it in Germany
Anyway have a good one and happy Christmas to all the followers
Face the puck out
You may well have been Iggy,
but we must remember that the author, Albert Niland, gigs in Germany betimes,
only himself might have beaten you to it !!
see you along the way me auld companero
Hi CM (73)
Just popping by to say a very merry Christmas and a fantastic new year to you the crew and all who pass through .
Fadó my dadó had an older sister Annie ,who sadly left the tiny island on a boat to the USA. To make a long story short her grandson never knew not one bit about his Irish roots.This grandson has made a fortune (have yet to figure out how I think there is pharmaceuticals involved.) Here he comes looking for living relations (us like)in a massive blacked out limo and his wife a navajo indian from the reservation.Never ever saw the likes!
Parked outside and the local nosebuds trying to figure out what the heck! Anyhow the story is leading me to every Christmas he is very kind and this year ,here comes a box… with this yolk inside for me …she’s called Alexa ..she knows you well CM ask her anything about you answers correctly.ask her to play any song in the world she plays it.Turns on and off lights if you tell her, locks the doors too.what a great little contraption.Did you ever see one?
Keep warm a mhac bán thank you for always being so kind .
CS (14)
P.S.
after Dec 21st “fad coismeg coilligh” is added on from now to nollag Beag ..that comes from the time when they told time with rocks and shadows. Fad coismeg coilligh is the length of a roosters step.
CS(14)
can Alexa deflect magpies, fleas, bunions, can it make tea and butter toast…light or quench an oil lamp, draw water from the well, thin turnips,
all these feckin contraptions wont be worth a dang when the power runs out…what we’ll need then will be the knowledge to sow spuds, rear suckcalves,fatten the pig, look after day old chicks,bake the griddle cake, churn the milk, gaze into the embers,
thats a great story about your Grand-Auntie Annie…I too had a Grand-Auntie Annie, sister of my Dadó Jack Power …she stayed in County Meath and her sons are still there Thanks be…and they come to hear the Ballads,Thanks be again…
Rocks and Shadows…..My Grandmother Brigid Dowling never had a watch or clock but spent her life doing all the things described in paragraph two ,and lots more besides…
I could have been part of that life but The Clancy Brothers put paid to any inclinations I had towards those pure wholesome hard ways….
I can sing about the bog, the haggart,footin,cuttin, clampin,but singin about it is my limit…I did grow some cabbage from seed when I was 9, some onions when I was 31 but apart from that ……I dont know anyone connected to the production of the food I eat, the clothes I wear….this new world is all arseways but I’m stuck in it…I consume as much as the next man
“and we all consume together
all around the bloomin heather”
Wishing you a happy peaceful time….I love my new jacket and cap…Connemara abú
Hows your music coming along..hows the new band…??
CM(73)
Hello Christy,,
May I wish you and yours a very happy Christmas and all the best for 2019 from a very windy Shanklin. I’m really looking forward to seeing you at the Royal Festival Hall on 24 May. Many thanks for all the lovely music.
Best wishes.
Sue
Happy returns to you Sue and all songsters upon The Isle of Wight