Hi Christy, I know you (and I…) thoroughly enjoyed all the wonderful music at the Masters Of Tradition festival in Bantry last August. (And we shook hands and said: Hope to meet here again next year…). Now seriously: I see you have a new CD out. Could you please send me a copy so I can play it on my radioshow Song frm Ireland (See FB Song from Ireland).
Christy's reply
Yes indeed…..The Bantry Masters of Tradition never fails ….new Music every year…new players to hear…new friends to meet
Hi Christy
Lookin forward to Philly tomorrow.Managed to get tickets this time!!!
Just been listening to your version of Changes.Fantastic.
We played it at the wifes dads funeral back in 2014.Know its a bit cheeky but if you play it could you mention Chris Findley.I know it would mean a lot to Netty his daughter.
Have a great show tomorrow.
We cant wait!!!
Christy's reply
Morra Mark,
Thank You…..Phil Ochs beautiful song never made it on to the “live” set list….only time I ever played it was at that recording session…..
Wow, that is wild that you had family in Carp. I know a gentleman named Ruairi whose parents (save his father, who passed last year) live in Kildare, not sure if there is a connection there.
At first I was disappointed by Dylan’s many borrowings, but it seems to be more of an homage than a capitalizing upon. It now seems beautiful to take a tune and write new words which seem to cast the original sentiment in new light or expand it, e.g. “lonesome Farewell” from “The Parting Glass”, or translate it to ask a similar question in a different paradigm, e.g. “With God On Our Side” from D. Behan’s “Patriot Game”.
I love the sharing nature of folk. I suppose it is in line with its politics as well, which I also love. Never mind the fascists or the capitalists, here’s the abundance we can all share! There is a handful of earth enough for everyone.
Here’s my Carp version, simple but fun:
You may travel far farr from your own native home
Far away o’er the mountains, far away o’er the foam
But of all the fine places that I’ve ever been
There is none to compare with the bluffs of Carpy
It’s a fine place to be on a mild Summer’s day
Wachin’ the Surf rollin’ in, and the palm trees sway
Where the crow and the tohee are plain to be seen
Makin’ homes for their young ‘round the bluffs of Carpy
Take a view up the mountain, fine sights there you’ll see
You’ll see the high Franklin trail entering Carp’s backcountry
And the towns of Santa Barbara and Ventura can be seen
From the high rocky slopes of the bluffs of Carpy
Smell the fennel and the jasmine (or sagebrush) that bloom there in Spring
The winding hops and agave, whom sweet water bring
Where the ashes of my father were scattered on the breeze
Near the high rocky slopes of the Bluffs of Carpy
Fair thee well to Carpy, fair thee well for a while
And to all the fine people I’m leaving behind
To the beach and the meadow where late I have been
And the high rocky slopes of the bluffs of Carpy
In gratitude for listening,
Beau
Christy's reply
Verses and melodies are carried on the wind…..only to be recycled, reclaimed, born again, picked up and chanted through the night, fresh notes and new lyrics emerge, some in distant dialects, others in strange tongues. Many linger silently in tomes and collections until re- discovered by curious youths seeking to refresh tired repertoire….
As far as I can tell old Zimmy was never a capitalizor…more a lover of beautiful old tunes sometimes needing a fresh breath,a new life…. D.Behan (Dominic) was indeed upset when he heard “God on our Side”…..forgetting that he too plagiarised the old collections..I suggest no critisicm here, Dominic and Josephine were good friends to me back in 1967….they offered me hospitality, food and warmth at a time when I needed shelter….Dominic was a raconteur, poet, storyteller,singer and, for a while, a friend…sadly we fell out under a cloud of alcohol and never got to mend the cut…..his life and work will be celebrated in Dublin next month
Hello Christy. Crossing the Pennines once again tomorrow, my dear old mother Patsy Hurley in tow. You’ve spoilt her once or twice over the years with a song. She told me yesterday not to bother you again as it’s “not fair on the others”. I could see in her eyes she didn’t believe a word of it.
Those lovely eyes are failing her and, sat way back, you’ll be a blurry twinkle. But her ears are as sharp as ever: Jose Carreras, Daniel O’Donnell, Christy Moore.
Best wishes for a memorable night.
Christy's reply
No bother Cara…
lovely to hear that Patsy is coming “over top”tonight…hope ye have a good trip
Hya Christy
No problem my mate. You may recall your young fan my little lad Jacob, now 21. Last time he saw you he was 12 at the Phil…he sends his best to you and Declan!
Have a grand night in Manchester and Liverpool
Not my original thought, to change the city’s name.But it seems apt-as Mrs Pankhurst’s statue graces St Peter’s Sq,since last December..,
Tony Walsh,’Longfellow’-poet of this parish uses suffagette city it in his superb ‘This is the place’…a fine composition,available on line and at all good book shops…
Enjoy nostalgia and the city’s mojo (used to be the name of penny chews!)D
Welcome back to Manchester… I hope you’ve had a good day’s wanderings…
There’ll be great gigs to come here and at Liverpool Phil… cities with heritage of protest…
Woody’s spirit will be invoked,for sure-‘all you fascists bound to lose’…
Dave
Christy's reply
Suffragette City !
I like it Dave….is this your name M/C or has it been around ?
Not much wandering these days when I’m on the road…a lot of work stuff fills up the days…but in a good way
I noticed a few old venues…there used to be a Folk Club at the Bottom of Manchester (on Salford border) run by the late Des English and his wife Irene…lovely people..Des wrote a few good songs and used to sing accapella…I did a gig there in Oct 1967…
Woody’s spirit is imbued in the work of so many, be it Dylan, Springsteen, Jim Page (Seattle),Billy Bragg and this young man I heard about today https://youtu.be/eFo7HAEos-s…Woody’s spirit is imbued in the songs of a thousand writers but, sadly, the world is still fucked…
still we must keep singin and playing
I realised that,for me, nothing comes as a result of prayer….but peace can be found within the act itself….
gotta rehearse now, we gotta get into a Lancashire frame of mind….last gigs were in Donegal, before that Waterford,Tipperary, Louth and Kildare….gotta get an Eccles cake in me, maybe a ring of Bury Black Pudding
Hi Christy, how ye doin..looking forward to a great night in the Phil on Wednesday .. It’s a very special night for me . First time at your concert for my brother Tony Grimes..I’ve been to many gigs of yours .ive just become a nannie ..first time 💕..Isla Rose 8/10/19 ..
Never asked for a shout out but I would be
Greatful beyond words if you could dedicate ‘ And So Do I ‘ to Our Isla Rose from Tony .. you will never know how much it would mean ..enough said . Our Irish roots are firmly planted in Mayo.. You have a great night my friend xx
Christy's reply
all good so far
back in dear old blighty one more time
walkin around manchester there is no sign of the chaos that looms
people goin around their daily work routine, shoppin smokin workin beggin
no sense of Boris-Nigel-Jacob around Picadilly today
yet all our lives bound up in the grasp of their greasy fascist fingers
you’d better tell me how to pronounce your grand daughters beautiful name
My (soon to be) wife and I will be at your Vicar Street performance on January 3, 2020. We are both blind and have decided to get married in the year 2020 because although our earthly eyes cannot see perfectly, we nonetheless have a clear and joyful vision for our future together. We will be coming from California. So many of your songs have meant so much to us as we have connected over the years: North and South, Black is the Colour, The Voyage and Two Island Swans to name a few. We are very excited to see you perform and are grateful for this opportunity to continue to connect through your music.
Your music has been by my side for the last five years, through a painful move away from home, through connecting with my mother on our trip to Ireland where we saw you in Charleville, through the death of my father and through working a job that often feels frustrating .
Thank you for the encouragement to live joyfully through the hard times with determination, hope and continued inspiration.
In gratitude,
Beau & Tiffany
P.S., I hope it isn’t too blasphemous to the trad canon, but I did a re-working of “Cliffs of Dooneen” to describe my love of my hometown, Carpinteria, California. It is called “The Bluffs of Carpy”. Perhaps yu can hear my version sometime.
Christy's reply
Greetings Beau & Tiffany..
We all wish you a most happy Marriage and a long life together..
you will be very welcome when you come to Vicar St
you mention a fine basket of songs in your post
I hope some of them will feature on january 3rd
delighted to read that have re-worked the Cliffs into “The Bluffs of Carpy”
there is no blasphemy involved whatsoever….Pete Seeger once said that plagiarism is an essential tool for the Folk Song Writer. Bob Dylan, among many, has proved the point repeatedly.
EG.
Pity The Poor Immigrant
90 Miles to Dublin
Tramps and Hawkers
Hills of Donegal………… and others all to the same tune
Lovely too to read of Carpinteria… some of my Family lived there for a number of years
I used one of you songs in a class presentation the other day. Smoke and Strong Whisky. I was making a presentation about Edward Said’s book ‘Orientalism’ and wanted to show the legacy of imperialism, the durability of our imagination of the holy land, and the importance of cross cultural dialogue for peace and understanding. Thanks so much, used to listen to it on family road trips in the mini van.
Take care,
Adrian vF
Christy's reply
Greetings Adrian vF
Peace be with you…
I lived in a red austin mini-van in 1967
it was a good year
All the best for travels…greatly looking forward to Bridgewater night (not trouble over Bridgewater,,as Half Man Half Biscuit sang…)
Great riffing about dialects on t’guest book…amazing that there are so many divergences over short distances.You and companeros here might be interested in the work of Jennifer Reid…a Middleton lass (with a punk background)doing excellent work in trad/modern broadsides and international interests…lots of info on her website and Twitter…also reminded of Harry Boardman RIP…I’m sure he’d have been a mucker from MSG days.
If you have a minute for a wander when you’re here,the Peterloo memorial is located between the Midland hotel and G Mex…statue of Emmeline Pankhurst on St Peter’s Sq,opp Central Library…both well worth a shufti,having been installed since your last gig here.
‘Now,I’ve been forced to work in town,here’s my litany…’
Dave
Christy's reply
dont recall ever meeting Harry Boardman at MSG…he had his own club for a while…met him at Mike and Pat Hardings club and also at Keele Festival..liked Harry a lot…he was pure trad with a Lancs bias, and a lovely singer…I have an album of his,I think, on Topic
hope all is well,, just waiting for the ulysses to leave Dublin ,, something very peaceful about a night time sailing manchester geting closer… nice to see the promo clips on youtube for the new album that is some version of Hurt and Magic nights roll on November …
Just listened Magic Nights on Youtube. Great, I can’t wait till the album is out. Hope to come to Cork next year, Ireland is always wonderful to visit especially when we can combine it with Irish music. Of course you are welcome to come to Holland as well.
Dear Christy, I hope you are well. I hope you and ‘The Firm’ have a very pleasing time over here. I’m just listening to Duke’s radio show with one eye on soccer (!) special.
I hope you don’t mind if I just say really quickly how moving it was to read about Mary Power from the message from her dear Husband. Doug just played Iris DeMent ‘Easy’s Gettin’ Harder Every Day’. It’s a comforting song. May Mary Rest in Peace.
Thanks for the never ending tour. xx
Christy's reply
Good to hear from you…..to see Duke referenced and Ms Dement…..the crew are gathering here in The United City…flying in from all over..
“Paddy ‘s gone to The Boston Fleadh
Johnny ‘s at the hay in Rossnowlagh..
Davey ‘s at the mixer mixin songs
Dikon ‘s at the Black&Decker hammer & tongs
Mick is with the Dubs on Hill 16
Geoff is at the lights on Sandymount Green
Decky ‘s on the road with The Grateful Dead
I do be divin for the crack on the Old Sheep’s Head
Cathal ‘s on the Fiddle around Pomeroy
Jimmy ‘s countin in The Fields of Athenry”
Mr. Moore hope all is well, will be traveling to the Emerald Isle next week and have seats for your Armagh concert on the 25th. Last year I requested THE BOY FROM TAMLAGHTDUFF and you were so kind to perform it in Bundoran. I would like to request it again this year as well if you can see fit to sing it. Thanks so much and hope all is well with you, can’t wait to get back to catch another of your gigs.
Hi Christy, I know you (and I…) thoroughly enjoyed all the wonderful music at the Masters Of Tradition festival in Bantry last August. (And we shook hands and said: Hope to meet here again next year…). Now seriously: I see you have a new CD out. Could you please send me a copy so I can play it on my radioshow Song frm Ireland (See FB Song from Ireland).
Yes indeed…..The Bantry Masters of Tradition never fails ….new Music every year…new players to hear…new friends to meet
Hi Christy
Lookin forward to Philly tomorrow.Managed to get tickets this time!!!
Just been listening to your version of Changes.Fantastic.
We played it at the wifes dads funeral back in 2014.Know its a bit cheeky but if you play it could you mention Chris Findley.I know it would mean a lot to Netty his daughter.
Have a great show tomorrow.
We cant wait!!!
Morra Mark,
Thank You…..Phil Ochs beautiful song never made it on to the “live” set list….only time I ever played it was at that recording session…..
Wow, that is wild that you had family in Carp. I know a gentleman named Ruairi whose parents (save his father, who passed last year) live in Kildare, not sure if there is a connection there.
At first I was disappointed by Dylan’s many borrowings, but it seems to be more of an homage than a capitalizing upon. It now seems beautiful to take a tune and write new words which seem to cast the original sentiment in new light or expand it, e.g. “lonesome Farewell” from “The Parting Glass”, or translate it to ask a similar question in a different paradigm, e.g. “With God On Our Side” from D. Behan’s “Patriot Game”.
I love the sharing nature of folk. I suppose it is in line with its politics as well, which I also love. Never mind the fascists or the capitalists, here’s the abundance we can all share! There is a handful of earth enough for everyone.
Here’s my Carp version, simple but fun:
You may travel far farr from your own native home
Far away o’er the mountains, far away o’er the foam
But of all the fine places that I’ve ever been
There is none to compare with the bluffs of Carpy
It’s a fine place to be on a mild Summer’s day
Wachin’ the Surf rollin’ in, and the palm trees sway
Where the crow and the tohee are plain to be seen
Makin’ homes for their young ‘round the bluffs of Carpy
Take a view up the mountain, fine sights there you’ll see
You’ll see the high Franklin trail entering Carp’s backcountry
And the towns of Santa Barbara and Ventura can be seen
From the high rocky slopes of the bluffs of Carpy
Smell the fennel and the jasmine (or sagebrush) that bloom there in Spring
The winding hops and agave, whom sweet water bring
Where the ashes of my father were scattered on the breeze
Near the high rocky slopes of the Bluffs of Carpy
Fair thee well to Carpy, fair thee well for a while
And to all the fine people I’m leaving behind
To the beach and the meadow where late I have been
And the high rocky slopes of the bluffs of Carpy
In gratitude for listening,
Beau
Verses and melodies are carried on the wind…..only to be recycled, reclaimed, born again, picked up and chanted through the night, fresh notes and new lyrics emerge, some in distant dialects, others in strange tongues. Many linger silently in tomes and collections until re- discovered by curious youths seeking to refresh tired repertoire….
As far as I can tell old Zimmy was never a capitalizor…more a lover of beautiful old tunes sometimes needing a fresh breath,a new life…. D.Behan (Dominic) was indeed upset when he heard “God on our Side”…..forgetting that he too plagiarised the old collections..I suggest no critisicm here, Dominic and Josephine were good friends to me back in 1967….they offered me hospitality, food and warmth at a time when I needed shelter….Dominic was a raconteur, poet, storyteller,singer and, for a while, a friend…sadly we fell out under a cloud of alcohol and never got to mend the cut…..his life and work will be celebrated in Dublin next month
Hello Christy. Crossing the Pennines once again tomorrow, my dear old mother Patsy Hurley in tow. You’ve spoilt her once or twice over the years with a song. She told me yesterday not to bother you again as it’s “not fair on the others”. I could see in her eyes she didn’t believe a word of it.
Those lovely eyes are failing her and, sat way back, you’ll be a blurry twinkle. But her ears are as sharp as ever: Jose Carreras, Daniel O’Donnell, Christy Moore.
Best wishes for a memorable night.
No bother Cara…
lovely to hear that Patsy is coming “over top”tonight…hope ye have a good trip
Hya Christy
No problem my mate. You may recall your young fan my little lad Jacob, now 21. Last time he saw you he was 12 at the Phil…he sends his best to you and Declan!
Have a grand night in Manchester and Liverpool
The Years Fly Steve
It’s I-LA..oh I’m delighted you replied..Thanks so much x
Right So
Not my original thought, to change the city’s name.But it seems apt-as Mrs Pankhurst’s statue graces St Peter’s Sq,since last December..,
Tony Walsh,’Longfellow’-poet of this parish uses suffagette city it in his superb ‘This is the place’…a fine composition,available on line and at all good book shops…
Enjoy nostalgia and the city’s mojo (used to be the name of penny chews!)D
Later
Hi Christy
Welcome back to Manchester… I hope you’ve had a good day’s wanderings…
There’ll be great gigs to come here and at Liverpool Phil… cities with heritage of protest…
Woody’s spirit will be invoked,for sure-‘all you fascists bound to lose’…
Dave
Suffragette City !
I like it Dave….is this your name M/C or has it been around ?
Not much wandering these days when I’m on the road…a lot of work stuff fills up the days…but in a good way
I noticed a few old venues…there used to be a Folk Club at the Bottom of Manchester (on Salford border) run by the late Des English and his wife Irene…lovely people..Des wrote a few good songs and used to sing accapella…I did a gig there in Oct 1967…
Woody’s spirit is imbued in the work of so many, be it Dylan, Springsteen, Jim Page (Seattle),Billy Bragg and this young man I heard about today https://youtu.be/eFo7HAEos-s…Woody’s spirit is imbued in the songs of a thousand writers but, sadly, the world is still fucked…
still we must keep singin and playing
I realised that,for me, nothing comes as a result of prayer….but peace can be found within the act itself….
gotta rehearse now, we gotta get into a Lancashire frame of mind….last gigs were in Donegal, before that Waterford,Tipperary, Louth and Kildare….gotta get an Eccles cake in me, maybe a ring of Bury Black Pudding
This is the Day ..is the song I should have requested ..but you knew what I ment Christy .. 😉
how is the name Isla pronounced ??? I’m not sure whether it is IS – LA or I-LA ??
Hi Christy, how ye doin..looking forward to a great night in the Phil on Wednesday .. It’s a very special night for me . First time at your concert for my brother Tony Grimes..I’ve been to many gigs of yours .ive just become a nannie ..first time 💕..Isla Rose 8/10/19 ..
Never asked for a shout out but I would be
Greatful beyond words if you could dedicate ‘ And So Do I ‘ to Our Isla Rose from Tony .. you will never know how much it would mean ..enough said . Our Irish roots are firmly planted in Mayo.. You have a great night my friend xx
all good so far
back in dear old blighty one more time
walkin around manchester there is no sign of the chaos that looms
people goin around their daily work routine, shoppin smokin workin beggin
no sense of Boris-Nigel-Jacob around Picadilly today
yet all our lives bound up in the grasp of their greasy fascist fingers
you’d better tell me how to pronounce your grand daughters beautiful name
There’s a Woody in town here…
https://youtu.be/eFo7HAEos-s
Hey Dylan, Thanks for sharing…hows tricks with you over there…
Greetings Mr. Moore,
My (soon to be) wife and I will be at your Vicar Street performance on January 3, 2020. We are both blind and have decided to get married in the year 2020 because although our earthly eyes cannot see perfectly, we nonetheless have a clear and joyful vision for our future together. We will be coming from California. So many of your songs have meant so much to us as we have connected over the years: North and South, Black is the Colour, The Voyage and Two Island Swans to name a few. We are very excited to see you perform and are grateful for this opportunity to continue to connect through your music.
Your music has been by my side for the last five years, through a painful move away from home, through connecting with my mother on our trip to Ireland where we saw you in Charleville, through the death of my father and through working a job that often feels frustrating .
Thank you for the encouragement to live joyfully through the hard times with determination, hope and continued inspiration.
In gratitude,
Beau & Tiffany
P.S., I hope it isn’t too blasphemous to the trad canon, but I did a re-working of “Cliffs of Dooneen” to describe my love of my hometown, Carpinteria, California. It is called “The Bluffs of Carpy”. Perhaps yu can hear my version sometime.
Greetings Beau & Tiffany..
We all wish you a most happy Marriage and a long life together..
you will be very welcome when you come to Vicar St
you mention a fine basket of songs in your post
I hope some of them will feature on january 3rd
delighted to read that have re-worked the Cliffs into “The Bluffs of Carpy”
there is no blasphemy involved whatsoever….Pete Seeger once said that plagiarism is an essential tool for the Folk Song Writer. Bob Dylan, among many, has proved the point repeatedly.
EG.
Pity The Poor Immigrant
90 Miles to Dublin
Tramps and Hawkers
Hills of Donegal………… and others all to the same tune
Lovely too to read of Carpinteria… some of my Family lived there for a number of years
Hello Christy Moore
I used one of you songs in a class presentation the other day. Smoke and Strong Whisky. I was making a presentation about Edward Said’s book ‘Orientalism’ and wanted to show the legacy of imperialism, the durability of our imagination of the holy land, and the importance of cross cultural dialogue for peace and understanding. Thanks so much, used to listen to it on family road trips in the mini van.
Take care,
Adrian vF
Greetings Adrian vF
Peace be with you…
I lived in a red austin mini-van in 1967
it was a good year
Hi Christy
All the best for travels…greatly looking forward to Bridgewater night (not trouble over Bridgewater,,as Half Man Half Biscuit sang…)
Great riffing about dialects on t’guest book…amazing that there are so many divergences over short distances.You and companeros here might be interested in the work of Jennifer Reid…a Middleton lass (with a punk background)doing excellent work in trad/modern broadsides and international interests…lots of info on her website and Twitter…also reminded of Harry Boardman RIP…I’m sure he’d have been a mucker from MSG days.
If you have a minute for a wander when you’re here,the Peterloo memorial is located between the Midland hotel and G Mex…statue of Emmeline Pankhurst on St Peter’s Sq,opp Central Library…both well worth a shufti,having been installed since your last gig here.
‘Now,I’ve been forced to work in town,here’s my litany…’
Dave
dont recall ever meeting Harry Boardman at MSG…he had his own club for a while…met him at Mike and Pat Hardings club and also at Keele Festival..liked Harry a lot…he was pure trad with a Lancs bias, and a lovely singer…I have an album of his,I think, on Topic
Sorry, I meant to add that Todmorden is my favourite. One of the vowels is glorious.
Hello Christy,
Please don’t delete it, it’s brilliant.
Rebecca
Hi Chrisy
hope all is well,, just waiting for the ulysses to leave Dublin ,, something very peaceful about a night time sailing manchester geting closer… nice to see the promo clips on youtube for the new album that is some version of Hurt and Magic nights roll on November …
Dear Christy,
Just listened Magic Nights on Youtube. Great, I can’t wait till the album is out. Hope to come to Cork next year, Ireland is always wonderful to visit especially when we can combine it with Irish music. Of course you are welcome to come to Holland as well.
Dear Christy, I hope you are well. I hope you and ‘The Firm’ have a very pleasing time over here. I’m just listening to Duke’s radio show with one eye on soccer (!) special.
I hope you don’t mind if I just say really quickly how moving it was to read about Mary Power from the message from her dear Husband. Doug just played Iris DeMent ‘Easy’s Gettin’ Harder Every Day’. It’s a comforting song. May Mary Rest in Peace.
Thanks for the never ending tour. xx
Good to hear from you…..to see Duke referenced and Ms Dement…..the crew are gathering here in The United City…flying in from all over..
“Paddy ‘s gone to The Boston Fleadh
Johnny ‘s at the hay in Rossnowlagh..
Davey ‘s at the mixer mixin songs
Dikon ‘s at the Black&Decker hammer & tongs
Mick is with the Dubs on Hill 16
Geoff is at the lights on Sandymount Green
Decky ‘s on the road with The Grateful Dead
I do be divin for the crack on the Old Sheep’s Head
Cathal ‘s on the Fiddle around Pomeroy
Jimmy ‘s countin in The Fields of Athenry”
Mr. Moore hope all is well, will be traveling to the Emerald Isle next week and have seats for your Armagh concert on the 25th. Last year I requested THE BOY FROM TAMLAGHTDUFF and you were so kind to perform it in Bundoran. I would like to request it again this year as well if you can see fit to sing it. Thanks so much and hope all is well with you, can’t wait to get back to catch another of your gigs.
King of The Wild Frontier