Dear Christy,
Like almost every year since 1986, we (my husband Léon and I) are planning our stay in your country. And as usual, we choose our dates and places according to your gigs.This year, we are very very lucky : we’ll see you twice : in May in Claremorris and in June in Waterford! Needless to say we are excited. Every time we book a gig date, it’s like we can meet our old irish friend who is part of our life since the first time we heard him singing.
Never stay a day without your voice at home, far away in a very small village in the south of France.Even our grandchildren sing your songs!
We need you and yours songs in this hard world. So thank you so much for what you are and keep the spirits high!
Looking forward to attending another magic night!
Michelle and Léon
Christy's reply
I consider myself very fortunate to have such kind hearted listeners
Hi Christy, just a quick question from me. Any plans on performing in Liverpool this year?
Christy's reply
Not this year Jay but, hopefully,we’ll sail up The Mersey in 2021….its always a home away from homecoming, pulling up outside The Phil….so many great Liverpool singers and songs resound upon the air….
hi Christy,
My daughter, Niamh Jordan turns 30 years old on February 14th.
we are celebrating with 4 tickets for your gig in Killashee House on Friday evening.
Her favorite songs of yours are Natives and Beeswing, if you could possibly give her a shout out.
Thanks
Philip Jordan
Christy's reply
PJ….I have received numerous requests for shout-outs at Killashee….it will not be possible to fit them in….they’ll all go into the drum and I’ll pick out 3 for each night…thats the best that I can do
this old head can just about cope with the primary purpose of the gathering, the songs, the lyrics,melodies,keys,the intros,outros, breaks, the monitors, the duration, running order, pace….all the invisible aspects of a gig that end up on my plate..
that said PJ I’ll do my best come Friday, I hope Niamh has a Happy 30th and that all the listeners have a great night in Nás na Rí
Its almost a home gig for me…our family home lies but 5 miles west along the way…past Two-Mile-House, Corbally Harbour and Baroda….where the Aga Khan bedded Rita Hayworth and 7 other wives ( one hopes not simultaeneously), where St Conleth was laid to rest, past Bazzy Brennan’s Yard and on down to Buckley’s Cross,
Hi Christy,
Although we are stranded in Kildare ( flights cancelled for a while) we have had a fabulous time.
John ‘jacko’ reilly haunts visited, rugger in the company of a newbridge acquaintance of yours and rugby great Tom Grace, racing at Naas ‘winner alright’ and a magical night with the ballad in Trim.
What a wonderful gig, thank you indeed. Hearing so many favourite songs was brilliant , capped off by the always moving ‘yellow triangle’ ( about a month ago i was so moved by the thought of the 75th anniversary at Auschwitz that i felt the need to have a tattoo of ‘eventually they came for me, there was no-one left to speak’), so that rendition last night was extra special.
What a weekend, not spoilt by a wee puff of wind.
All roads lead to Letterkenny,
Take care
Rory
Christy's reply
Tell you Rory, I was spent after that gig last night, kinda numb, like I’d done 2 circuits of Aintree with a heavy jockey up….but I too was sated…sittin between those 3 companeros and a room full of listeners out there before us…..some nights it flows….it feels effortless…one song slips into the next .. it just flows…when its all done and the lights come up, the adrenaline rush lingers, then I realise I’m knackered and it was’nt effortless after all…..but mugs of tea, dry clothes and its only an hour home…..catch up on the exit polls..lookin real good for The Shinners….
Tom Grace was a great winger…he was a few years after me in School…met him a few times since and we’re gonna hook up some time….
I liked that version of Triangle last night…got somethin in it that I never got before…must listen to last nights rendition , try to figure out if it can be repeated…
3 generations in front of me, a Son, Father and Grandmother, thats always a buzz,
listeners in from UK US and Caledonia….
“O Glory Hallelujah, The Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice”
Christy,
I immigrated to the US before my now-wife (American) and I were able to see you in Galway; we listen to you regularly with our baby girl and you have been the feature of many a nighttime lullaby. Are there any US tour dates on the horizon?
We all love your music and want to wish you the very best, as well.
Regards,
Ciaran and Nicole
Christy's reply
Ciaran…..greetings to U3….its over 20 years since I rode the sky plane….need to stay on the road….
Hi Christy,
I forgot to mention that, upon your recommendation, I listened to A Lazarus Soul. Great recommend! “As we pass along the prison walls, my head bowed at the thought Of the mothers and fathers who are carrying their cross”. How many can write lyrics like that? Brilliant. The gritty, dark beauty reminds me of Shane McGowen’s lyrics. Thanks.
Buck
I have many great memories of visits to Trim,but can’t be at the gigs,sadly…I wonder if ‘Motherland’ might be on the menu?
Like the US guestbook companero,I find that song/Natalie’s voice/your interpretation,to be a particularly fine mix…and,how apt if it gets an outing on election day/fallout from Bre*it depression etc etc..’Arrogance,Ignorance and Greed’,by Show of Hands,always hits the mark,but ‘Motherland’ takes the soulful aspects to another level.Ditto,Woody’s songs of protest/searches for justice/humanity etc
On an anti Bre*it march,there was a banner that read ‘make Orwell fiction again’,great that you’re giving it a go…
Have a great day/gig
Dave
Christy's reply
ok Dave,you got it….The Knightsbrook was magnificent in Trim last night…a huge throng gathered …I got to sing “The Good Ship Granma” (aka Companeros) for some Cuban visitors…”Dark End of The Street”for a fallen friend……the Band refreshed from three weeks in the recovery room, the crew all on their toes (apart from our TM, currently recuperating from a procedure brought on my an ankle injury incurred when driving the Pope in 1978…the pontiff insisted on visiting the Anglers Rest down by The Strawberry Beds at some ungodly hour and Michael tripped over an unsteady Ban Garda while carrying John Paul (de second) back to the Pope-Mobile
I hope you’re well! Myself and my Fiancé are massive fans and have gone to many of your gigs in Donegal in the Clanree, Vicar street in Dublin and for the first time, Trim last night.
We’re both country people from Donegal & Galway, working in Lucan so on our long journeys home to visit the family we have your brilliant songs up full blast!
We’re actually getting married in Trim next year so it was brilliant getting to see you in Knightsbrook! I was wondering would you maybe send any lil message that I could send to Fionntan on our wedding day, it would be the best suprise!! And if so, maybe a lil shout out to all the Mc Faddens too but mainly my uncle Liam from Donegal as he is hands down your no.1 fan in the world! Thanks so much, Lisa Xx
Hey Christy hope all’s good with y’all. It’s approaching the next sad anniversary of the Stardust and every year we mourn and think about it. My wife was 14 at the time and living in the Phoenix Park, Ordnance Survey, her dad was one of the bosses there at the time, they were all roused up at about 2am by Gardai who were trying to access various maps and underground plans and potential access routes into the nightclub building. Of course that line of action came to no avail. Anyway I have a question about the song and the album, when I bought Ordinary Man it had the “Never Came Home” song on there which of course we all know got pullled from the shelves and was re-released with a replacement song, “Another Song is Born” and I always wondered how that song came about ? See you soon my friend, Mayo again maybe….
Christy's reply
When Judge Frank Murphy banned “They Never Came Home” I returned to Aigle Studio in Artane where the album “Ordinary Man” had been recorded by Nicky Ryan. “Another Song Born” was written very quickly. WEA were chomping at the bit for a song to replace the banned song. They wanted to use any out-take available, I wanted to react to Butterly, to Murphy, I did not want to take the judgement lying down….I was angry and frustrated and it was reflected in the lyric…Donal Lunny and I recorded this;
I looked over my shoulder but not for too long,
It’s no place to look if you’re writing a song,
Some songs grow ancient and live through the years,
While others die off and dry up like tears.
You open the cloak and lift up a veil,
The hammer is raised to drive home a nail,
The flesh is torn open, the bone is revealed,
Wounds that fester seldom get healed.
Songs written for love and written for gain,
Some make you laugh, soothe a bad pain,
Songs have a heart, a body, a soul,
You lay one to rest and another song is born.
While we rescue banks and Royal Kilmainham Halls,
Hell on this earth means nothing at all,
My hands are all withered and I cannot breathe,
The nightmare of indifference to suffering and need.
The elite on the plinth maintain status quo,
in Marble and granite their movements are slow,
The silk stays unruffled as the eyebrows are raised,
with Satin and mohair the good lord be praised.
Looking back over it now it bears all the marks of a first draft….it has an unfinished feel to it…its ugly and awkward…a true reflection of what was encountered in the High Court of Dublin….Judge Murphy’s biased ruling was re-echoed years later by Judge Pat McCartan ( late of Official Sinn Fein, he slurped the soup)…
Despite all manouveres of the Wigged & Gowned the old song outlives them all…it still resounds in “Poppintree,Coolock, Bonnybrook & Artane” as bereaved families prepare once more to seek justice for their Loved Ones.
Hey Christy my husband and I are coming to see you in Kilashee next sat night feb 15th. I would like to request the Cliffs of Dooneen its one of our favourites songs. Manys an evening we have played it in the potting shed to chill out after a hard days graft in the garden. Regards Rosie Campbell x.
Christy's reply
from Kilkeel to Kilashee….from County Down to the Plains of Kildare…we’ll be waiting for you Rosie, our strings will be in tune, our locks combed, our band outfits pressed, the lights focused,the amplification tweeked, and we will be raring to go
Hi Christy,
Can’t get enough of “Magic Nights”! My current song on replay is “Motherland”. Had the chance to see Natalie Merchant in the mid-80s when 10,000 Maniacs played a show to about 20 people at my university. The whole band came over to the house after the show for a couple of hours. She absolutely has a poet’s soul. I spoke with her for about an hour or so and much of her conversation came from the lyrics of other people’s songs (which I loved!). A lot of Smiths if I recall correctly. Anyway, I love it when a great songs just floats around in the universe until the perfect singer (or first of many perfect singers) finds it. Great recording. Cheers.
Buck
Christy's reply
sure thing Buck, the gift of song is so precious,but also the glorious mystery of that capacity to hear,then we got the poets,the composers,the arrangers and the players, those who bring magic to the mix, who sprinkle the sparkles…….I can hear Natalie’s voice,it resounds in my head without any device, she does possess a most wonderful instrument ….last night,on the way home I heard Dolores Keane, Patsy Cline, Ella Fitzgerald, Dolores O’Riordan ,they shortened the journey,
its quiet here now,its Government Election Day, its early morning as we get to cast our votes, polling booths are preparing to receive the masses, we have been deafened these past weeks by a trememdous cacophany of false promises, our thoroughfares festooned with endless portraiture, soon the next batch will jostle for position to get their dials into the photo shoot,
But I gotta remember Buck, sometimes I get it so wrong…..I thought Donald was guilty
Motherland (Natalie Merchant)
“Where in hell can you go, far from the things that you know,
Far from this concrete sprawl that keeps crawling it’s way,
About a thousand miles a day.
Take one last look behind, commit this to memory and mind,
Don’t miss this wasteland, this terrible place, when you leave,
Keep your heart off your sleeve.
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes lullaby me to sleep,
Keep me safe, lie with me stay beside me don’t go.
My five and dime queen, tell me what have you seen,
The lust and the avarice the bottomless cavernous greed,
Is that what you see?
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes lullaby me to sleep,
Keep me safe, lie with me stay beside me don’t go.
It’s your happiness I want most of all and for that I’d do anything at all.
If you want the best of life and the most of love,
If there is anything I can do at all.
Come on shotgun bride, what makes me envy your life,
The faceless the nameless the innocent the blameless and free,
What’s that like to be?
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes lullaby me to sleep,
Keep me safe lie with me stay beside me don’t go,
Don’t you go
Always liked to live dangerously!
Where did you learn ‘The Bridge at Killaloe’?
best,
Eóghan
Christy's reply
In 1964 I met Mrs Murphy in Teddy Murphy’s sweet pub at the top of the windswept hill in Tulla,Co Clare…as a young girl Mrs Murphy had attended the funeral of “Young McMahon and Rogers, Brave Egan and Kildea”….her Son then gave me the words of this song and I have sung it occasionally ever since..I recorded it in 1976
Hey Christy, hope you are well.
I’ve been listening to Mystic Nights flat out on repeat!
I absolutely love “Sail on Jimmy”, but my big question is “Who is Jimmy?”
Getting married on May 16th in Coventry, the stag do in Galway April 24th if you fancy a bit of craic 😉
Aidan McCormack
Christy's reply
the last stag was almost my downfall….suffice it to say that I ended up in the Special Criminal Court where a Chief Superintendant from the Culture Squad swore upon Hot Press that I once played Bowrawn in Horslips…Thankfully one of the Judges died of boredom and the case was quashed
as for “Uncle Jimmy”…dont talk to me about that rapscallion…I cant go into it here as there is a case pending in the Supreme Court..it was remanded the other day as the Court Clerk absconded with the Judges Wife who had the courthouse keys in her purse..all I can say at this point is 3 Hails Marys and a Glory be to the sweet Divine Mother and maybe buy a lotto ticket
I hope this finds you well? It’s that time of year when me and my great friends Rory and Derek come to the Emerald Isle to see your legendary self on Saturday evening. Usually I ask for the classic Fairytale Of NY and ‘fair play’ (copyright Christy M) you thankfully oblige however this time I was wondering if you could please play Beeswing as it’s a song very close to my heart.
Thanks
Cammy
PS Joxer had a lovely 1st birthday party on New Years Day. he says he hopes to meet your good self in the winners enclosure at Punchestown in 3 or 4 years time
Christy's reply
“the owners and the trainers, great stallions and brood mares,
fillies, colts and yearlings on the Curragh of Kildare”
Dear 4711ers,
Please fell free to pass on my details to anyone who you may know who fancies a free ticket to saturday’s Trim gig.
One person left a message whilst i was in court ( not as an accused you understand) while the judge wrestled with a yawn ,but it sounded like they may already have a ticket. So don’t be shy folks.
Rory
Ps christy good luck in the coaches’ booth on saturday helping the fellas of the big arse,whilst up in auld reekie our Hawick captain Stuart Hogg will be sending Edward hame tae think again.
Russ..even as I write great plans plans are being hatched…we’ll soon be crossing the Bog Meadow,climbing the Black Mountain, with Jesus Christ & Jessie James
Thanks for the information Christy – I’ll keep checking the website and maybe we can do a Welsh holiday this year that will take in a concert. Otherwise we’ll have to wait until 2021 (and I have a special birthday that year so a good excuse for a fabulous evening). The offer of the recording is so very kind but I would hate to ask a busy man like you to do that – you would end up doing it for everyone wouldn’t you? Take care and look after yourself. We love your music.
Dear Christy,
Like almost every year since 1986, we (my husband Léon and I) are planning our stay in your country. And as usual, we choose our dates and places according to your gigs.This year, we are very very lucky : we’ll see you twice : in May in Claremorris and in June in Waterford! Needless to say we are excited. Every time we book a gig date, it’s like we can meet our old irish friend who is part of our life since the first time we heard him singing.
Never stay a day without your voice at home, far away in a very small village in the south of France.Even our grandchildren sing your songs!
We need you and yours songs in this hard world. So thank you so much for what you are and keep the spirits high!
Looking forward to attending another magic night!
Michelle and Léon
I consider myself very fortunate to have such kind hearted listeners
Hi Christy, just a quick question from me. Any plans on performing in Liverpool this year?
Not this year Jay but, hopefully,we’ll sail up The Mersey in 2021….its always a home away from homecoming, pulling up outside The Phil….so many great Liverpool singers and songs resound upon the air….
hi Christy,
My daughter, Niamh Jordan turns 30 years old on February 14th.
we are celebrating with 4 tickets for your gig in Killashee House on Friday evening.
Her favorite songs of yours are Natives and Beeswing, if you could possibly give her a shout out.
Thanks
Philip Jordan
PJ….I have received numerous requests for shout-outs at Killashee….it will not be possible to fit them in….they’ll all go into the drum and I’ll pick out 3 for each night…thats the best that I can do
this old head can just about cope with the primary purpose of the gathering, the songs, the lyrics,melodies,keys,the intros,outros, breaks, the monitors, the duration, running order, pace….all the invisible aspects of a gig that end up on my plate..
that said PJ I’ll do my best come Friday, I hope Niamh has a Happy 30th and that all the listeners have a great night in Nás na Rí
Its almost a home gig for me…our family home lies but 5 miles west along the way…past Two-Mile-House, Corbally Harbour and Baroda….where the Aga Khan bedded Rita Hayworth and 7 other wives ( one hopes not simultaeneously), where St Conleth was laid to rest, past Bazzy Brennan’s Yard and on down to Buckley’s Cross,
Hi Christy,
Although we are stranded in Kildare ( flights cancelled for a while) we have had a fabulous time.
John ‘jacko’ reilly haunts visited, rugger in the company of a newbridge acquaintance of yours and rugby great Tom Grace, racing at Naas ‘winner alright’ and a magical night with the ballad in Trim.
What a wonderful gig, thank you indeed. Hearing so many favourite songs was brilliant , capped off by the always moving ‘yellow triangle’ ( about a month ago i was so moved by the thought of the 75th anniversary at Auschwitz that i felt the need to have a tattoo of ‘eventually they came for me, there was no-one left to speak’), so that rendition last night was extra special.
What a weekend, not spoilt by a wee puff of wind.
All roads lead to Letterkenny,
Take care
Rory
Tell you Rory, I was spent after that gig last night, kinda numb, like I’d done 2 circuits of Aintree with a heavy jockey up….but I too was sated…sittin between those 3 companeros and a room full of listeners out there before us…..some nights it flows….it feels effortless…one song slips into the next .. it just flows…when its all done and the lights come up, the adrenaline rush lingers, then I realise I’m knackered and it was’nt effortless after all…..but mugs of tea, dry clothes and its only an hour home…..catch up on the exit polls..lookin real good for The Shinners….
Tom Grace was a great winger…he was a few years after me in School…met him a few times since and we’re gonna hook up some time….
I liked that version of Triangle last night…got somethin in it that I never got before…must listen to last nights rendition , try to figure out if it can be repeated…
3 generations in front of me, a Son, Father and Grandmother, thats always a buzz,
listeners in from UK US and Caledonia….
“O Glory Hallelujah, The Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice”
Christy,
I immigrated to the US before my now-wife (American) and I were able to see you in Galway; we listen to you regularly with our baby girl and you have been the feature of many a nighttime lullaby. Are there any US tour dates on the horizon?
We all love your music and want to wish you the very best, as well.
Regards,
Ciaran and Nicole
Ciaran…..greetings to U3….its over 20 years since I rode the sky plane….need to stay on the road….
Hi Christy,
I forgot to mention that, upon your recommendation, I listened to A Lazarus Soul. Great recommend! “As we pass along the prison walls, my head bowed at the thought Of the mothers and fathers who are carrying their cross”. How many can write lyrics like that? Brilliant. The gritty, dark beauty reminds me of Shane McGowen’s lyrics. Thanks.
Buck
A Lazarus Soul….catch them if you can
Thank you so much 🙂
My email is lisanicp@hotmail.com
Hi Christy
I have many great memories of visits to Trim,but can’t be at the gigs,sadly…I wonder if ‘Motherland’ might be on the menu?
Like the US guestbook companero,I find that song/Natalie’s voice/your interpretation,to be a particularly fine mix…and,how apt if it gets an outing on election day/fallout from Bre*it depression etc etc..’Arrogance,Ignorance and Greed’,by Show of Hands,always hits the mark,but ‘Motherland’ takes the soulful aspects to another level.Ditto,Woody’s songs of protest/searches for justice/humanity etc
On an anti Bre*it march,there was a banner that read ‘make Orwell fiction again’,great that you’re giving it a go…
Have a great day/gig
Dave
ok Dave,you got it….The Knightsbrook was magnificent in Trim last night…a huge throng gathered …I got to sing “The Good Ship Granma” (aka Companeros) for some Cuban visitors…”Dark End of The Street”for a fallen friend……the Band refreshed from three weeks in the recovery room, the crew all on their toes (apart from our TM, currently recuperating from a procedure brought on my an ankle injury incurred when driving the Pope in 1978…the pontiff insisted on visiting the Anglers Rest down by The Strawberry Beds at some ungodly hour and Michael tripped over an unsteady Ban Garda while carrying John Paul (de second) back to the Pope-Mobile
Beeswing, North &South, Joxer, The voyage..To name a few of the favourites:)
Hi Christy,
I hope you’re well! Myself and my Fiancé are massive fans and have gone to many of your gigs in Donegal in the Clanree, Vicar street in Dublin and for the first time, Trim last night.
We’re both country people from Donegal & Galway, working in Lucan so on our long journeys home to visit the family we have your brilliant songs up full blast!
We’re actually getting married in Trim next year so it was brilliant getting to see you in Knightsbrook! I was wondering would you maybe send any lil message that I could send to Fionntan on our wedding day, it would be the best suprise!! And if so, maybe a lil shout out to all the Mc Faddens too but mainly my uncle Liam from Donegal as he is hands down your no.1 fan in the world! Thanks so much, Lisa Xx
Leave it with Me Lisa
Hey Christy hope all’s good with y’all. It’s approaching the next sad anniversary of the Stardust and every year we mourn and think about it. My wife was 14 at the time and living in the Phoenix Park, Ordnance Survey, her dad was one of the bosses there at the time, they were all roused up at about 2am by Gardai who were trying to access various maps and underground plans and potential access routes into the nightclub building. Of course that line of action came to no avail. Anyway I have a question about the song and the album, when I bought Ordinary Man it had the “Never Came Home” song on there which of course we all know got pullled from the shelves and was re-released with a replacement song, “Another Song is Born” and I always wondered how that song came about ? See you soon my friend, Mayo again maybe….
When Judge Frank Murphy banned “They Never Came Home” I returned to Aigle Studio in Artane where the album “Ordinary Man” had been recorded by Nicky Ryan. “Another Song Born” was written very quickly. WEA were chomping at the bit for a song to replace the banned song. They wanted to use any out-take available, I wanted to react to Butterly, to Murphy, I did not want to take the judgement lying down….I was angry and frustrated and it was reflected in the lyric…Donal Lunny and I recorded this;
I looked over my shoulder but not for too long,
It’s no place to look if you’re writing a song,
Some songs grow ancient and live through the years,
While others die off and dry up like tears.
You open the cloak and lift up a veil,
The hammer is raised to drive home a nail,
The flesh is torn open, the bone is revealed,
Wounds that fester seldom get healed.
Songs written for love and written for gain,
Some make you laugh, soothe a bad pain,
Songs have a heart, a body, a soul,
You lay one to rest and another song is born.
While we rescue banks and Royal Kilmainham Halls,
Hell on this earth means nothing at all,
My hands are all withered and I cannot breathe,
The nightmare of indifference to suffering and need.
The elite on the plinth maintain status quo,
in Marble and granite their movements are slow,
The silk stays unruffled as the eyebrows are raised,
with Satin and mohair the good lord be praised.
Looking back over it now it bears all the marks of a first draft….it has an unfinished feel to it…its ugly and awkward…a true reflection of what was encountered in the High Court of Dublin….Judge Murphy’s biased ruling was re-echoed years later by Judge Pat McCartan ( late of Official Sinn Fein, he slurped the soup)…
Despite all manouveres of the Wigged & Gowned the old song outlives them all…it still resounds in “Poppintree,Coolock, Bonnybrook & Artane” as bereaved families prepare once more to seek justice for their Loved Ones.
A little post script the hubby’s called Mark 👍
Hey Christy my husband and I are coming to see you in Kilashee next sat night feb 15th. I would like to request the Cliffs of Dooneen its one of our favourites songs. Manys an evening we have played it in the potting shed to chill out after a hard days graft in the garden. Regards Rosie Campbell x.
from Kilkeel to Kilashee….from County Down to the Plains of Kildare…we’ll be waiting for you Rosie, our strings will be in tune, our locks combed, our band outfits pressed, the lights focused,the amplification tweeked, and we will be raring to go
Hi Christy,
Can’t get enough of “Magic Nights”! My current song on replay is “Motherland”. Had the chance to see Natalie Merchant in the mid-80s when 10,000 Maniacs played a show to about 20 people at my university. The whole band came over to the house after the show for a couple of hours. She absolutely has a poet’s soul. I spoke with her for about an hour or so and much of her conversation came from the lyrics of other people’s songs (which I loved!). A lot of Smiths if I recall correctly. Anyway, I love it when a great songs just floats around in the universe until the perfect singer (or first of many perfect singers) finds it. Great recording. Cheers.
Buck
sure thing Buck, the gift of song is so precious,but also the glorious mystery of that capacity to hear,then we got the poets,the composers,the arrangers and the players, those who bring magic to the mix, who sprinkle the sparkles…….I can hear Natalie’s voice,it resounds in my head without any device, she does possess a most wonderful instrument ….last night,on the way home I heard Dolores Keane, Patsy Cline, Ella Fitzgerald, Dolores O’Riordan ,they shortened the journey,
its quiet here now,its Government Election Day, its early morning as we get to cast our votes, polling booths are preparing to receive the masses, we have been deafened these past weeks by a trememdous cacophany of false promises, our thoroughfares festooned with endless portraiture, soon the next batch will jostle for position to get their dials into the photo shoot,
But I gotta remember Buck, sometimes I get it so wrong…..I thought Donald was guilty
Motherland (Natalie Merchant)
“Where in hell can you go, far from the things that you know,
Far from this concrete sprawl that keeps crawling it’s way,
About a thousand miles a day.
Take one last look behind, commit this to memory and mind,
Don’t miss this wasteland, this terrible place, when you leave,
Keep your heart off your sleeve.
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes lullaby me to sleep,
Keep me safe, lie with me stay beside me don’t go.
My five and dime queen, tell me what have you seen,
The lust and the avarice the bottomless cavernous greed,
Is that what you see?
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes lullaby me to sleep,
Keep me safe, lie with me stay beside me don’t go.
It’s your happiness I want most of all and for that I’d do anything at all.
If you want the best of life and the most of love,
If there is anything I can do at all.
Come on shotgun bride, what makes me envy your life,
The faceless the nameless the innocent the blameless and free,
What’s that like to be?
Motherland cradle me, close my eyes lullaby me to sleep,
Keep me safe lie with me stay beside me don’t go,
Don’t you go
Replying from 31/01/2020
Always liked to live dangerously!
Where did you learn ‘The Bridge at Killaloe’?
best,
Eóghan
In 1964 I met Mrs Murphy in Teddy Murphy’s sweet pub at the top of the windswept hill in Tulla,Co Clare…as a young girl Mrs Murphy had attended the funeral of “Young McMahon and Rogers, Brave Egan and Kildea”….her Son then gave me the words of this song and I have sung it occasionally ever since..I recorded it in 1976
Hey Christy, hope you are well.
I’ve been listening to Mystic Nights flat out on repeat!
I absolutely love “Sail on Jimmy”, but my big question is “Who is Jimmy?”
Getting married on May 16th in Coventry, the stag do in Galway April 24th if you fancy a bit of craic 😉
Aidan McCormack
the last stag was almost my downfall….suffice it to say that I ended up in the Special Criminal Court where a Chief Superintendant from the Culture Squad swore upon Hot Press that I once played Bowrawn in Horslips…Thankfully one of the Judges died of boredom and the case was quashed
as for “Uncle Jimmy”…dont talk to me about that rapscallion…I cant go into it here as there is a case pending in the Supreme Court..it was remanded the other day as the Court Clerk absconded with the Judges Wife who had the courthouse keys in her purse..all I can say at this point is 3 Hails Marys and a Glory be to the sweet Divine Mother and maybe buy a lotto ticket
Hi Christy,
I hope this finds you well? It’s that time of year when me and my great friends Rory and Derek come to the Emerald Isle to see your legendary self on Saturday evening. Usually I ask for the classic Fairytale Of NY and ‘fair play’ (copyright Christy M) you thankfully oblige however this time I was wondering if you could please play Beeswing as it’s a song very close to my heart.
Thanks
Cammy
PS Joxer had a lovely 1st birthday party on New Years Day. he says he hopes to meet your good self in the winners enclosure at Punchestown in 3 or 4 years time
“the owners and the trainers, great stallions and brood mares,
fillies, colts and yearlings on the Curragh of Kildare”
Dear 4711ers,
Please fell free to pass on my details to anyone who you may know who fancies a free ticket to saturday’s Trim gig.
One person left a message whilst i was in court ( not as an accused you understand) while the judge wrestled with a yawn ,but it sounded like they may already have a ticket. So don’t be shy folks.
Rory
Ps christy good luck in the coaches’ booth on saturday helping the fellas of the big arse,whilst up in auld reekie our Hawick captain Stuart Hogg will be sending Edward hame tae think again.
Thanks Rory
Hi Christy,
Any sign of heading back to Belfast?
Many Thanks
Russ
Russ..even as I write great plans plans are being hatched…we’ll soon be crossing the Bog Meadow,climbing the Black Mountain, with Jesus Christ & Jessie James
Thanks for the information Christy – I’ll keep checking the website and maybe we can do a Welsh holiday this year that will take in a concert. Otherwise we’ll have to wait until 2021 (and I have a special birthday that year so a good excuse for a fabulous evening). The offer of the recording is so very kind but I would hate to ask a busy man like you to do that – you would end up doing it for everyone wouldn’t you? Take care and look after yourself. We love your music.
Greetings to Sevenoaks