Lewdermawns is too good a word for them. But the hopelessness and helplessness to cause them to change is the worst. I loved your reflection on who really owns this earth. The golf gate gang, and many many of their companions don’t give a shit.
I am safely insulated from them over here, but terribly disappointed in von der Leyen that she seems to have accepted the lying Hog’s explanation.
I hope you don’t mind me posting this link to a (long) comment I came across from a ‘ Billy O’ Hanluain’. Maybe he is known to some folks here. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157734381827781&id=658007780
And after this, back to the music. Maybe the NCH might resound to some new airs? Or is it already in the can?
Christy's reply
Thanks Pat…Billy’s words are worth reprinting
Billy O Hanluain
I didn’t see my mother from February until her birthday at the beginning July. She observed government recommendations regarding quarantine and cocooning. She did what she was told was right. She knows people who have died of Covid. Last week I visited her with one of my sisters. I made lunch for the three of us. When I was leaving I went to do the most natural thing, to give her a hug. She gently withdrew and smiled at me. Her words trailed off uncertainly.
“I’m not sure..the newspapers…maybe it’s not safe”
And instead, we waved.
As my sister drove me home I thought of this season of fear and solitude. Of those who drew their last breaths alone. Not palm pressed or warm whispered to by family as they slipped away towards silence. Death observed at a safe distance like a clinical trial.
Alone.
Of families who mourned and buried their dead in empty churches and deserted cemeteries. Of white knuckles clinging tightly to the hollowed shell of days so as not fall off wagons. Of how we’ve all been tattooed with anxiety.
I thought of the almost unutterable changes that have occurred in such a short space of time. I thought of the trust placed in leadership. Of sacrifice and compliance being repaid first with confusion and now with contempt.
This morning I read in the paper how a minister and his clique from the most tenuously elected government we have ever had thought of themselves as people apart. A group to whom the rules don’t apply. Elected, almost, to exceptionalism.
I never knew until this morning that our Oireachtas had a Golf Society.
I can imagine them in their ill fitting suits, farting through the silk boxers they bought in Tie Rack in Brussels airport, oozing bovine sweat after a trough of pints. Raffle tickets for some local charity damp in their arse pockets. No ninety minute restriction on consumption or festivities for them. One of them will slur an awful pun about a Birdy as he unloosens a yellow tie from a predictably blue shirt, stained with half eaten dessert that was served to him by someone grinning and just about bearing on minimum wage.
These people, barely elected , are an offense to our tattered Republic. They treat us with the disdain and contempt that a spoiled heiress might met out to her caddie. They must go!
It barely expresses the anger felt but did help to lower the pressure gauge….I’ve watched and listened to Cassidy for over 40 years…he is a prime example of all thats rotten in the politics of our nation
Ah God Christy! Sorry for you, and my heart goes out to the (probably) voluntary organisers who have probably sweated blood to get everything set up, then a few hours before the third master of tradition, get this kick in the teeth. I’d easity bet the Clifden fiasco had a big bearing on the decision, causing fear, anxiety, backslashes to bate the band.
Hop on a boat down there and come on over here…. Indoor gigs easy outdoor gigs easier. Stay for a year. We have room for yis all. Make sure Rebecca’s harp and Dave’s stories come too…
Seriously, what a disappointment all round.
Christy's reply
Yes Pat…you are right…West Cork Music could not function without the enthusiasm and energy of their voluntary assistants. For 18 years they have produced the Masters of Tradition Festival. Their primary purpose has been Classical Music,, their longest running event the West Cork Festival of Chamber Music which is a World renowned annual event.They also run the West Cork Literary Festival. Alongside these major events they also run Concerts throughout the year.All this from a small office, where a small dedicated crew under the baton of Francis Humphries create these wonderful events. Over the years,music lovers have travelled from far and near to attend their events….(2020 attendees were all local)
My wife and I have attended the Masters of Tradition every year bar one. This year was a very stripped back Festival due to Covid restrictions to which they adhered 100%.
Then comes Senator Donie Cassidy and his Fianna Fáil ( & Fine Gael) Fellow Golf Society Chums.Like mangy cats among the doves they scatter all before them.
In typical fashion,European MP Phil Hogan blames the Hotel as does the Supreme Court Judge Seamus Woulfe who attended this debacle.
Local reports from Clifden say that the behaviour of these golf louts was appalling.These same hypocrites pass Covid Restrictions into Law
Our event in West Cork is but a small blip on the National Stage… but it is a clear example of how a system can fail when self serving,selfish and egotistical twats are elected to powerful positions…
I salute West Cork Music for seeking to adhere to restrictions… I curse the mob of lewdermawns and neuks,pricks and geebags who descended upon the beautiful town of Clifden
and I apologise “unreservedly” for any offence caused by my choice of words (nt)
With apologies to the bard of the Aran islands…..i hate politicians and i don’t mind saying, they got the golfball, and the claret and the no mask exemption, they’re trying to sell us be-safe and they’re pissing it up the wall….
Christy's reply
good man Rory..some challenging rhyming patterns there …doubtless a Hawick dialect would make sense of it all……
I hope all is well in your bunker
Really sorry to hear that – mixed messages/lack of clarity from on high, I believe. The best laid plans scuppered by the men in the mohair plus fours, Cassidy and his crown topper have been pricking about since the 1960’s – plus ca change.
Christy's reply
In that Midland region I once heard the term “a total neuk”
Good luck tonight in the Maritime, Christy. Envious of the forty-odd warm bodies that will get to witness your performance, but looking forward to the video on Vimeo. And not a golf stick in sight.
Christy's reply
This carefully organised, socially-distanced gig has been cancelled….the function room,which has a capacity for 250,had been adapted to hold 50….West Cork Music have been working extremely hard to prepare this small Festival, to insure that ALL conditions were fulfilled… a very small outcome in the scale of things nationally but another kick in the arse for those trying to comply with Covid Restrictions….
Personally…all my work has been cancelled since last March..we were so looking forward to singing to a small group of listeners tonight here in Bantry….
Donie Cassidy and his ilk have always been a bunch of pricks..they’re unlikely to change now
The fact that your music helps countless people,is a gift,for sure. Bantry sounds brilliant. Reminds me of an evening walk a few years back. On the cliffs of Clare in a howling gale and the sea roaring.One of the most energising experiences… you’re right,we’re just borrowing the planet – and unlikely to return it,the way we we found it… as for most politicians…
Rory’s post mentions a powerful song. Luke’s version of ‘Scorn not his simplicity’ was a highlight of many a gig – and a very advanced song for its times. Was it ‘McCann’,as in Jim,who later joined The Dubliners?
I’m heading for the Cumbrian hills soon. By the weather forecast,there’ll be indoor activities,mainly… if I get to ‘Mrs Wilson’s’ in Silloth, I’ll check out the tea for you!
Enjoy the break and good luck with gigs…avoid the politicos !
Dave
Christy's reply
Yes, its the late Jim McCann….both Jim and Paddy Reilly stood in at various times with The Dubliners….
Jim was also a member of The Ludlows in the 1960s…they were very popular in the early Folk Revival in Ireland…had hits with “The Butcher Boy” and “The Sea around Us” which was written by Dominic Behan….the chorus long since celebrated…
Dear Christy,
Whilst listening to a Luke Kelly album that Jayo gave me, i found myself delving into youtube and a fabulous version of Scorn not his Simplicity on a programme called The McCann Man, of course by Luke. This was a wonderful, heart wrenching Phil Coulter song, and what a writer !
There are a few clips on youtube of the show series, i assume it was big in the day, but i wondered if you have memories of that 70s tv show,or the said men? Others may too perhaps?
Have a good day, the Sheepshead sounds a great place, enjoy.
Rory
Now I have this image in my head of Phil Hogan twirling a cane on his diamond ring finger…… aaargh !!!!
Hope all is well in Bantry for the return to action in front of an audience.
Christy's reply
hard necked,thick skinned audacity…
self serving,greedy ambition,
an FFG golf society with Donie Cassidy at the helm
in the midst of world pandemic
holy mother of sweet divine jesus protect us
as James Joyce himself might say…….”feckin thick-lugged sons of hoors gets”
I heard there was a nice paying gig in some hotel over there,believe it was for some golf club,in attendance was all the major decision makers in the present political scene, including a criminal court judge ,and a UN deligate,, instead of playing the national anthem they held up their middle finger to the fools that elected them,, hypocrisy at its finest, do as a say, not as I do. You couldn’t make this up.
Thanks Christy, glad to say I got tickets…after the penny dropped that i needed to download the app. Just after listening to Jesus and Jesse by David Wilde it’s a great song and very Dylanesque. Haven’t listened to them in years Thanks for the reminder – a blast from the past. Go well.
Hello Christy,
I love inchicore wake. Has no one mentioned it before? It grabbed me as soon as I heard it so I did some searching for Molly Sonex and Dolly Fossett. It opened a side of Dublin life to me that I had no idea about. Its in my folder waiting for me. There’s a fiddly lever change on the harp at “black market on wheels” that has had me flummoxed for a while.
I’ve stopped procrastinating and got in touch with two folk clubs. One is locked down but the other is trying to run. I’ve suddenly got dozens more friends on Facebook through posting one message. Some of the women sound awesome. Just got to screw up my courage and schlep the harp over to Leeds now.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
Manys the winters night I schlepped over to Leeds…. The Grove, The Brig, The Peel, Club Memphis, Mr Fox’s club,..great singers there…
Sweet nights…..
“I’ve seen grey fog creep o’er Leeds Brig as thick as Bastille Soup”
learned it from Denis Sabey, Alasdair Cameron, Dave Burland, Tony Capstick…all that and a lot more
I hope there’s a fry on the go, post Ye Vagabonds and pre Donovan…
I’m hoping to catch a Vagabonds gig,when such things are possible. Thankful to have seen Donovan a few times and now thinking about his music…in many ways,under valued. I followed him closely,via the budget LPs and his chart singles,to his more complex albums… he has a real gift,and,no wonder that The Beatles were among his biggest fans. Tonight,I hope you get to hear ‘Hurdy Gurdy’ man,with extra verses…always a treat – maybe, even ‘Wandering Aengus’ …Such a wonderful back catalogue… and very diverse.
Have a great time.
Dave
Christy's reply
Heard last nights gig and tonights…..some great music
We had a great walk today…we went right out to the very end of the SheepsHead….turning back at the Lighthouse the heavens opened and we got soaked..back then to Bantry for a fine dinner in The Snug Pub on the Square …
the world is turned upside down…the lunatics are running the asylum…we are running on hope…. we are powerless….all I can do is sing a few songs and make the best of each day…help someone if I can
tomorrow will be another day…another chance to live this old life one day at a time..
out on the Sheepshead today we marvelled yet again at the beauty of nature’s abundance…of how perfectly this planet operates without us…we consider ourselves to be “superior”intellects……how wrong we are to embrace such fallacy…
Good ‘morning’ Christy,
I am patently too excited about the gig to sleep.
Can i check a few things about the arrangments now that i have my ticket please.
Will someone be coming round selling choc ices at half time?
What are the rules on bringing alcohol into the gig, can i sneak in a hip flask containing a whisky mac?
Are you selling beanie hats and t-shirts in the foyer beforehand, mine is a bit worn?
Will the bouncers be there to prevent streakers getting on to the stage, i don’t want put off my popcorn?
Can i sit anywhere or is it reserved seating?
Will there be a support act, such as the talented CS (15) ?
Does a bear shite in the woods?
Would you consider playing the complete album of ‘Whatever tickles your fancy’?
Cheers
Rory
Christy's reply
I’m here in Bantry, County Cork, trying to remember whats on that album…
Tim Evans
What Put The Blood
Van Diemans
Two Island Swans
The Band was Donal Lunny, Kevin Burke both still here….Jimmy Faulkner,Declan McNelis, Robbie Brennan, all three no longer with us
I think that was 1974 time…I remember the photo for the sleeve was taken in The Meeting Place, Dorset Street, Dublin one Sunday afternoon…(it was a very long session) the pints of Guinness there were of a very creamy nature
Well Christy, just got my ticket for the live stream from National Concert Hall – what a brilliant idea….can’t wait. Loved the lockdown sessions with Andy so It will be great to see you back on stage. Good luck x
Hi Christie
Contacting you is something I have been considering for a while and, as I am not get any younger and with less time on my hands now than it seems I have ever had before now is the time to – metaphorically – pick up the pen to you!
You and Planxty put me on the ‘road to Damascus’ (well actually Killorglin and Caherdaniel and Milltown and Spanish Point and Achill, Cape Clear and Arranmore Islands, and Inishcrone, Gurteen, Newport, Letterfrack, Easky, and ………… – a long list). I fell in love with your country – where my ancestors came from – and with your country’s music, and many of your songs and one in particular – ‘Ride On’. Since then I have played and sung this in sessions here (in Lancashire – and ‘over the border’ in West Yorkshire), also in your country too in various ‘scratch’ Trad Irish bands since the early 80’s.
With my dear friend ‘Parkie’ (two times winner of the Puck Fair Busking Contest in the mid 90’s!!) we are now working on our ‘For Posterity’ album and I want to include a cover of your wonderful ‘Ride On’. I wish I had a pound for every time I have sung that song – over here and over there – and would willingly share that sum with you, though you’ll not be short of a bob or two I guess by now. If you ever are do let me know and I’ll have word with Parkie – he has a small island tucked away somewhere!
My love of this particular song is so great that whenever I heard it wanted it to last longer. I heard a 10-minute version once in the Blind Piper in Caherdaniel one time in the mid 90’s, which was wonderful – though the length was achieved by repetition of the chorus. That got me to thinking and, from that, I added another verse which covered a retrospective view of the relationship you describe in the song. I have added that verse ever since. I’m putting my heart on my sleeve here in this public format, but this third verse is as follows:
“Now that was all so long ago – but still I feel you near,
I should have held the bridle then and brushed away my fear,
For now I ride the horse alone – he carries me as you,
But I could never go with you, no matter how I wanted to”
Your acceptance of my recording this would be much appreciated. Equally if your response is – ‘Not on your fu**ing life pal !’ – I will respect that as I respect you and your music and will not record it.
Our paths could have crossed back in the late 60’s when you were up and around my home town of Halifax for a year or two – but I know they didn’t. However many of my mates who remained in the ‘Fax’ did see you but by 1967 I had left my home for College, down south. I was, therefore, away when you were I believe, learning your craft and playing in the folk clubs in the area such as the Bradshaw Tavern, the Plummet Line and drinking in the Upper George.
Before I change my mind about sending this enquiry, and reminiscence to you, I’m just going to hit the submit tab, cross my fingers and hope for a response – whatever it is.
Thanks for the music Christie and the road you put me on. On it I have met some great people, seen some great sights and had some the best craic ever!
Sliante
Papa Burke
Christy's reply
Morra Papa, greetings to Clitheroe and to all Lancashire Cousins, Friends, Listeners and Layabouts…I wish you well with your project…
“Ride On” was written by Jimmy MacCarthy…..so permission is not mine to give……if you record Jimmy’s song you need to attribute it thus
“Ride On”….Jimmy MacCarthy (Imro)
I’d love to have heard thon Piper play the tune in Caherdaniel….”Parkie” the busker rings a bell…I think our paths may have crossed along the way…
Yes I hung in the “Fax” for a few years…stayed out in Causeway Foot and then Mixenden…still in touch with a few old comrades from those bygone days..
I wish you well
Christy,
Just a few reflections you mentioned Brian Moore aka Cormac. What a great guy and I had the pleasure of meeting him on a number of occasions. His cartoons were politically incisive and funny. Regrettably, I never got to see his play Paddy on the Road that charted your life, your impact on the folk scene and political life in Ireland. I believe you gave the script the thumbs up and to Terry O’Neill who portrayed you in the one man show.
Thanks to Pat for the post from Declan Sinnott. Have to say I felt a bit sad reading it. I remember talk at the time of some lads on the way to the gig were stopped by Moving Hearts looking for directions…it was fluffed up something shocking. Mind you I can understand the hesitancy given the dark days that were in it. We would have waited all night for you and your band mates. As you know very few musicians braved the streets and clubs of Belfast. Consequently, you are both held in such warm regard by so many people here. You and Declan are held in such warm regard by so many people here. Hope this doesn’t come as across as sycophantic…sorry for the scéal fada! Go well.
Christy's reply
I spent a lovely day in a rehearsal room in West Belfast watching Cruncher run thru Brian’s “Paddy on The Road”under the direction of Pam Brighton of Dubblejoint Theatre Company…they did a lovely job of it and I was delighted to be invited to a rehearsal….Brian and Pam no longer with us….give my best wishes to Terry if you see him up the road
just remembering that 70s album from “Men of No Property”
Hi Christy,
I can’t tell you how excited I am for the NCH show on September 19th! I wish I could be back in Dublin at the show. Haven’t been to your wonderful town since Dec 2019. Been using the time in quarantine to re-read some of my Irish favorites (The Ginger Man, The Dubliners, anything by Seamus Heaney); only makes me miss Dublin more. Was out on the boat a couple days ago listening to Magic Nights and the music of Patsy Cline (Virginia’s greatest export). I’ve listened to Magic Nights literally hundreds of time but was only struck by what an amazing song Inchicore Wake is while out on the water. I must have listened to it 50 times. Magic Nights is the gift that keeps giving. Anyway, hope all is well. Glad to hear your getting to do some socially-distanced gigs. Must be good for your soul. All the best……Buck
Christy's reply
Fair Play to you Buck…
you are the very first to mention “The Inchicore Wake”
I first heard it sung by Anna Buckley at the Góiín Singers Club.
Straight way I was smitten….
I think it is a beautiful Gem
yet until now it has passed all but un-noticed
I went and met Pete St John to research his song, he informed me about each of the characters mentioned in his song…he remembers them all …he either knew them or knew about them…
I believe this song to be one of the very best….so happy that you noticed it
I read The Gingerman in my teens and Dubliners a short time after…. I dont read very much at this late time of life but in my teens and early twenties I always had books on the go…John Huston’s film of Joyce’s “The Dead” is a classic
Reading The Gingerman in early 60’s small town Ireland was a revealation
” all the pub mourned as Eugene played Taps”……….I’m gonna go and sing the song to myself now… a grand start to a (semi) locked down day
Lewdermawns is too good a word for them. But the hopelessness and helplessness to cause them to change is the worst. I loved your reflection on who really owns this earth. The golf gate gang, and many many of their companions don’t give a shit.
I am safely insulated from them over here, but terribly disappointed in von der Leyen that she seems to have accepted the lying Hog’s explanation.
I hope you don’t mind me posting this link to a (long) comment I came across from a ‘ Billy O’ Hanluain’. Maybe he is known to some folks here.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157734381827781&id=658007780
And after this, back to the music. Maybe the NCH might resound to some new airs? Or is it already in the can?
Thanks Pat…Billy’s words are worth reprinting
Billy O Hanluain
I didn’t see my mother from February until her birthday at the beginning July. She observed government recommendations regarding quarantine and cocooning. She did what she was told was right. She knows people who have died of Covid. Last week I visited her with one of my sisters. I made lunch for the three of us. When I was leaving I went to do the most natural thing, to give her a hug. She gently withdrew and smiled at me. Her words trailed off uncertainly.
“I’m not sure..the newspapers…maybe it’s not safe”
And instead, we waved.
As my sister drove me home I thought of this season of fear and solitude. Of those who drew their last breaths alone. Not palm pressed or warm whispered to by family as they slipped away towards silence. Death observed at a safe distance like a clinical trial.
Alone.
Of families who mourned and buried their dead in empty churches and deserted cemeteries. Of white knuckles clinging tightly to the hollowed shell of days so as not fall off wagons. Of how we’ve all been tattooed with anxiety.
I thought of the almost unutterable changes that have occurred in such a short space of time. I thought of the trust placed in leadership. Of sacrifice and compliance being repaid first with confusion and now with contempt.
This morning I read in the paper how a minister and his clique from the most tenuously elected government we have ever had thought of themselves as people apart. A group to whom the rules don’t apply. Elected, almost, to exceptionalism.
I never knew until this morning that our Oireachtas had a Golf Society.
I can imagine them in their ill fitting suits, farting through the silk boxers they bought in Tie Rack in Brussels airport, oozing bovine sweat after a trough of pints. Raffle tickets for some local charity damp in their arse pockets. No ninety minute restriction on consumption or festivities for them. One of them will slur an awful pun about a Birdy as he unloosens a yellow tie from a predictably blue shirt, stained with half eaten dessert that was served to him by someone grinning and just about bearing on minimum wage.
These people, barely elected , are an offense to our tattered Republic. They treat us with the disdain and contempt that a spoiled heiress might met out to her caddie. They must go!
Well said Christy 👏
It barely expresses the anger felt but did help to lower the pressure gauge….I’ve watched and listened to Cassidy for over 40 years…he is a prime example of all thats rotten in the politics of our nation
Ah God Christy! Sorry for you, and my heart goes out to the (probably) voluntary organisers who have probably sweated blood to get everything set up, then a few hours before the third master of tradition, get this kick in the teeth. I’d easity bet the Clifden fiasco had a big bearing on the decision, causing fear, anxiety, backslashes to bate the band.
Hop on a boat down there and come on over here…. Indoor gigs easy outdoor gigs easier. Stay for a year. We have room for yis all. Make sure Rebecca’s harp and Dave’s stories come too…
Seriously, what a disappointment all round.
Yes Pat…you are right…West Cork Music could not function without the enthusiasm and energy of their voluntary assistants. For 18 years they have produced the Masters of Tradition Festival. Their primary purpose has been Classical Music,, their longest running event the West Cork Festival of Chamber Music which is a World renowned annual event.They also run the West Cork Literary Festival. Alongside these major events they also run Concerts throughout the year.All this from a small office, where a small dedicated crew under the baton of Francis Humphries create these wonderful events. Over the years,music lovers have travelled from far and near to attend their events….(2020 attendees were all local)
My wife and I have attended the Masters of Tradition every year bar one. This year was a very stripped back Festival due to Covid restrictions to which they adhered 100%.
Then comes Senator Donie Cassidy and his Fianna Fáil ( & Fine Gael) Fellow Golf Society Chums.Like mangy cats among the doves they scatter all before them.
In typical fashion,European MP Phil Hogan blames the Hotel as does the Supreme Court Judge Seamus Woulfe who attended this debacle.
Local reports from Clifden say that the behaviour of these golf louts was appalling.These same hypocrites pass Covid Restrictions into Law
Our event in West Cork is but a small blip on the National Stage… but it is a clear example of how a system can fail when self serving,selfish and egotistical twats are elected to powerful positions…
I salute West Cork Music for seeking to adhere to restrictions… I curse the mob of lewdermawns and neuks,pricks and geebags who descended upon the beautiful town of Clifden
and I apologise “unreservedly” for any offence caused by my choice of words (nt)
Hugs
I don’t know what to say,
Xxx
Rebecca
The Bard of Rostrevor, young Tommy Sands would sing
“Whatever you say ,say nothin
when you talk about you know what”
With apologies to the bard of the Aran islands…..i hate politicians and i don’t mind saying, they got the golfball, and the claret and the no mask exemption, they’re trying to sell us be-safe and they’re pissing it up the wall….
good man Rory..some challenging rhyming patterns there …doubtless a Hawick dialect would make sense of it all……
I hope all is well in your bunker
Really sorry to hear that – mixed messages/lack of clarity from on high, I believe. The best laid plans scuppered by the men in the mohair plus fours, Cassidy and his crown topper have been pricking about since the 1960’s – plus ca change.
In that Midland region I once heard the term “a total neuk”
Good luck tonight in the Maritime, Christy. Envious of the forty-odd warm bodies that will get to witness your performance, but looking forward to the video on Vimeo. And not a golf stick in sight.
This carefully organised, socially-distanced gig has been cancelled….the function room,which has a capacity for 250,had been adapted to hold 50….West Cork Music have been working extremely hard to prepare this small Festival, to insure that ALL conditions were fulfilled… a very small outcome in the scale of things nationally but another kick in the arse for those trying to comply with Covid Restrictions….
Personally…all my work has been cancelled since last March..we were so looking forward to singing to a small group of listeners tonight here in Bantry….
Donie Cassidy and his ilk have always been a bunch of pricks..they’re unlikely to change now
Morning Christy
The fact that your music helps countless people,is a gift,for sure. Bantry sounds brilliant. Reminds me of an evening walk a few years back. On the cliffs of Clare in a howling gale and the sea roaring.One of the most energising experiences… you’re right,we’re just borrowing the planet – and unlikely to return it,the way we we found it… as for most politicians…
Rory’s post mentions a powerful song. Luke’s version of ‘Scorn not his simplicity’ was a highlight of many a gig – and a very advanced song for its times. Was it ‘McCann’,as in Jim,who later joined The Dubliners?
I’m heading for the Cumbrian hills soon. By the weather forecast,there’ll be indoor activities,mainly… if I get to ‘Mrs Wilson’s’ in Silloth, I’ll check out the tea for you!
Enjoy the break and good luck with gigs…avoid the politicos !
Dave
Yes, its the late Jim McCann….both Jim and Paddy Reilly stood in at various times with The Dubliners….
Jim was also a member of The Ludlows in the 1960s…they were very popular in the early Folk Revival in Ireland…had hits with “The Butcher Boy” and “The Sea around Us” which was written by Dominic Behan….the chorus long since celebrated…
Dear Christy,
Whilst listening to a Luke Kelly album that Jayo gave me, i found myself delving into youtube and a fabulous version of Scorn not his Simplicity on a programme called The McCann Man, of course by Luke. This was a wonderful, heart wrenching Phil Coulter song, and what a writer !
There are a few clips on youtube of the show series, i assume it was big in the day, but i wondered if you have memories of that 70s tv show,or the said men? Others may too perhaps?
Have a good day, the Sheepshead sounds a great place, enjoy.
Rory
I well remember Luke’s version of the song
Now I have this image in my head of Phil Hogan twirling a cane on his diamond ring finger…… aaargh !!!!
Hope all is well in Bantry for the return to action in front of an audience.
hard necked,thick skinned audacity…
self serving,greedy ambition,
an FFG golf society with Donie Cassidy at the helm
in the midst of world pandemic
holy mother of sweet divine jesus protect us
as James Joyce himself might say…….”feckin thick-lugged sons of hoors gets”
I heard there was a nice paying gig in some hotel over there,believe it was for some golf club,in attendance was all the major decision makers in the present political scene, including a criminal court judge ,and a UN deligate,, instead of playing the national anthem they held up their middle finger to the fools that elected them,, hypocrisy at its finest, do as a say, not as I do. You couldn’t make this up.
golf golf golf golf golf golf golf golf
Thanks Christy, glad to say I got tickets…after the penny dropped that i needed to download the app. Just after listening to Jesus and Jesse by David Wilde it’s a great song and very Dylanesque. Haven’t listened to them in years Thanks for the reminder – a blast from the past. Go well.
never heard this version..please tell me more
Hello Christy,
I love inchicore wake. Has no one mentioned it before? It grabbed me as soon as I heard it so I did some searching for Molly Sonex and Dolly Fossett. It opened a side of Dublin life to me that I had no idea about. Its in my folder waiting for me. There’s a fiddly lever change on the harp at “black market on wheels” that has had me flummoxed for a while.
I’ve stopped procrastinating and got in touch with two folk clubs. One is locked down but the other is trying to run. I’ve suddenly got dozens more friends on Facebook through posting one message. Some of the women sound awesome. Just got to screw up my courage and schlep the harp over to Leeds now.
Rebecca
Manys the winters night I schlepped over to Leeds…. The Grove, The Brig, The Peel, Club Memphis, Mr Fox’s club,..great singers there…
Sweet nights…..
“I’ve seen grey fog creep o’er Leeds Brig as thick as Bastille Soup”
learned it from Denis Sabey, Alasdair Cameron, Dave Burland, Tony Capstick…all that and a lot more
Mornin’ Christy
I hope there’s a fry on the go, post Ye Vagabonds and pre Donovan…
I’m hoping to catch a Vagabonds gig,when such things are possible. Thankful to have seen Donovan a few times and now thinking about his music…in many ways,under valued. I followed him closely,via the budget LPs and his chart singles,to his more complex albums… he has a real gift,and,no wonder that The Beatles were among his biggest fans. Tonight,I hope you get to hear ‘Hurdy Gurdy’ man,with extra verses…always a treat – maybe, even ‘Wandering Aengus’ …Such a wonderful back catalogue… and very diverse.
Have a great time.
Dave
Heard last nights gig and tonights…..some great music
We had a great walk today…we went right out to the very end of the SheepsHead….turning back at the Lighthouse the heavens opened and we got soaked..back then to Bantry for a fine dinner in The Snug Pub on the Square …
the world is turned upside down…the lunatics are running the asylum…we are running on hope…. we are powerless….all I can do is sing a few songs and make the best of each day…help someone if I can
tomorrow will be another day…another chance to live this old life one day at a time..
out on the Sheepshead today we marvelled yet again at the beauty of nature’s abundance…of how perfectly this planet operates without us…we consider ourselves to be “superior”intellects……how wrong we are to embrace such fallacy…
Good ‘morning’ Christy,
I am patently too excited about the gig to sleep.
Can i check a few things about the arrangments now that i have my ticket please.
Will someone be coming round selling choc ices at half time?
What are the rules on bringing alcohol into the gig, can i sneak in a hip flask containing a whisky mac?
Are you selling beanie hats and t-shirts in the foyer beforehand, mine is a bit worn?
Will the bouncers be there to prevent streakers getting on to the stage, i don’t want put off my popcorn?
Can i sit anywhere or is it reserved seating?
Will there be a support act, such as the talented CS (15) ?
Does a bear shite in the woods?
Would you consider playing the complete album of ‘Whatever tickles your fancy’?
Cheers
Rory
I’m here in Bantry, County Cork, trying to remember whats on that album…
Tim Evans
What Put The Blood
Van Diemans
Two Island Swans
The Band was Donal Lunny, Kevin Burke both still here….Jimmy Faulkner,Declan McNelis, Robbie Brennan, all three no longer with us
I think that was 1974 time…I remember the photo for the sleeve was taken in The Meeting Place, Dorset Street, Dublin one Sunday afternoon…(it was a very long session) the pints of Guinness there were of a very creamy nature
Got my ticket ! Can’t wait, well done to all involved, very very happy here. xxx
Fair play to you Maryline..
I’ll direct a verse to Chile
Well Christy, just got my ticket for the live stream from National Concert Hall – what a brilliant idea….can’t wait. Loved the lockdown sessions with Andy so It will be great to see you back on stage. Good luck x
Sound Karen..
Up The Dubs
Gitser
Hi Christie
Contacting you is something I have been considering for a while and, as I am not get any younger and with less time on my hands now than it seems I have ever had before now is the time to – metaphorically – pick up the pen to you!
You and Planxty put me on the ‘road to Damascus’ (well actually Killorglin and Caherdaniel and Milltown and Spanish Point and Achill, Cape Clear and Arranmore Islands, and Inishcrone, Gurteen, Newport, Letterfrack, Easky, and ………… – a long list). I fell in love with your country – where my ancestors came from – and with your country’s music, and many of your songs and one in particular – ‘Ride On’. Since then I have played and sung this in sessions here (in Lancashire – and ‘over the border’ in West Yorkshire), also in your country too in various ‘scratch’ Trad Irish bands since the early 80’s.
With my dear friend ‘Parkie’ (two times winner of the Puck Fair Busking Contest in the mid 90’s!!) we are now working on our ‘For Posterity’ album and I want to include a cover of your wonderful ‘Ride On’. I wish I had a pound for every time I have sung that song – over here and over there – and would willingly share that sum with you, though you’ll not be short of a bob or two I guess by now. If you ever are do let me know and I’ll have word with Parkie – he has a small island tucked away somewhere!
My love of this particular song is so great that whenever I heard it wanted it to last longer. I heard a 10-minute version once in the Blind Piper in Caherdaniel one time in the mid 90’s, which was wonderful – though the length was achieved by repetition of the chorus. That got me to thinking and, from that, I added another verse which covered a retrospective view of the relationship you describe in the song. I have added that verse ever since. I’m putting my heart on my sleeve here in this public format, but this third verse is as follows:
“Now that was all so long ago – but still I feel you near,
I should have held the bridle then and brushed away my fear,
For now I ride the horse alone – he carries me as you,
But I could never go with you, no matter how I wanted to”
Your acceptance of my recording this would be much appreciated. Equally if your response is – ‘Not on your fu**ing life pal !’ – I will respect that as I respect you and your music and will not record it.
Our paths could have crossed back in the late 60’s when you were up and around my home town of Halifax for a year or two – but I know they didn’t. However many of my mates who remained in the ‘Fax’ did see you but by 1967 I had left my home for College, down south. I was, therefore, away when you were I believe, learning your craft and playing in the folk clubs in the area such as the Bradshaw Tavern, the Plummet Line and drinking in the Upper George.
Before I change my mind about sending this enquiry, and reminiscence to you, I’m just going to hit the submit tab, cross my fingers and hope for a response – whatever it is.
Thanks for the music Christie and the road you put me on. On it I have met some great people, seen some great sights and had some the best craic ever!
Sliante
Papa Burke
Morra Papa, greetings to Clitheroe and to all Lancashire Cousins, Friends, Listeners and Layabouts…I wish you well with your project…
“Ride On” was written by Jimmy MacCarthy…..so permission is not mine to give……if you record Jimmy’s song you need to attribute it thus
“Ride On”….Jimmy MacCarthy (Imro)
I’d love to have heard thon Piper play the tune in Caherdaniel….”Parkie” the busker rings a bell…I think our paths may have crossed along the way…
Yes I hung in the “Fax” for a few years…stayed out in Causeway Foot and then Mixenden…still in touch with a few old comrades from those bygone days..
I wish you well
Christy,
Just a few reflections you mentioned Brian Moore aka Cormac. What a great guy and I had the pleasure of meeting him on a number of occasions. His cartoons were politically incisive and funny. Regrettably, I never got to see his play Paddy on the Road that charted your life, your impact on the folk scene and political life in Ireland. I believe you gave the script the thumbs up and to Terry O’Neill who portrayed you in the one man show.
Thanks to Pat for the post from Declan Sinnott. Have to say I felt a bit sad reading it. I remember talk at the time of some lads on the way to the gig were stopped by Moving Hearts looking for directions…it was fluffed up something shocking. Mind you I can understand the hesitancy given the dark days that were in it. We would have waited all night for you and your band mates. As you know very few musicians braved the streets and clubs of Belfast. Consequently, you are both held in such warm regard by so many people here. You and Declan are held in such warm regard by so many people here. Hope this doesn’t come as across as sycophantic…sorry for the scéal fada! Go well.
I spent a lovely day in a rehearsal room in West Belfast watching Cruncher run thru Brian’s “Paddy on The Road”under the direction of Pam Brighton of Dubblejoint Theatre Company…they did a lovely job of it and I was delighted to be invited to a rehearsal….Brian and Pam no longer with us….give my best wishes to Terry if you see him up the road
just remembering that 70s album from “Men of No Property”
Hi Christy,
I can’t tell you how excited I am for the NCH show on September 19th! I wish I could be back in Dublin at the show. Haven’t been to your wonderful town since Dec 2019. Been using the time in quarantine to re-read some of my Irish favorites (The Ginger Man, The Dubliners, anything by Seamus Heaney); only makes me miss Dublin more. Was out on the boat a couple days ago listening to Magic Nights and the music of Patsy Cline (Virginia’s greatest export). I’ve listened to Magic Nights literally hundreds of time but was only struck by what an amazing song Inchicore Wake is while out on the water. I must have listened to it 50 times. Magic Nights is the gift that keeps giving. Anyway, hope all is well. Glad to hear your getting to do some socially-distanced gigs. Must be good for your soul. All the best……Buck
Fair Play to you Buck…
you are the very first to mention “The Inchicore Wake”
I first heard it sung by Anna Buckley at the Góiín Singers Club.
Straight way I was smitten….
I think it is a beautiful Gem
yet until now it has passed all but un-noticed
I went and met Pete St John to research his song, he informed me about each of the characters mentioned in his song…he remembers them all …he either knew them or knew about them…
I believe this song to be one of the very best….so happy that you noticed it
I read The Gingerman in my teens and Dubliners a short time after…. I dont read very much at this late time of life but in my teens and early twenties I always had books on the go…John Huston’s film of Joyce’s “The Dead” is a classic
Reading The Gingerman in early 60’s small town Ireland was a revealation
” all the pub mourned as Eugene played Taps”……….I’m gonna go and sing the song to myself now… a grand start to a (semi) locked down day