Dear Christy,
Big thanks for the tip about Lighthouse, Tom Barry’s album.
What a lovely creation. The title song is gorgeous, whilst his piano and voice do something beautiful with Little Musgrave/Lord Barnard/Matty Groves.
So my gift of the knowledge of Joshua Burnside has been immediately repaid with your tip of Lighthouse dropping through my letterbox today.
Keep on singing and sweating,
Rory
Ah Christy! Loved your comment about different reactions to changed lyrics …laugh or rage…I remember being at a gig somewhere, singing along with maybe yourself, or Ronnie, or whoever… ‘the violets were scenting the woods Maggie’..: it’s NORA shouted the fella next to me in my ear, NORA, DO YOU HEAR, NORA!’ What the heck I said, give us a break here fella. ‘its Nóra, feckin Nóra. Sing it right if you’re gonna sing it at all.’ Right you are mate says I, and sang away ‘The violets are scenting the woods Maggie’, cos I was always a bit stubborn. Didn’t see much point in discussing O’Casey or De Dannan with him…
Christy's reply
such a beautiful song…John Kavanagh gave a memorable rendition years back in a production of Sean O’Casey’s “The Plough & The Stars”
Every now and then a song will stop me in my tracks….Frank Patterson’s rendition of “The Lass of Aughrim ” in John Huston’s “The Dead” gets me every time..heartbreakingly beautiful….as was Terence Stamp singing “Goodnight My Angel” in The Collector
Churning butter as against sheep rustling – yep, I’d go with that description. My Leaving Cert: more years than I care to remember, Pass Irish, not sure what I answered on Peig, but even by then I’d signed the register of the Christy fan club.
I tuned into Joshua. Himself and Laura Quirke do a nice duet. I see he’s appeared on Other Voices too.
Christy's reply
mine was 1963 ..6 passes..then 3 years in The National Bank before fleeing to the green and pleasant land of the English Folk Scene
Hello Christy,
Sorry, it was just a bit of silliness, the last thing I’d want to do is upset anyone.
Something I really like doing is taking a song that I admire and trying to rewrite it from the point of view of one of the other characters. I had a go at Tipping it up to Nancy and ended up with Martin’s Last Straw. For me it’s a way to try and understand the original song better, so a kind of respect I guess.
Something that doesn’t fit with this is how often inappropriate animals turn up up in my songs. A camel turned up in Martin’s Last Straw… Makes me think of the albatross in your song about Saint Brendan or was that in the original story?
Rebecca
Christy's reply
it was God the Mother that landed Bórd na Móna man on the Moon…as for that Albatross…..an entire ocean around, yet he’d shite down on Brendan’s head…poor Zozimus had to get in with the hairy baboon up in the Zoological Gardens…
we love silliness here
Christy – thanks very much for a great gig in Mullingar – you were as electric as ever – Lucy was in her element when she got the mention & Sail on Jimmy!!
enjoy the break – thanks again – Noel, Sinead, Lucy
Christy's reply
I meant to sing “Sail On Jimmy” earlier…then I glimpsed Lucy and remembered…it was thrilling to get Her note…I rang Wally Page last night (he wrote Duffy’s Cut) and told him about Lucy’s request ..like myself,Wally was charmed…I’m going to copy Lucy’s note and share it with Wally….
Hopefully,next time I’ll sing “Duffy’s Cut”….its a great song but I need to refresh my memory before singing it again
Hello, Ed.
I had a semantic misunderstanding of Seeger’s description a few months ago, here. Christy replied with a beautiful description of the process, which of course is more like churning butter than rustling sheep.
I had a thought about the football final, but it must not have been important.
Christy's reply
“Churning Butter, Rustling Sheep”,….you got me going there Brendan….keep coming back
Hi Christy
Glad you like Joshua
He was recommended to me on a trip to Derry’s Cool Discs.
Finally saw him live in a tiny venue in glasgow about 9 months ago, fab with either fiddle and guitar.
If i was to suggest 3 songs of his they currently would be..
I saw the night
Taking the wheel
and maybe
Blood Drive.
However he has such a range of talents that i am always changing my choices depending on mood.
Rory
Plagarising: a funny business, not recommended. A certain L Zeppelin group are still in and out of courts on cases of plagarising and not crediting music tracks.
Who mentioned ‘Peig’? Christ, now there was a book, it probably put multitudes off the Irish language forever. Me? No. I just daydreamed for the entire time it was read in class. So I remained unaffected by Peig. I got an ok result in the Irish Leaving Cert, what I answered on Peig I dont know.
Hi Christy, we all know your a great man for improvising and updating lyrics so I thought I would give it a go with one of the classics.
She stepped away from me.
And she moved through the fair.
Where she won a goldfish
And a big teddy bear.
Might not go down very well with the traditionalists, but what do you think, is it a flyer? 😉
Christy's reply
I’ll take the fifth amendment on this John ….I wish you and Rebecca long and happy hours …
Pete Seeger famously quoted as saying… “first thing a folk singer gotta do is learn to plagiarise…I’ve always taken Pete at his word on this matter but its a very personal occupation , as we well know, there is no accounting for taste…some listeners will howl with laughter whilst others will scream blue murder with rage..
Hi Christy
Joshua Burnside, the latest musical marvel of Belfast, has a lovely new song ( i think about whiskey making) out on Bandcamp called ‘the seekers’ .
Its like a poem put to music .
Well worth the listener’s buck, pound, euro or punt.
It reminds me a little of many before and yet of none before.
Rory
Christy's reply
really like this Rory….never heard of Joshua before..I’ll be listening out for him…..i
Just came back trough holyhead today on the ferry great to seem them busy again went over with my dad for a day trip and making our way to mullingar. On the train down we read that today marked the 38 anniversary of the dunnes stores strike by those workers who took a stand. There was a very good film made years ago called cry freedom. See you tomorrow night great to be on the road again even though its only been a week since my last gig
Christy my office for the day overlooks mother glasgow’s spires and is on the banks of the clyde,a good place to be in this dear green place..and i can see parkhead.
Maybe one day, before we all burn in hell or a forest fire, you will get the chance to be here again. From my son’s flat in Dennistoun to the work i passed the Barras.
No doubt decades of happy memories mags mcivor jinky johnstone the mountain of music that was hamish imlach , the travelling stewarts and bogeys bonnie belle , a song you sing of Huntly town, a travellers song ,i would love to hear you sing of the belle again sometime.
Rory
Christy's reply
“O the Lark she sang melodious,
the Mavis sang so shrill
but none of them could sing so sweet
as Bogie’s Bonnie Belle”
Hello Christy,
What a great weekend for sport, I’ll never forget it.
Peter O’mahoney sobbing uncontrollably into the other guy’s shoulder grabbed me by the heart. Heard someone say the other day that if he’d been born in the 11th century, he’d have been a high king.
Saw my first game of hurling too, and what a game it was. Speed of light for 70 minutes, I wonder how the poor referee kept up. Want to catch some live now.
Both games magnificent….Saturday morning transfixed by Rugby, Sunday afternoon enthralled by Hurling….
I understand why sport in general leaves many untouched, perplexed by all the brohaha that surrounds these tussles… I enjoy the scorn they heap upon us sad sporting fanatics as we roll around in ecstacy or despair …
Be it oval ball or sliothar ,I await the kick off (or throw in) with the excitement and expectation that only true sporting nerds can understand ..
be it Hull, Halifax or Hotspurs, I’ll be there munching upon my pie
Being a fan of Planxty’s music since the early 80s, followed by my appreciation of your solowork (for me it started with the album Ordinary Man), it was a very special event for me to see and hear you perform for the first time live on July 15th in Wexford. What a show it was! Such good music and a very entertaining show. Marvellous! This is what we came for to Ireland, from the Netherlands.
Thanks for this wonderful evening and thanks for making my wife Lizy very happy, by signing the portrait she painted of you. Many thanks Christy.
Christy's reply
PdW…I hope that you & Lizy are still enjoying your time with us ….I had a good time in Wexford….great audience, beautiful venue , lively colourful town…
“will you come to New Ross, gallant Wexford & Gorey
where the green was last seen by the Saxon & Tory
where the soil is sanctified by the blood of each Fenian
where they died satisfied their enemies they did not run from”
Jessie Owens used to sing this song, “Come to the Bower” …
Jeezo Christy
The rugger !
What a team.
You n furlong in the front row belting out the bars of ride on with johnny sexton whistling revenge for skibbereen setting up the black stuff ( tea and porter) , henshaw dancing like flatley in the new zealand dressing rooms and ryan crying like a man and like a 7 foot baby in joy, discarded jock straps, blood still dripping, deep heat emanating and cheers abounding.
Come on you boys in green.
Well done indeed.
Rory
Christy's reply
a truly exhilarating experiece, I sat mesmerised and exhausted on the couch for at least 20 minutes before getting up to put on the kettle….I’ve met most of the squad which adds to the emotion of such a tremendous victory…( one of our players is directly linked to a song)….Andy Farrell has done a fantastic job since taking over the reins from Joe Schmidt…..(I’ve yet to see the third Scot V Arg game so no spoilers please)
Dear Christy,
Big thanks for the tip about Lighthouse, Tom Barry’s album.
What a lovely creation. The title song is gorgeous, whilst his piano and voice do something beautiful with Little Musgrave/Lord Barnard/Matty Groves.
So my gift of the knowledge of Joshua Burnside has been immediately repaid with your tip of Lighthouse dropping through my letterbox today.
Keep on singing and sweating,
Rory
round we go
Ah Christy! Loved your comment about different reactions to changed lyrics …laugh or rage…I remember being at a gig somewhere, singing along with maybe yourself, or Ronnie, or whoever… ‘the violets were scenting the woods Maggie’..: it’s NORA shouted the fella next to me in my ear, NORA, DO YOU HEAR, NORA!’ What the heck I said, give us a break here fella. ‘its Nóra, feckin Nóra. Sing it right if you’re gonna sing it at all.’ Right you are mate says I, and sang away ‘The violets are scenting the woods Maggie’, cos I was always a bit stubborn. Didn’t see much point in discussing O’Casey or De Dannan with him…
such a beautiful song…John Kavanagh gave a memorable rendition years back in a production of Sean O’Casey’s “The Plough & The Stars”
Every now and then a song will stop me in my tracks….Frank Patterson’s rendition of “The Lass of Aughrim ” in John Huston’s “The Dead” gets me every time..heartbreakingly beautiful….as was Terence Stamp singing “Goodnight My Angel” in The Collector
Churning butter as against sheep rustling – yep, I’d go with that description. My Leaving Cert: more years than I care to remember, Pass Irish, not sure what I answered on Peig, but even by then I’d signed the register of the Christy fan club.
I tuned into Joshua. Himself and Laura Quirke do a nice duet. I see he’s appeared on Other Voices too.
mine was 1963 ..6 passes..then 3 years in The National Bank before fleeing to the green and pleasant land of the English Folk Scene
Christy do you do meet and greet at any of your gigs?
That day is done Seana…these days its straight into the Oxygen tent..I leave it all on the stage…
Hello Christy,
Sorry, it was just a bit of silliness, the last thing I’d want to do is upset anyone.
Something I really like doing is taking a song that I admire and trying to rewrite it from the point of view of one of the other characters. I had a go at Tipping it up to Nancy and ended up with Martin’s Last Straw. For me it’s a way to try and understand the original song better, so a kind of respect I guess.
Something that doesn’t fit with this is how often inappropriate animals turn up up in my songs. A camel turned up in Martin’s Last Straw… Makes me think of the albatross in your song about Saint Brendan or was that in the original story?
Rebecca
it was God the Mother that landed Bórd na Móna man on the Moon…as for that Albatross…..an entire ocean around, yet he’d shite down on Brendan’s head…poor Zozimus had to get in with the hairy baboon up in the Zoological Gardens…
we love silliness here
Christy – thanks very much for a great gig in Mullingar – you were as electric as ever – Lucy was in her element when she got the mention & Sail on Jimmy!!
enjoy the break – thanks again – Noel, Sinead, Lucy
I meant to sing “Sail On Jimmy” earlier…then I glimpsed Lucy and remembered…it was thrilling to get Her note…I rang Wally Page last night (he wrote Duffy’s Cut) and told him about Lucy’s request ..like myself,Wally was charmed…I’m going to copy Lucy’s note and share it with Wally….
Hopefully,next time I’ll sing “Duffy’s Cut”….its a great song but I need to refresh my memory before singing it again
Hello, Ed.
I had a semantic misunderstanding of Seeger’s description a few months ago, here. Christy replied with a beautiful description of the process, which of course is more like churning butter than rustling sheep.
I had a thought about the football final, but it must not have been important.
“Churning Butter, Rustling Sheep”,….you got me going there Brendan….keep coming back
Hi Christy
Glad you like Joshua
He was recommended to me on a trip to Derry’s Cool Discs.
Finally saw him live in a tiny venue in glasgow about 9 months ago, fab with either fiddle and guitar.
If i was to suggest 3 songs of his they currently would be..
I saw the night
Taking the wheel
and maybe
Blood Drive.
However he has such a range of talents that i am always changing my choices depending on mood.
Rory
I’ll be having a listen
Plagarising: a funny business, not recommended. A certain L Zeppelin group are still in and out of courts on cases of plagarising and not crediting music tracks.
Who mentioned ‘Peig’? Christ, now there was a book, it probably put multitudes off the Irish language forever. Me? No. I just daydreamed for the entire time it was read in class. So I remained unaffected by Peig. I got an ok result in the Irish Leaving Cert, what I answered on Peig I dont know.
which paper? Pass or Honours? What Year?
Great idea John.
Here’s a quick one from me
As I went down by Huntleigh town
One evening for to see
I lost my cool on the footpath
When I was stung by a great big bee
see below….I’m hoping it dont catch on (here)
Hi Christy, we all know your a great man for improvising and updating lyrics so I thought I would give it a go with one of the classics.
She stepped away from me.
And she moved through the fair.
Where she won a goldfish
And a big teddy bear.
Might not go down very well with the traditionalists, but what do you think, is it a flyer? 😉
I’ll take the fifth amendment on this John ….I wish you and Rebecca long and happy hours …
Pete Seeger famously quoted as saying… “first thing a folk singer gotta do is learn to plagiarise…I’ve always taken Pete at his word on this matter but its a very personal occupation , as we well know, there is no accounting for taste…some listeners will howl with laughter whilst others will scream blue murder with rage..
Hi Christy
Joshua Burnside, the latest musical marvel of Belfast, has a lovely new song ( i think about whiskey making) out on Bandcamp called ‘the seekers’ .
Its like a poem put to music .
Well worth the listener’s buck, pound, euro or punt.
It reminds me a little of many before and yet of none before.
Rory
really like this Rory….never heard of Joshua before..I’ll be listening out for him…..i
Hello Christy,
I’ll see your pie and raise you a cheese and onion pasty.
It could be a feast.
I wandered across this yesterday
https://claddaghrecords.com/products/pre-order-4-8-book-beauty-an-oile-in-music-song-of-the-blasket-islands
Rebecca
Hi christy, hope all is well ..
Just came back trough holyhead today on the ferry great to seem them busy again went over with my dad for a day trip and making our way to mullingar. On the train down we read that today marked the 38 anniversary of the dunnes stores strike by those workers who took a stand. There was a very good film made years ago called cry freedom. See you tomorrow night great to be on the road again even though its only been a week since my last gig
safe travels Adam..c u later
In the cool of the evening they used to gather beneath the stars, in the meadow, circled near an old oak tree.
A man full of songs.
Your office sounds wonderful Rory. Mine is surrounded by grass and trees.
Christy my office for the day overlooks mother glasgow’s spires and is on the banks of the clyde,a good place to be in this dear green place..and i can see parkhead.
Maybe one day, before we all burn in hell or a forest fire, you will get the chance to be here again. From my son’s flat in Dennistoun to the work i passed the Barras.
No doubt decades of happy memories mags mcivor jinky johnstone the mountain of music that was hamish imlach , the travelling stewarts and bogeys bonnie belle , a song you sing of Huntly town, a travellers song ,i would love to hear you sing of the belle again sometime.
Rory
“O the Lark she sang melodious,
the Mavis sang so shrill
but none of them could sing so sweet
as Bogie’s Bonnie Belle”
see you up the stair Rory
Hello Christy,
What a great weekend for sport, I’ll never forget it.
Peter O’mahoney sobbing uncontrollably into the other guy’s shoulder grabbed me by the heart. Heard someone say the other day that if he’d been born in the 11th century, he’d have been a high king.
Saw my first game of hurling too, and what a game it was. Speed of light for 70 minutes, I wonder how the poor referee kept up. Want to catch some live now.
https://youtu.be/N2v2uvjxC3w
Rebecca
Both games magnificent….Saturday morning transfixed by Rugby, Sunday afternoon enthralled by Hurling….
I understand why sport in general leaves many untouched, perplexed by all the brohaha that surrounds these tussles… I enjoy the scorn they heap upon us sad sporting fanatics as we roll around in ecstacy or despair …
Be it oval ball or sliothar ,I await the kick off (or throw in) with the excitement and expectation that only true sporting nerds can understand ..
be it Hull, Halifax or Hotspurs, I’ll be there munching upon my pie
Being a fan of Planxty’s music since the early 80s, followed by my appreciation of your solowork (for me it started with the album Ordinary Man), it was a very special event for me to see and hear you perform for the first time live on July 15th in Wexford. What a show it was! Such good music and a very entertaining show. Marvellous! This is what we came for to Ireland, from the Netherlands.
Thanks for this wonderful evening and thanks for making my wife Lizy very happy, by signing the portrait she painted of you. Many thanks Christy.
PdW…I hope that you & Lizy are still enjoying your time with us ….I had a good time in Wexford….great audience, beautiful venue , lively colourful town…
“will you come to New Ross, gallant Wexford & Gorey
where the green was last seen by the Saxon & Tory
where the soil is sanctified by the blood of each Fenian
where they died satisfied their enemies they did not run from”
Jessie Owens used to sing this song, “Come to the Bower” …
Jeezo Christy
The rugger !
What a team.
You n furlong in the front row belting out the bars of ride on with johnny sexton whistling revenge for skibbereen setting up the black stuff ( tea and porter) , henshaw dancing like flatley in the new zealand dressing rooms and ryan crying like a man and like a 7 foot baby in joy, discarded jock straps, blood still dripping, deep heat emanating and cheers abounding.
Come on you boys in green.
Well done indeed.
Rory
a truly exhilarating experiece, I sat mesmerised and exhausted on the couch for at least 20 minutes before getting up to put on the kettle….I’ve met most of the squad which adds to the emotion of such a tremendous victory…( one of our players is directly linked to a song)….Andy Farrell has done a fantastic job since taking over the reins from Joe Schmidt…..(I’ve yet to see the third Scot V Arg game so no spoilers please)
Here’s the srory
https://roaringwaterjournal.com/tag/uilleann-pipes/
Thankyou to Ed for his kind words of encouragement. I appreciate it so much
One life, got to get out there and do the thing.
Míle Maith Agat