Fair play Bourkey, we missed the penalty, you got the goal ( and stick for celebrating!), enjoy auckland’s suburb of stuttgart.
Off tonight to see ye vagabonds and joshua burnside after a visit to bannockburn battlefield….the world is ireland and scotland.
Rory
Hi Christy
Great result for the girls in green last night and that it was Amber Barrett who got the ball and stuck it in the net.
Joxer and the lads will hardly make it down under.
Maybe their kids. Maybe their grandkids.
Enjoy the gig tomorrow night.
Bourkey
I’ve been looking at Dylan’s words to The times they are a-changin this morning
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’
This is our constant, isn’t it. But not with the heart.
It is a gift and a burden.
Donegal in my heart 💚
As I walked over the Glenshane Pass I heard a young woman mourn
The boy from Tamlaghduff she cried is 41 years gone
How my heart is torn apart this young man to lose
We’ll never see the likes again of our young Francis Hughes
When I was young I danced and sung and drank good whiskey, too.
Each síbín shop that sold a drop of the real old mountain dew.
With the poitín still on every hill the peelers had no call
Round sweet Stradone I am well known, round Lavey and Grouse Hall.
I’m hoping we’ll get to Armagh on 27th October.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
rumour has it that Bob is gonna cover “The Boy from Tamlaghtduff”
Hi, Christy, I loved the gig in Belfast, rounded out with an encore in Amsterdam….brilliant. Looking forward to the next time, wherever and whenever that may be. I got to see a gig in Whelan’s,(my nephew and his young band) before I left. Lovely to see young talent in those old walls. Be well Christy and thanks.
Brian.
Christy's reply
Morra Brian, sorry I missed you… had hoped to have a chat and cuppa but the night ran away with me….hope all is well in Fairytale City…
we’re gonna hear The Burma in Whelan’s this week
Think the video I shared was one Adam took at the Ukraine gig, not the Waterfront, but the effect was the same. An extremely powerful piece and an example of an elder looking down the line to after the war. Sad times in the Hills indeed and as marty says, fitting that a Donegal girl got the goal tonight – Amber Barrett got the ball, and stuck it in the net.
Very fitting that Amber Barrett from Milford should score the goal that takes Ireland Ladies up to Australia and New Zealand for the soccer World Cup finals. Her tribute to the people of Creeslough brought a lump to the throat and tears to the eyes of many people here in the Hills and far beyond. A small , small chink of light in a very dark time.
Christy's reply
I’ve booked my Passage to Oz Taz and NZ..Joxer has applied for paternal leave (from Shelton Abbey)… Up The R(oyal) A(academicals)..we tried to book the van on to the ship but twas deemed unfit to travel so we’re bringing the Raleigh-Tandem instead ( she has a sturmey archer 3 speed, lights front and back and large panniers for the Tayto,Kimberleys and Barry’s Tea…Peter Barry might have been a Right Wing Fine Gaeler but by jasus he knew how to fill a tea bag….. Don O’Leary could tell you all about it )
Christy a warm welcome awaits you on Thursday night in Armagh “the city of saints and scholars”. (Although to be fair we are fairly short of both at the minute) Johnny Boy from your latest album is such a simple but heartbreakingly beautiful song. It would be amazing to hear it performed live, hopefully it will make the set list for Thursday night. Anyway whether it does or not have a safe journey up the road to Armagh. Best wishes as always.
Conor and Liz Maguire
Christy's reply
Gary Moore’s ” Johnny Boy” is becoming a regular in the set… a very short song I’ve placed it beside another…Looking forward to returning to The Orchard City
Thank You Hilary..I look forward to seeing this film again.. a powerful piece of work from pat Collins featuring COLM & RÓISIN………Their Fathers light still shines upon them..they will carry his love throughout their lives..
I met Joe Heaney a few times in the 60s.. a powerful and beautiful singer..he sometimes seemed a lonesome soul …
Hi C. Great to hear you mention Song of Granite here. I was lucky to be at the premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh a few years ago, staring both Roisin agus Colm. I was astounded to see Colm in one of the opening scenes walk across this huge expanse of a valley, what it must have taken to do that it beyond me !! The film is actually available on the TG4 player for those living on the Island or those that can out fox their PCs !! ttps://www.tg4.ie/en/player/online-boxsets/play/?pid=5761108024001&title=Joe%20Éinniú%3A%20Song%20of%20Granite&series=Joe%20Éinniú%3A%20Song%20of%20Granite&genre=Drama&fbclid=IwAR0EWovPm-oOdD8e2mDHmqfQgxFeT6iaiv7876n7FyScTohn-RVPyTfng2k
Roll on the Orchard County, I wonder is it too late for apples?? Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Resubmitted: Poems included
Hi Christy,
A former student of mine, Gerry Daly, who attended adult basic education at Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB) a number of years back, has recently published a book of poetry. Published by Tribes Press, Galway. I will be launching the book for him on 4th Nov 2022 in Charlie Byrne’s bookshop in Galway.
There are 36 poems in total in the publication. I have included two of his poems: Broken Men and The Classroom. There are many more which I think are memorable. They are honest and straight forward.
Broken Men, I think has a lot of merit. When I read this poem, I felt that it could be material for one of your songs.
Gerry’s objective in publishing the book is to encourage other people with literacy difficulties to overcome their problems.
Regards,
Tony Sweeney, Renmore, Galway.
Broken Men
Broken men, we’ve labelled winos,
Sleep under bushes
Like animals in the wild.
Some sleep easy, some never rise.
Their days are spent roaming the streets of our towns.
They have to keep moving,
No seats to sit down.
In a corner of Eyre Square, they congregate each day
With hidden pride,
And sorrowful eyes.
Our broken brothers are forced to hide.
I hear the cry of Mothers
Whose children are thrown to the wind.
“My son, my son, what have you become?”
No more will you beg,
Better be dead.
Some died in burned-out cars,
Some were found in sheds,
One young man died from exposure and was found under a hedge.
Now we who shake hands on the Sabbath,
And seek forgiveness of sin,
Think of our brothers
That have died in the gutters.
And pray to God it won’t happen again.
Those broken Christians we’ve labelled winos,
I bow my head in shame.
The Classroom
I stare at the clock all morning,
Not interested in learning.
With each tick, I urge the hands forward.
Only occasional outbursts of,
“Are you paying attention at the back?”
Force my frightened eyes to smile,
The false smile.
His black suit and six-foot stance
Demands respect.
A cane rests on the desk ready at
Will to inflict pain.
I stare at the clock.
Like grinding teeth, chalk is slowly
Moving across the blackboard.
An uneasy silence fills the classroom.
These four grey walls echo the fears
Of many before me.
I feel their pain,
An address, a scar for life
I stare at the clock.
Time and tide have left me in their stride
And now seeking peace in forced sleep.
My dreams are of days of yore.
The classroom, the blackboard, the clock.
Christy's reply
Thank you Tony for sharing Gerry’s work…I’ll be reading it again ..and again..as to whether I could ever sing it…time alone will tale ( if permissions were granted)
Almost a week on from the Waterfront and still enjoying the memories of 2 special nights. Thank God for the gigs to set the world back on its orbit – you have a special talent that goes way beyond the songs. I see that Mike Harding has stopped his podcasts now due to issues with increasing IT costs and technical issues. His work will be missed. He has a letter off to the Irish Times today as the quotes he’s been given to rent a small cart in Ireland are extortionate because he’s 77 and not 37 – he has a gift of words too. Sharing Adam’s video of your wonderful reading of Sunflowers again as it deserves to be head. It brings Seamus Heaney’s Requiem for the Croppies to mind too. Great that beauty can grow out of death and decay but would be much better to have the beauty on its own. hopefully we’ll see you back on the walls before too long. Stay safe. https://youtu.be/FkSWMteG980
Christy's reply
Thanks for sharing the Waterfront version of Mike Harding’s “Sunflowers” I think I’ll keep it in the set.
I had 2 great nights with all those Belfast listeners plus those who travelled over The Glenshane Pass, from the USA, Germany, Holland, Scotland and England..
Fair play too to Adam Sherwood for filming it and sharing…This Wicklow Boy really has his freedom..
I tried to attach two clips of my grandfather singing this song (1985/86). Maybe because these were YouTube links it stated “Comments awaiting moderation”.
However the first was at a local heritage group gathering in the Joe D AOH Hall, Ardboe which Rebeccah kindly posted. The second clip was from the Opening scene of David Hammond’s BBC documentary on the Lough Neagh fishermen also entitled “The Tern & The Swallow”. If you search Ardboe Heritage: The Tern & The Swallow on YouTube you will get the first few minutes.
The local bar which my grandfather would have frequented back in the day and was renowned for some great singsongs was The Old Cross Bar, owned and run by Tommy Devlin father of Barry (Horslips). Situated opposite the home in which they grew up.
Maybe a song to add to your fantastic collection Christy.
Christy's reply
Thanks Paul..I love the Ardboe Hall session…all the listeners with their backs to the song !! I’d love to have heard all the contibutors that night..Ardboe seems to be steeped n Tradition
Ooh-Ahh
Up Veer-Ahh
Pronunciation and all that
Good Man Rory
Enjoy The Vagabonds
“Follow me up to Carlow”
Fair play Bourkey, we missed the penalty, you got the goal ( and stick for celebrating!), enjoy auckland’s suburb of stuttgart.
Off tonight to see ye vagabonds and joshua burnside after a visit to bannockburn battlefield….the world is ireland and scotland.
Rory
Hope you had good Night…
Hi Christy
Great result for the girls in green last night and that it was Amber Barrett who got the ball and stuck it in the net.
Joxer and the lads will hardly make it down under.
Maybe their kids. Maybe their grandkids.
Enjoy the gig tomorrow night.
Bourkey
Up The R(oyal) A(cadamy)
Change is our constant, but not with this ever constant heart. It is our gift and burden.
fair enough
Hello Christy
I’ve been looking at Dylan’s words to The times they are a-changin this morning
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’
This is our constant, isn’t it. But not with the heart.
It is a gift and a burden.
Donegal in my heart 💚
As I walked over the Glenshane Pass I heard a young woman mourn
The boy from Tamlaghduff she cried is 41 years gone
How my heart is torn apart this young man to lose
We’ll never see the likes again of our young Francis Hughes
When I was young I danced and sung and drank good whiskey, too.
Each síbín shop that sold a drop of the real old mountain dew.
With the poitín still on every hill the peelers had no call
Round sweet Stradone I am well known, round Lavey and Grouse Hall.
I’m hoping we’ll get to Armagh on 27th October.
Rebecca
rumour has it that Bob is gonna cover “The Boy from Tamlaghtduff”
Hi, Christy, I loved the gig in Belfast, rounded out with an encore in Amsterdam….brilliant. Looking forward to the next time, wherever and whenever that may be. I got to see a gig in Whelan’s,(my nephew and his young band) before I left. Lovely to see young talent in those old walls. Be well Christy and thanks.
Brian.
Morra Brian, sorry I missed you… had hoped to have a chat and cuppa but the night ran away with me….hope all is well in Fairytale City…
we’re gonna hear The Burma in Whelan’s this week
Think the video I shared was one Adam took at the Ukraine gig, not the Waterfront, but the effect was the same. An extremely powerful piece and an example of an elder looking down the line to after the war. Sad times in the Hills indeed and as marty says, fitting that a Donegal girl got the goal tonight – Amber Barrett got the ball, and stuck it in the net.
Up Down
Very fitting that Amber Barrett from Milford should score the goal that takes Ireland Ladies up to Australia and New Zealand for the soccer World Cup finals. Her tribute to the people of Creeslough brought a lump to the throat and tears to the eyes of many people here in the Hills and far beyond. A small , small chink of light in a very dark time.
I’ve booked my Passage to Oz Taz and NZ..Joxer has applied for paternal leave (from Shelton Abbey)… Up The R(oyal) A(academicals)..we tried to book the van on to the ship but twas deemed unfit to travel so we’re bringing the Raleigh-Tandem instead ( she has a sturmey archer 3 speed, lights front and back and large panniers for the Tayto,Kimberleys and Barry’s Tea…Peter Barry might have been a Right Wing Fine Gaeler but by jasus he knew how to fill a tea bag….. Don O’Leary could tell you all about it )
Hi Christy, not long ago I showed you a song called “Holy Hole” about the Tuam Homes.
I’ve since released an Album about the place I grew up in, Ballsgrove in Drogheda.
It’s called Welcome to Ballsgrove and a single from the Album, Our Jack, held its own on the RTE 1 playlist for all of August.
If you wanted something new to chew on here it is… All the best, Seán
https://sean-mathews.disco.ac/playlist-new/11651222?date=20220923&user_id=1220061&signature=LrC32WMiTlV6gm0Clp6o3sYcuLU%3AtHAREPih
Thanks for sharing Sean….hope it continues to go well for you..really like your voice and singing…great to hear the clarity of your lyrics…Shine On
Christy a warm welcome awaits you on Thursday night in Armagh “the city of saints and scholars”. (Although to be fair we are fairly short of both at the minute) Johnny Boy from your latest album is such a simple but heartbreakingly beautiful song. It would be amazing to hear it performed live, hopefully it will make the set list for Thursday night. Anyway whether it does or not have a safe journey up the road to Armagh. Best wishes as always.
Conor and Liz Maguire
Gary Moore’s ” Johnny Boy” is becoming a regular in the set… a very short song I’ve placed it beside another…Looking forward to returning to The Orchard City
Gabh mo leithscéal !! http://www.tg4.ie/en/player/online-boxsets/play/?pid=5761108024001&title=Joe%20%C3%89inni%C3%BA%3A%20Song%20of%20Granite&series=Joe%20%C3%89inni%C3%BA%3A%20Song%20of%20Granite&genre=Drama&fbclid=IwAR0EWovPm-oOdD8e2mDHmqfQgxFeT6iaiv7876n7FyScTohn-RVPyTfng2k
Thank You Hilary..I look forward to seeing this film again.. a powerful piece of work from pat Collins featuring COLM & RÓISIN………Their Fathers light still shines upon them..they will carry his love throughout their lives..
I met Joe Heaney a few times in the 60s.. a powerful and beautiful singer..he sometimes seemed a lonesome soul …
Hi C. Great to hear you mention Song of Granite here. I was lucky to be at the premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh a few years ago, staring both Roisin agus Colm. I was astounded to see Colm in one of the opening scenes walk across this huge expanse of a valley, what it must have taken to do that it beyond me !! The film is actually available on the TG4 player for those living on the Island or those that can out fox their PCs !! ttps://www.tg4.ie/en/player/online-boxsets/play/?pid=5761108024001&title=Joe%20Éinniú%3A%20Song%20of%20Granite&series=Joe%20Éinniú%3A%20Song%20of%20Granite&genre=Drama&fbclid=IwAR0EWovPm-oOdD8e2mDHmqfQgxFeT6iaiv7876n7FyScTohn-RVPyTfng2k
Roll on the Orchard County, I wonder is it too late for apples?? Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Resubmitted: Poems included
Hi Christy,
A former student of mine, Gerry Daly, who attended adult basic education at Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB) a number of years back, has recently published a book of poetry. Published by Tribes Press, Galway. I will be launching the book for him on 4th Nov 2022 in Charlie Byrne’s bookshop in Galway.
There are 36 poems in total in the publication. I have included two of his poems: Broken Men and The Classroom. There are many more which I think are memorable. They are honest and straight forward.
Broken Men, I think has a lot of merit. When I read this poem, I felt that it could be material for one of your songs.
Gerry’s objective in publishing the book is to encourage other people with literacy difficulties to overcome their problems.
Regards,
Tony Sweeney, Renmore, Galway.
Broken Men
Broken men, we’ve labelled winos,
Sleep under bushes
Like animals in the wild.
Some sleep easy, some never rise.
Their days are spent roaming the streets of our towns.
They have to keep moving,
No seats to sit down.
In a corner of Eyre Square, they congregate each day
With hidden pride,
And sorrowful eyes.
Our broken brothers are forced to hide.
I hear the cry of Mothers
Whose children are thrown to the wind.
“My son, my son, what have you become?”
No more will you beg,
Better be dead.
Some died in burned-out cars,
Some were found in sheds,
One young man died from exposure and was found under a hedge.
Now we who shake hands on the Sabbath,
And seek forgiveness of sin,
Think of our brothers
That have died in the gutters.
And pray to God it won’t happen again.
Those broken Christians we’ve labelled winos,
I bow my head in shame.
The Classroom
I stare at the clock all morning,
Not interested in learning.
With each tick, I urge the hands forward.
Only occasional outbursts of,
“Are you paying attention at the back?”
Force my frightened eyes to smile,
The false smile.
His black suit and six-foot stance
Demands respect.
A cane rests on the desk ready at
Will to inflict pain.
I stare at the clock.
Like grinding teeth, chalk is slowly
Moving across the blackboard.
An uneasy silence fills the classroom.
These four grey walls echo the fears
Of many before me.
I feel their pain,
An address, a scar for life
I stare at the clock.
Time and tide have left me in their stride
And now seeking peace in forced sleep.
My dreams are of days of yore.
The classroom, the blackboard, the clock.
Thank you Tony for sharing Gerry’s work…I’ll be reading it again ..and again..as to whether I could ever sing it…time alone will tale ( if permissions were granted)
Almost a week on from the Waterfront and still enjoying the memories of 2 special nights. Thank God for the gigs to set the world back on its orbit – you have a special talent that goes way beyond the songs. I see that Mike Harding has stopped his podcasts now due to issues with increasing IT costs and technical issues. His work will be missed. He has a letter off to the Irish Times today as the quotes he’s been given to rent a small cart in Ireland are extortionate because he’s 77 and not 37 – he has a gift of words too. Sharing Adam’s video of your wonderful reading of Sunflowers again as it deserves to be head. It brings Seamus Heaney’s Requiem for the Croppies to mind too. Great that beauty can grow out of death and decay but would be much better to have the beauty on its own. hopefully we’ll see you back on the walls before too long. Stay safe. https://youtu.be/FkSWMteG980
Thanks for sharing the Waterfront version of Mike Harding’s “Sunflowers” I think I’ll keep it in the set.
I had 2 great nights with all those Belfast listeners plus those who travelled over The Glenshane Pass, from the USA, Germany, Holland, Scotland and England..
Fair play too to Adam Sherwood for filming it and sharing…This Wicklow Boy really has his freedom..
Are all the members of Cream named after cats…?
Felix was a Mountain man
Rebeccah, Thats the one.
Many thanks.
Paul
I hope this is it Paul
https://youtu.be/8umI4dytLco
Rebecca
Re: The Tern & The Swallow
I tried to attach two clips of my grandfather singing this song (1985/86). Maybe because these were YouTube links it stated “Comments awaiting moderation”.
However the first was at a local heritage group gathering in the Joe D AOH Hall, Ardboe which Rebeccah kindly posted. The second clip was from the Opening scene of David Hammond’s BBC documentary on the Lough Neagh fishermen also entitled “The Tern & The Swallow”. If you search Ardboe Heritage: The Tern & The Swallow on YouTube you will get the first few minutes.
The local bar which my grandfather would have frequented back in the day and was renowned for some great singsongs was The Old Cross Bar, owned and run by Tommy Devlin father of Barry (Horslips). Situated opposite the home in which they grew up.
Maybe a song to add to your fantastic collection Christy.
Thanks Paul..I love the Ardboe Hall session…all the listeners with their backs to the song !! I’d love to have heard all the contibutors that night..Ardboe seems to be steeped n Tradition
Go raibh mile maith agat Christy … your kind words are like ‘five shots in the petrol tank’
5 shots !…..watch out for Highway Patrol