Hi Christy,
Got to see Imelda May in The Town Hall on Saturday.
She was in rare form. Telling stories, singing songs – all good.
She saw the two days for sure.
Brought a young one from Renmore ar staise to sing a song.
One of her own if you don’t mind. Mol an oige …
Finished up with Sweet Sixteen.
But then sang Rainy Night in Soho.
For Shane. For Sinead. For Christy Dingham too.
A good un is our Imelda. Got me thinking of some of the fine
voices from The Island. Dolores, Moya, Mary Black, Sinead,
Mary Coughlan, Imelda, Lisa O Neill. Nanci was one of ours too.
Blessed we’ve been. Blessed we are …
Tabhair Aire
Bourkey
Flying over from Paisley early tomorrow for Vicar Street with my da. You sent him a lovely birthday message on here during lockdown (also the night Scotland qualified for the euros in 2021!) and I got a bit of ridicule off both you and him – I didn’t have the wherewithal to add his name, meaning you couldn’t include it in your well wishes as you shared a Barras story!
We both got to see you again in December 2024, what a night! Earlier that day, walking through the square at Trinity College, dad got some good news from his oncologist that his prostate cancer could be operated on – something we’d initially feared might not be able to happen due to some other medical complications… singing songs with you a perfect way to celebrate
All clear now, we’re back (albeit one of us no longer with a prostate, after successful surgery). We can’t wait to spend the evening with you again. If you could play A Pair Of Brown Eyes for Jim (I even remembered his name this time!), that’d be wonderful.
Thanks for replying Christy. Sorry, guess I mean an A4 or A3 poster or similar. I would greatly appreciate anything you could do. Thanks again. Robert.
Hello Christy,
Had such a great day yesterday. The Boyne was very high and active with eddies and swirling currents. I’d just been in Newgrange and absorbed patterns from the kerbstones and chamber. Spirals, spirals, expanding lines and shapes repeating. Felt like they were all there moving about in nature in that powerful river. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so high before, or so full of energy and patterns. The spiralling lines and eddies!
And the noise of it, the great river, the birds, crunching footsteps.
It was a good day.
Now I’m looking forward to your gig tomorrow. Let’s see what happens. We’ll be on table 45, so a long way back from the light I think. Spirits will be together.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
yes,the Boyne waters run deep and clear…from its very banks came my Mother, the late Nancy Power …our Yellow Furze Woman….tell Steve to be prepared for a blast of piping tomorrow night
Word is you came out of the traps like a grade 1 greyhound last week at HQ.. talk of pipes and International Women’s Day seisiún’s have full forwards on heat round’ the midlands..I’ll be above on the balcony to stay out of harms way come Thursday.. Thanks to Birgit for the nod on a new HSP song.. It’s always hard to know how original work will be received.. Huge buzz this week to have announced a HSP gig at Barrowlands this December.. last saw yourself Declan and Jimmy perform there on 12/04/14.. Come all you Dreamers..
Christy's reply
bang in the originals..give ’em your best shot….we all need to cover stuff…to get the machine oiled and ready to rock…I was 10 years on the road before I started slipping in some originals….keep us posted about your Barrowland gig and we’ll give it a good shove here
PS I love the new song. great singing, lovely sound, keep up the good work…Ride On you HIGH STOOL PROPHETS…Christy
Im bringing my dad to see you in Vicar St on Thursday night for his 70th birthday.
He reared me on your music, and I used to listen to your albums on my dads LPs when I was a kid. Since then you have played the song track to my life, and I love watching you gig.
Maybe you could give a shout out to my brilliant dad – Richard Swanston for his 70th birthday!
So excited to be flying across to Dublin to see you at Vicar Street on Thursday night.
Best birthday present I received.
First saw you live in 1989 whilst studying in London.
I’ve had a signed Christy poster from a Leeds gig up since 1993 – the signature sadly has faded.
Looking forward to the pleasure of seeing you live again. Here’s to the craic, Slainte x
Christy's reply
I worked in Leeds and Huddersfield
where I addled honest brass
in Bradford, Keightley, Rotherham
I kept me Bairns and Lass
I travelled all three Ridingd round
and once I’ve been to Sea
from Hull and Halifax and Hell
Good Lord deliver me
I’m bringing my old man, Ian White, to see you on Thursday as part of his 80th birthday celebrations. He first saw you in the late 1960s at a local folk club & saw you in Dungloe as part of Planxty a few years later. We have both seen you numerous times since then as a family tradition.
He took me to see you in Carlisle for my first ever gig in the 1990s after I fell in love with your music as a bairn shouting the song Lisdoonvarna in the back of the car.
I recently asked him to let me know his Desert Island Discs & one of his songs was Only Our Rivers Run Free by you. So if you could play that on Thursday at Vicar Street, it would be most appreciated but I completely understand if not. Either way, we are much looking forward to it!
He also has a mutual friend with you in Fr Tim O’Sullivan from Kerry but based in Derby who is still busy with the flock.
Hi Christy, the reviews from your return to the HQ sound so great again! Reading of your new song raises the excitement even more to listen to it live. Really interesting to learn about the Cable St protests. Never heard of them before.
Talking of new songs: I quite like Kevin’s/HSP’s new song Hand in Hand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyXgAh2gAB0
Less than a week now until my next short trip to Dublin. Your gig on March 2nd is 30 years after me first listening to you in the Tonhalle in Dusseldorf. And I’m so grateful to you as your music has always been a part of my life since then. Funnily enough I never would have imagined at that time that I might sing some of your songs myself on stage 27 years later when my Dublin friends “made” me sing in a pub in Bray for the first time 🫣.
I’m very much looking forward to meeting a few 4711ers in person again, too. It’s always a pleasure to read this beautiful guestbook, but much better to meet the people in real life to enjoy the music and the chat.
Keep on keeping on👍
Birgit
Christy's reply
I rem that old Town Hall in Dusseldorf…. we rattled the spider’s webs that night…I always enjoyed my visits to Germany….eintopf, appelkorn und toten hosen
Hi Christy how are ya? Hope all is well. Wondering if you can help please. My son turns 21 soon. He’s been listening to your music in my car since he was in primary school. He’s now a fully fledged fan. I would dearly love to get him a print of Boy in the wild or Beeswing, signed with best wishes from yourself, so I can frame it and he can put it up on a wall when he eventually gets his own place. Cheeky request i know. Sorry. If it can’t be done fair enough. Many thanks. Robert Morrow.
‘Morning all, due to some unforeseen circumstances I now have a spare ticket for Vicar Street for Monday 2nd March, Table 22 Seat 3 if anyone is interested. If not I’ll put it back onto Ticketmaster. Séamus seamusharney1@gmail.com
Learning “Only a Pawn in Their Game” by Bob Dylan, and it’s mad how relevant some of the lyrics are to here in England at the moment with;
“A South politician preaches to the poor white man
You got more than the blacks, don’t complain
You’re better than them, you been born with white
skin, they explain”
I was thinking of reworking a few of the lyrics for when I sing it to suit the modern scapegoating of brown immigrants but Farage and his pack of cunts, but don’t want to besmirch Dylan’s fantastic tune. What do you think?
Christy's reply
what you gotta do is take those words and weave them into a fresh pattern …Bob himself has weaved many fresh verses from old inspirations…Pete Seeger once advised that plagiarism is an acceptable practice when writing folk songs..Fair play to Bob, he took that one on board….I say beg ,steal and borrow but always remember to acknowledge (unfortunately many current singers have forgotten this courtesy. )…Farage needs to be mocked, ridiculed and exposed for the lying cheating,cynical fuck he is, who crawls like a snake thru noxious weeds that strangle…
Hello Christy,
We watched it on rte2 yesterday so we got the Irish commentary. It was so much better than the moaning knowitalls that the bbc roll out year afrer year. Going to try to get the Irish channel when we’re back in Yorkshire.
I was embarrassed at England’s line out when none of them jumped for the ball….?!?!? Ireland played really well. I thought the score of 42 to 21 flattered the losers.
France and Italy today. Italy have been playing really well, so it could be a good match.
I use the paler plectrum on the baritone, when I’m not finger picking im picking most of the time these days The strings are very heavy and I am not very strong. So that plectrum works ok for me. Should have known it wouldn’t work for you. That fine pendulum movement of your right arm is so strong.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
The wheels came off the chariot yesterday….
Rugby Commentary no longer fits purpose
I watch with the sound on mute
I remember a time when one person commentated on what was happening on the field
now we have at least 3 prattling about whatever they have on their devices
aad they try to outdo do each other with insignicent facts
they miss substitutions, dont notice important facts blatantly obvious to anyone watching the games
then they go to the sidelines for inane pointless comments
anyone else miss Bill McLaren, Fred Cogley
I’ve just bought ‘Flying Into Mystery’ on vinyl. Fantastic album, But (!) why on Gods green earth are the comments and lyrics not enclosed with the album? So when I sit in my analog paradise I’ll have to be connected to the ‘sky’ and fumble around on my mobile to ‘Ride On’… Regards.
Christy's reply
Dear Otto…sorry to hear you are unhappy about the lack of proper sleevenotes..
I agree with you….
However,they are all available here on the home page of this site…
if you are reading this, the sleeve notes and lyrics are but one click away on the home page
Thank you for your positive comments on the album
it seems such a long time ago
yet its only 5 years
Greetings to all Danish Songsters and to my Family in-laws in Copenhagen
Well Christy, a good day of rugby.
Scotland pulled it out of the fire thanks to Hawick lad Darcy, though Wales were better than us for the first hour….oh for the days of the Pontypool front row.
Then a royal roasting at twickers. So fed up had i been with the usual superior attitude of the english media i could not help myself posting this at the final whistle on the bbc rugby website…
Oh goodness gracious me , dear bbc&itv.
You shoved young henry down our throats, with your overbearing world beater quotes.
You told us he’d beat ireland on his own, he even told us he deserved his own throne.
How sick you must be at our tremendous glee, to find pollock’s boys record home thumping tee hee hee hee.
Now i know i am no Owen, Yeats or Thomas but it was heart felt.
I recall you sang for the Irish Squad previously, i am sure it remained ringing in their ears for today….as The Fields of Athenry rang out at the self-styled ‘HQ’.
Rory
Christy's reply
uplifting, rewarding, scintillating,
the auld chariot was swingin low last night
Hello Christy, thinking of the upcoming benefit gig and the song “Women of Ireland” by Pangur Bán from Derry came to mind. Gerry Breslin and the others were always well tuned in.
Hello Christy,
Saturday greetings from banks of the Boyne. All settled here. Grass, trees, birds and river. Lovely! I know what you mean about pipers. I listen to Liam Óg most days. He makes everything ok. Steve is working hard on drones and regulators these days. He wants me to play guitar on Lark in the Morning. Chords are D, G and A, so I might be ok.
Not surprised that you’ve noticed those little red plecrums disappearing. I’ve got one in my purse here!
I’ll see you later on the magic sofa.
Hope i haven’t made too many typos. I usually have a read back through but it’s not letting me scroll up to the top.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
all gud…3 handled mug pressed into action….dem plecs u yuse ‘r too harde fur me ..so dey will be set aside fur hard songs…donte wurry bout type Os
Hi Christy,
Got to see Imelda May in The Town Hall on Saturday.
She was in rare form. Telling stories, singing songs – all good.
She saw the two days for sure.
Brought a young one from Renmore ar staise to sing a song.
One of her own if you don’t mind. Mol an oige …
Finished up with Sweet Sixteen.
But then sang Rainy Night in Soho.
For Shane. For Sinead. For Christy Dingham too.
A good un is our Imelda. Got me thinking of some of the fine
voices from The Island. Dolores, Moya, Mary Black, Sinead,
Mary Coughlan, Imelda, Lisa O Neill. Nanci was one of ours too.
Blessed we’ve been. Blessed we are …
Tabhair Aire
Bourkey
Hi Christy,
Flying over from Paisley early tomorrow for Vicar Street with my da. You sent him a lovely birthday message on here during lockdown (also the night Scotland qualified for the euros in 2021!) and I got a bit of ridicule off both you and him – I didn’t have the wherewithal to add his name, meaning you couldn’t include it in your well wishes as you shared a Barras story!
We both got to see you again in December 2024, what a night! Earlier that day, walking through the square at Trinity College, dad got some good news from his oncologist that his prostate cancer could be operated on – something we’d initially feared might not be able to happen due to some other medical complications… singing songs with you a perfect way to celebrate
All clear now, we’re back (albeit one of us no longer with a prostate, after successful surgery). We can’t wait to spend the evening with you again. If you could play A Pair Of Brown Eyes for Jim (I even remembered his name this time!), that’d be wonderful.
Cheers!
Neil
Thanks for replying Christy. Sorry, guess I mean an A4 or A3 poster or similar. I would greatly appreciate anything you could do. Thanks again. Robert.
Hello Christy,
Any chance for Hattie Carroll on Thursday? No worries either way. You sounded so good on Feb 18th. Kind Regards, Patrick
a better chance now that you have asked…Hattie is gone into the Tombola
Hello Christy,
Had such a great day yesterday. The Boyne was very high and active with eddies and swirling currents. I’d just been in Newgrange and absorbed patterns from the kerbstones and chamber. Spirals, spirals, expanding lines and shapes repeating. Felt like they were all there moving about in nature in that powerful river. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so high before, or so full of energy and patterns. The spiralling lines and eddies!
And the noise of it, the great river, the birds, crunching footsteps.
It was a good day.
Now I’m looking forward to your gig tomorrow. Let’s see what happens. We’ll be on table 45, so a long way back from the light I think. Spirits will be together.
Rebecca
yes,the Boyne waters run deep and clear…from its very banks came my Mother, the late Nancy Power …our Yellow Furze Woman….tell Steve to be prepared for a blast of piping tomorrow night
Word is you came out of the traps like a grade 1 greyhound last week at HQ.. talk of pipes and International Women’s Day seisiún’s have full forwards on heat round’ the midlands..I’ll be above on the balcony to stay out of harms way come Thursday.. Thanks to Birgit for the nod on a new HSP song.. It’s always hard to know how original work will be received.. Huge buzz this week to have announced a HSP gig at Barrowlands this December.. last saw yourself Declan and Jimmy perform there on 12/04/14.. Come all you Dreamers..
bang in the originals..give ’em your best shot….we all need to cover stuff…to get the machine oiled and ready to rock…I was 10 years on the road before I started slipping in some originals….keep us posted about your Barrowland gig and we’ll give it a good shove here
PS I love the new song. great singing, lovely sound, keep up the good work…Ride On you HIGH STOOL PROPHETS…Christy
Hi Christy
Im bringing my dad to see you in Vicar St on Thursday night for his 70th birthday.
He reared me on your music, and I used to listen to your albums on my dads LPs when I was a kid. Since then you have played the song track to my life, and I love watching you gig.
Maybe you could give a shout out to my brilliant dad – Richard Swanston for his 70th birthday!
Love and gratitude
Cara
Up Down
So excited to be flying across to Dublin to see you at Vicar Street on Thursday night.
Best birthday present I received.
First saw you live in 1989 whilst studying in London.
I’ve had a signed Christy poster from a Leeds gig up since 1993 – the signature sadly has faded.
Looking forward to the pleasure of seeing you live again. Here’s to the craic, Slainte x
I worked in Leeds and Huddersfield
where I addled honest brass
in Bradford, Keightley, Rotherham
I kept me Bairns and Lass
I travelled all three Ridingd round
and once I’ve been to Sea
from Hull and Halifax and Hell
Good Lord deliver me
Thank you Christy, I couldn’t agree more about the prick. Eternally grateful for the guidance,
theres a ley line runs down Matthew st
Afternoon Christy,
I’m bringing my old man, Ian White, to see you on Thursday as part of his 80th birthday celebrations. He first saw you in the late 1960s at a local folk club & saw you in Dungloe as part of Planxty a few years later. We have both seen you numerous times since then as a family tradition.
He took me to see you in Carlisle for my first ever gig in the 1990s after I fell in love with your music as a bairn shouting the song Lisdoonvarna in the back of the car.
I recently asked him to let me know his Desert Island Discs & one of his songs was Only Our Rivers Run Free by you. So if you could play that on Thursday at Vicar Street, it would be most appreciated but I completely understand if not. Either way, we are much looking forward to it!
He also has a mutual friend with you in Fr Tim O’Sullivan from Kerry but based in Derby who is still busy with the flock.
Dan
sound Dan…your request has gone into the drum
“when apples still grow in November”
Hi Christy, the reviews from your return to the HQ sound so great again! Reading of your new song raises the excitement even more to listen to it live. Really interesting to learn about the Cable St protests. Never heard of them before.
Talking of new songs: I quite like Kevin’s/HSP’s new song Hand in Hand:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyXgAh2gAB0
Less than a week now until my next short trip to Dublin. Your gig on March 2nd is 30 years after me first listening to you in the Tonhalle in Dusseldorf. And I’m so grateful to you as your music has always been a part of my life since then. Funnily enough I never would have imagined at that time that I might sing some of your songs myself on stage 27 years later when my Dublin friends “made” me sing in a pub in Bray for the first time 🫣.
I’m very much looking forward to meeting a few 4711ers in person again, too. It’s always a pleasure to read this beautiful guestbook, but much better to meet the people in real life to enjoy the music and the chat.
Keep on keeping on👍
Birgit
I rem that old Town Hall in Dusseldorf…. we rattled the spider’s webs that night…I always enjoyed my visits to Germany….eintopf, appelkorn und toten hosen
Hi Christy how are ya? Hope all is well. Wondering if you can help please. My son turns 21 soon. He’s been listening to your music in my car since he was in primary school. He’s now a fully fledged fan. I would dearly love to get him a print of Boy in the wild or Beeswing, signed with best wishes from yourself, so I can frame it and he can put it up on a wall when he eventually gets his own place. Cheeky request i know. Sorry. If it can’t be done fair enough. Many thanks. Robert Morrow.
not sure what you mean by a “Print”
‘Morning all, due to some unforeseen circumstances I now have a spare ticket for Vicar Street for Monday 2nd March, Table 22 Seat 3 if anyone is interested. If not I’ll put it back onto Ticketmaster. Séamus
seamusharney1@gmail.com
hope you got sorted
Hi Christy, Hope all is well.
Learning “Only a Pawn in Their Game” by Bob Dylan, and it’s mad how relevant some of the lyrics are to here in England at the moment with;
“A South politician preaches to the poor white man
You got more than the blacks, don’t complain
You’re better than them, you been born with white
skin, they explain”
I was thinking of reworking a few of the lyrics for when I sing it to suit the modern scapegoating of brown immigrants but Farage and his pack of cunts, but don’t want to besmirch Dylan’s fantastic tune. What do you think?
what you gotta do is take those words and weave them into a fresh pattern …Bob himself has weaved many fresh verses from old inspirations…Pete Seeger once advised that plagiarism is an acceptable practice when writing folk songs..Fair play to Bob, he took that one on board….I say beg ,steal and borrow but always remember to acknowledge (unfortunately many current singers have forgotten this courtesy. )…Farage needs to be mocked, ridiculed and exposed for the lying cheating,cynical fuck he is, who crawls like a snake thru noxious weeds that strangle…
Hello Christy,
We watched it on rte2 yesterday so we got the Irish commentary. It was so much better than the moaning knowitalls that the bbc roll out year afrer year. Going to try to get the Irish channel when we’re back in Yorkshire.
I was embarrassed at England’s line out when none of them jumped for the ball….?!?!? Ireland played really well. I thought the score of 42 to 21 flattered the losers.
France and Italy today. Italy have been playing really well, so it could be a good match.
I use the paler plectrum on the baritone, when I’m not finger picking im picking most of the time these days The strings are very heavy and I am not very strong. So that plectrum works ok for me. Should have known it wouldn’t work for you. That fine pendulum movement of your right arm is so strong.
Rebecca
The wheels came off the chariot yesterday….
Rugby Commentary no longer fits purpose
I watch with the sound on mute
I remember a time when one person commentated on what was happening on the field
now we have at least 3 prattling about whatever they have on their devices
aad they try to outdo do each other with insignicent facts
they miss substitutions, dont notice important facts blatantly obvious to anyone watching the games
then they go to the sidelines for inane pointless comments
anyone else miss Bill McLaren, Fred Cogley
I press mute and play guitar
Dear Christy.
I’ve just bought ‘Flying Into Mystery’ on vinyl. Fantastic album, But (!) why on Gods green earth are the comments and lyrics not enclosed with the album? So when I sit in my analog paradise I’ll have to be connected to the ‘sky’ and fumble around on my mobile to ‘Ride On’… Regards.
Dear Otto…sorry to hear you are unhappy about the lack of proper sleevenotes..
I agree with you….
However,they are all available here on the home page of this site…
if you are reading this, the sleeve notes and lyrics are but one click away on the home page
Thank you for your positive comments on the album
it seems such a long time ago
yet its only 5 years
Greetings to all Danish Songsters and to my Family in-laws in Copenhagen
Well Christy, a good day of rugby.
Scotland pulled it out of the fire thanks to Hawick lad Darcy, though Wales were better than us for the first hour….oh for the days of the Pontypool front row.
Then a royal roasting at twickers. So fed up had i been with the usual superior attitude of the english media i could not help myself posting this at the final whistle on the bbc rugby website…
Oh goodness gracious me , dear bbc&itv.
You shoved young henry down our throats, with your overbearing world beater quotes.
You told us he’d beat ireland on his own, he even told us he deserved his own throne.
How sick you must be at our tremendous glee, to find pollock’s boys record home thumping tee hee hee hee.
Now i know i am no Owen, Yeats or Thomas but it was heart felt.
I recall you sang for the Irish Squad previously, i am sure it remained ringing in their ears for today….as The Fields of Athenry rang out at the self-styled ‘HQ’.
Rory
uplifting, rewarding, scintillating,
the auld chariot was swingin low last night
Hello Christy, thinking of the upcoming benefit gig and the song “Women of Ireland” by Pangur Bán from Derry came to mind. Gerry Breslin and the others were always well tuned in.
fair enough…thank you
Hello Christy,
Saturday greetings from banks of the Boyne. All settled here. Grass, trees, birds and river. Lovely! I know what you mean about pipers. I listen to Liam Óg most days. He makes everything ok. Steve is working hard on drones and regulators these days. He wants me to play guitar on Lark in the Morning. Chords are D, G and A, so I might be ok.
Not surprised that you’ve noticed those little red plecrums disappearing. I’ve got one in my purse here!
I’ll see you later on the magic sofa.
Hope i haven’t made too many typos. I usually have a read back through but it’s not letting me scroll up to the top.
Rebecca
all gud…3 handled mug pressed into action….dem plecs u yuse ‘r too harde fur me ..so dey will be set aside fur hard songs…donte wurry bout type Os
hope you are vampin on The Lark