Christy Chat

Sinéad. Our Warrior Woman has been laid to rest. Fearless and Fragile, may She Rest in Peace. We send our condolences to all her Family and Loved Ones I had the privilege of singing with Sinéad on a number of occasions. Always from the heart, always creating magic in the moment. Together we sang Nigel

A Chat to start 2023.   Good Listeners all,   It’s a busy day here in the workroom. Thankfully the year has kicked off well with some gigs in Vicar Street Dublin. Two new songs introduced – “Lemon 7s” by Brian Brannigan and “Lyra McKee” by James Cramer. “The Big Marquee” is on the verge

I send best wishes to you all out there. Time to touch base and share what’s going on here in the work room… It’s the first time I’ve had an empty diary since 1966, everything this year has been cancelled.  Like everyone else, I’ve no idea when venues might re-open and when gigs might re-commence.

Dear Listeners, Sail on Jimmy is out today.  I just love singing Albert Niland’s song.  More than any other, it has become an instant hit with audiences everywhere. We recorded this version at The Marquee in Cork on June 30th, 2018. 4,000 people, who had never heard the song before, were singing beautifully by the

Liverpool Philharmonic. May 5th   1.North and South of The River. 2.Quinte Brigada 3.Black is The Colour 4.McIlhatton 5.Lingo Politico 6.Burning Times. 7.Does this Train stop on Merseyside 8.Morecambe Bay. 9.Missing You 10.Quiet Desperation. 11.Irish Pagan Ritual 12.Go Move Shift. 13.Gortatagort 14.No Time for Love. 15.Raggle Taggle Gypsy 16 Cliffs of Dooneen 17.Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Russian

Early 2017 It’s been a long time since the last chat. I tried to start a few times but ran out of steam, ground to a halt. Chats usually come together when I am on the road, away from home for a few days. In recent months all the work has been home based. I

Dear Listeners, The new double CD  “On The Road”  was released in November and features new live recordings of my most popular tracks. We have chosen 24 tracks from 17 different venues recorded over the past 3 years. We have also added new dates around Ireland and UK in the coming months. “On The Road” will be

Cashel July 1st 2016 I’m Playing tonight in Cashel, County Tipperary where I last gigged in 1976. I wrote some verses here over the years. The opening line of “Derby Day” was gleaned when I stayed in the Cashel Palace Hotel. I was billeted there when playing the Siamsa Cois Laoí Festival in Cork back in

Dear Listeners, Stop Press!!! On Thursday September 8th at Vicar Street, Dublin we will perform a Concert in aid of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre whose funding has been cut substantially in recent years. The work of the Rape Crisis Centre has been severely compromised by these cutbacks. We fully support the essential service they provide.

October 14th Yesterday I visited the Island of Inis Oírr. The day was perfect. The Atlantic was perfectly still and the Sun shone brightly as the ferry left Doolin pier. I last visited this Island in 1972 when Planxty played there. I remember that very clearly. This time the visit was part of the ongoing

Dear Listeners, It’s been a while. This chat has been 3 months in the writing and may be a bit chaotic but that’s the way it has been. Currently in Tralee about to leave for Glengarriff. Gigs are going well. I will meet Marian Finucane on her Radio Show at RTE 1 next Saturday Morning

2 Vicar St Dublin Gigs re-scheduled from Christmas cancellations 20th April –   2 hours 8 mins 21st April – 2 hours 13 mins After the Deluge After the Deluge Matty Go Move Shift Natives Matty Missing You Gortatagort Dunnes Stores Missing You Folk Tale Black is the Colour Casey Delirium Tremens Farmer Michael Hayes

This is Year 49 of the  Ballad Lounge Tour – taking in Kips, Concert Halls, Bordellos, Picture Houses, Arts Centres, Pubs and Conveniences, Detention Centres, Dry Houses, Treatment Centres, Guards Barracks, R.A.F Stations, Officers Messes, Royal Albert and Carnegie Hall, plus many other centres of excellence and debauchery)…’Tis great to be alive… Although there were

Dear Listeners, I wish you all peace of mind in the coming year. Thank you for your messages these past weeks. 2014 ended in a most unfortunate manner with the cancellation of four gigs in Vicar Street Dublin. Your messages of goodwill by email, website, text and phone were appreciated. Some of you gallant Shelmaliers

Dear Listeners Some New gigs for your consideration. Full details on the Gig Page on the website … Friday February 20th 2015 – Mullingar Park Hotel – on sale October 30th Thursday February 26th 2015 – Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy – on sale October 30th Friday March 6th 2015 – Clonmel Park Hotel – on

Here are some dates, recently confirmed, for your consideration December Wednesday 10th           Christy with Máirtín O’Connor band – Ardilaun Hotel, Galway – now on sale Monday 22nd                Christy with Declan – Vicar St. Dublin – on sale Thurs Oct 9th Tuesday 23rd                Christy with Declan – Vicar St. Dublin – on sale Thurs Oct 9th Monday

“The night before Larry was stretched” INEC Theatre Killarney 24th May. It’s 30 minutes before show time in Killarney – In the dressing room my head is full of flashing thoughts; I need to look at Brendan’s Voyage, I haven’t sung it since Dingle last year… must run through the Contender with the Trad. Outfit

May 6th 2014 “As I went a walkin’ one morning in May I spied a young couple who fondly did stray One was a young maid so sweet and so fair And the other was a soldier boy, a bold grenadier” (From “The Nightingale”) When I first started singing ballads, this song was all the

Wednesday February 5th, 2014 “Remembering Anne Lovett” was an event held in Maynooth University to commemorate this young girls passing, 30 years ago. I felt privileged to be part of this memorial. We must never forget Anne Lovett. It happened in the middle of our Island. It could have happened in any town. Thirty years

The passing of Pete Seeger made headline news here in Ireland. For many of us he has been present for most of our lives, his work constantly referenced, and his songs reverberating through our soundscape. The Folk Revival, as I know it, emanated from America where the Coffee House Folk Clubs gave a stage to

We bade Farewell to Nelson Mandela. Last Thursday night, his fine old heart stopped beating. His voice will reverberate and his spirit will be renewed every time his name is remembered. His compassion and forgiveness, his humanity and dedication, his love and human kindness have filled the hearts of countless millions who have looked to

“November Man sees Fire and Mist, Wind, Rain and Winter Air “. (Dave Goulder) Thank you for the feedback you offered after the last Chat. Many replied by email so I could not respond. Among those were Henriet in Holland, Justin in NZ, Brenda in Dublin, Awyer out there somewhere, Frances in Glasgow (and young

June 29th 2013 (Before Westport) Saturday Morning and I still miss John Peel. Nelson is struggling to leave.  The Bees are disappearing and the news is dominated by The Stones at Glastonbury.  I’m here in  bed  contemplating the Lions running out in Melbourne. I heard from Donnacha O’Callaghan. He reckons that Paul O’Connell should play

May 2013. In recent weeks I have had enjoyed some special gigs. On April 2nd I visited the Keltoi Centre in The Phoenix Park where I sang with people in recovery from addiction. It was an emotional but fun filled gathering. Some of them came up and sang beautiful songs. Thanks to Kieran and all

I was invited to take part in President O’Higgins Patrick’s day Glaoch. The President was reaching out to Irish people around the world on March 17th. For me the visit was a great experience. Arriving at Áras and Úachtaráín, Michael Devine and I were given a great welcome by all The President’s Staff and by

January –February 2013. The January Man comes round again in coat and boots of leather. I just heard the sad news that Peter Cadle, poet, singer and songwriter has passed. We seldom met, but occasionally we did have dialogue about songs. When I recorded his song “Unfinished Revolution” in 1987 Peter generously allowed me to

The recent tour of England and Scotland was a memorable trip for me. It began with a visit to Liverpool’s Anfield Rd. with my son Andy and our good friend Michael Devine. The game was between Liverpool and Newcastle and, being neutral, I sat in the middle. It was an exciting prospect to be back

We started back in Dingle on August 24th. A great night in The Hillgrove, first time back there in 22 years and it’s still as lively as ever. Moving Hearts did a few stints there, most memorably the night of Cid’s 40th birthday back in1981.We performed what turned out to be quite a pagan ritual.

“As I went out by Galway Town, to seek for recreation” One night last May, in Nuremore near Carrickmacross in the County of Monaghan, a woman’s voice quietly requested “The Curragh of Kildare”. I made mental note and continued to sing out into the night. It was a great gathering. My first time back in