Hello Christy,
Reading about Kevin’s jaunt to the Lowden workshop. Sounds fab. I remember when I was a kid seeing a thing on tv that showed a guitar being built. All visual with a bit of background music and no talking. Still remember it. My guitar is a small bodied Taylor, GSMini, very much manufactured rather than built. The serial number is very long and says that it was the 274th guitar completed that day in July last year. But I think it’s beautiful.
I heard you say you like guitars with some age to them.
What a joy to listen to the songs in Ballyconnell yesterday evening.. some good singers down the room too.. the couple sitting next to me missed out on a gig during lawkdown so were down from Donegal and first in line.. Up early here, heading for a tour of the Lowden guitar workshop in Co.Down.. I’ve been playing one their Ed Sheeran smaller model guitars of late.. I’ve heard Luka, Richard Thompson and Paul Brady sing Lowden’s praises.. Will report back on the experience..
Christy's reply
Sound Kevin…Have a good day among the Lowdens…time and again I’ve heard those guitars sing sweet in the hands of accomplished players….
the Seandeliers were rattling last night…another rockin night in Cavan….its always been a great county for the travelling troubadour,….Cavan Town, Belturbet, Kingscourt, Virginia, Tierworker,Baileborough, Coothill and Ballinagh have all hosted great gigs across the years…
“O to be in Dún na Rí” was a popular song in our house 70 years ago.It was written by Eilish Farrelly who waa a schoolfriend of my Mother Nancy Power.
Hi Christopher,
Help me please! Over 32 years of persecution for simply being a “Truth-Teller”
Now, the Gits are sending me fake blackmail emails. I am probably the most gentle and harmless man in GB. My brain throbs, fear engulfs my mind, agitated depression, suicidal every day and often planning my end – that’s too easy for me.
May make it to Scotland or Ireland or join Fagend to planet Hell
Hope you and your family are well. Go Maith Ar gut. Big hugs to all.
Christy's reply
I just dont know what the story is here…for what its worth, I bin the mails and take a wide detour around social media and anon keyboard cowardy custers….dont know why but it reminds me again of Spike Milligans cure for seasickness..stand under a tree….sorry your sufferin Francis…wish you well
Lid- as in for a bucket.. een as in ín.
A quare name for a quare girl.
Haha you’re spot on she is a hawk herself.
We are really looking forward to seeing and hearing you tonight.
We will be the modest pair shouting up requests 😂🤐
Hello Christy. My friend, Liddean and I will be at your gig this evening. Would it be possible to do a request for Liddean? She is home on holidays from Adelaide, Australia and surprised me with your tickets last week. It has made my year!! She is a big Armagh supporter and me being from Tyrone you can imagine she is hard to listen to these days 🙉 If you can could you dedicate ‘Ride on’ to her this evening.
Many thanks
Lisa
Christy's reply
giz a prompt
how to pronounce Liddean
thats a quare name and no doubt
maybe her people are from Tyrone
thats one thing about the 32
theres quare hawks in every county
some counties just cant get over themselves
others are modest beyond belief
Kildare being a prime example
quiet as lambs grazing on The Curragh
we get the odd blow-hard blowing in
but St Brigid inculcated the native Lilies with the divine blessing of modesty
( maybe some will rub off on McGregor)
before she set off for distant Louth
who now claim her as one of their own
will the truth evr be told
at times like this we need Jimmy McGee and Míchéal Ó Muireachartaigh
I believe it’s still on the market..maybe someone is holding out for the end of Summer sale.. fond memories of the gigs under the Seandeliers over the years.. stand out memory hearing Wally’s “This is the Day/So Do I” along with Cathal, Declan and Jimmy a few years back. Have a good one!
Fáilte go dtí an Cabhán; the home of the hackler, Ireland’s hidden heartland and a lake for every day of the year..
Christy's reply
back to the crystal chandeliers….to Seanie’s domian…..I love playing that room…I heard that the place was up for sale…any news on that…I hope it remains a gig venue, its a great gig room…some hotels change hands and stop running gigs…..the Slieve Donard an example ..great gig room until it changed hands and the gigs stopped….Lyrath in Kilkenny pulled the gig plug which was a stroke of luck,…the Hub next door is a much better venue (and does not entertain the extreme right)….I enjoy the atmosphere of the hotel function rooms….its where we go for weddings, apres funerals, christenings,communions, confirmations, ard fheiseanna, hoolies,rallys,dirty weekends, many feel at home beneath the hire purchase chandeliers
Good evening Mr Moore.
I just want to bring to your attention that there’s an individual in Creston BC Canada who is using your photo as his profile picture on Facebook. His name is Danny Gilmour and he’s claiming to be your second cousin. It appears to be a fake account. Ever heard of this individual?
Christy's reply
Dont know anyone of that name….there once was an unfortunate man called Raymond Gilmour but he died some years ago…..I have a small number of second cousins, no one of that name among them
Evening Christy,
I think the air for Ballydine that you couldn’t recall may well have been Tommy McDonagh recorded by your old mates the Grehan Sisters around sixty years ago. God where do these years get gobbled up? Hope things are fine on your side of the pond.
Christy's reply
Thats it John, Thank you….you’ve resurrected the memory of Francey,Marie and Helen ( Bernie) doing their beautiful version of Tommy McDonagh all those years ago…..The Grehan Sisters lit a flame in many young Kildare hearts when we first heard them in Pat Dowlings Prosperous in the early 1960s….later I heard them again in The Railway Hotel in Willesden Junction…. they moved to Hyde in Chesire ..when I landed in Manchester they brought me around a number of clubs and helped me get my foot in the door…
Hi Christy,
Sad news on the passing of Micheál.
On his retirement he said
“There’s only a while in everything,
Sin mar atá an sceál”
But it will be for bringing the games to life
that we will remember him best …
Pat Fox out on the 40 and grabs the sliotar.
I bought a dog from his father last week
Fox turns and sprints for goal
The dog ran a great race last Tuesday in Limerick
Fox to the 21, fires a shot
It goes to the left and wide
and the dog lost as well.
Tabhair Aire
Bourkey
Christy's reply
my favourite was Míchéal commentating on a Connacht Final…..”Leitrim people will be leaning over the bannisters in Heaven to look down upon this magnificent game” (words to that effect)
Hi C. The wheel turns, I don’t kow if our Kingdom Laoch was a follower of yours but certainly Tommie O Gorman was a regular at your gigs. May their rest be peaceful,they both left lasting legacies in their own ways. both proud of their homeplaces.Beir bus agus beannacht.H
Christy's reply
Tommie Gorman RIP
A dear companero for manys the day…his friendship, compassion, insight, humour and love will always remain a precious part of my life….deepest sympathy to Ceara, Joe and Moya, to his extended family..Tommie’s death will impact on many people in far flung places….
Míchéal Ó Muireacartaigh RIP
I had the good fortune to meet Míchéal on a few occasions…always welcoming, charming, interested and interesting.
Last time was in Croke Park when the Bloody Sunday documentary was being filmed…He led me out on the field and over to the exact spot where Michael Hogan was shot dead in Nov 1920.Then we walked around the pitch and he spoke of the great Kildare teams from years ago.
And in parallel universe number three…
Back in the mists of time, Christy attended a performance of the Rocky Horror Show in the lower room of the Upper George.
Through the dreamlike air, filled with discarded feather boas, glitter and rouge, he saw the arm of Frankenfurter with its eyeliner scrawled tattoo.. 4711…….
Now every Halloween we gather at the Royal spa. All gender barriers are forgotten in a night of cologne soaked frivolity as we dance beneath a full moon disco ball and the ladies toilets is full of both genders and none, carefree as they adjust their lipstick and false eyelashes.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
memories of The Upper George still abound…Thu Night Folk Club run upstairs by Richard Collins, down below the Websters always well tended, the Juke Box always distinctive, I got hooked on “Games People Play ” by Joe South…Big Pat always had crumbs of black to share
Thank you Rory for reminding us of the wonderful Ballydine. One of my all time favourites, I can imagine the big Pharma lobby getting up high and mighty.
The lyrics Christy are so, ah what can I say, seemingly harmless and simple, but so unbelievably powerful.
A couple of lines which strike me very deeply.
I dreamt of a curious eviction
Unlike the evictions of old
No sign of a redcoat nor bailiff
‘twas more pernicious and cold.
And later, one of the simplest yet most poignant verses in all songs:
When I awoke I was frightened
I knew ’twas time to head home
I made my way back to Cluan Meala
On the road passing Merck Sharpe and Dohme.
Christy's reply
I’m reminded of the HIBERNIA…..40 years gone,still missed here,a number of verses were gleaned from its journals,
Aye Pete, and in a parallel universe to Rebeccahs, Christy was reading his guestbook about thirty years ago, and he noticed he was reading post number four thousand seven hundred and eleven… the number struck his senses, and supposedly at his next gig he proudly announced to the audience he had FOUR THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND ELEVEN fans .. from there the famous 4711.org website was born, and we all rushed to join the 4711ers!
BTW Christy, if England play a stinker tonight, at least it will stink in Cologne. har har! (I stole that from Peter Oh on the Guardian MBM.)
Christy's reply
Rice and Grealish could have gone all the way with Éire
Holy Moly, Rebeccah, you just transported me back to my childhood in the 50s where my dad had these green label, crystal-like 4711 bottles of aftershave cologne in the household. I had completely forgotten about this until this nostalgic flashback. I will now go back to my shell. 🙂
Hello Christy,
As one of the regulars who hang out here I’d like to say Hello to all newbies, not so newbies, darned right oldies, and include the very talkative Pete. He’ll have to work out which category he’d like to be in.
Pete, you asked about 4711ers. I’ll try to explain it, corrections will be appreciated…
Christy’s grandmother’s favourite perfume was 4711 cologne. At his gigs, as the stage is empty and the listeners begin to appear, the performers backstage can smell the perfume and aftershave wafting through the air as the room fills up. So, it came from that
“The roar of the greasepaint
The smell of the crowd”…
…by Christy
Hi christy
I heard the story on the radio of the cow killing chemicals in south wales, discovered by Douglas Gowan who fought a lone battle against chemical giants ( michael sheen championing him on websearches).
I thought of your song of John Hanrahan and of Ballydine. A lovely tune, hard hitting song, good to hear it.
Rory
Christy's reply
Thanks Rory,
you are one of the few who have commented upon this song…
at the time, there were a few discontented murmurs from the South Riding….
I like to sing it here in the workroom, sometimes late at night, …
that time when noxious fumes are released into the ether….
I borrowed the tune from an old rebel song (which I cant recall at this moment)
I like the verse:
“where the fishermen cast on the waters
where the apples are pressed into wine
where the herd returns slowly to meadow
across the fields that surround Ballydine”
I got a severe dressing down in a Clonmel Pub after that song was released…but Patsy Halloran (Galtee Mountain Boy) intervened and peace was restored
Hi Pat D., I dropped off a message on Matthew’s website to inquire about the Dublin/Drogheda service. So glad to have seen your reply. Thank you, again. And of course I had meant 2020 the year of our COVID lockdown, not 2022 as I erroneously wrote; I tuned to this particular internet folk radio station almost everyday and took note that the songs that caught my attention were all by this same dude Christy Moore. How time flies, it’s been 4 years and counting… I second everything you said about CM music, his no-nonsense openness to share, and, last but not least, the remarkable contributors on this forum which leads me to this question: what’s the significance of this reference – 4711? Good night/morning!
Hi Pete, thanks for the mention, but no bother. I’m from Dundalk, and use Matthews Coaches service from the airport home often.
Christy has inspired a huge drove of people world wide in this 4711 family gathering, all drawn together by the magic of his song, the sincerity of his sharing with us all, aye and indeed also by the super power of his wit and sense of humour and fun! A grand group altogether to belong to. Let the music keep your spirits high up there in North Cal, and enjoy your trip to the wee county….who did us proud yesterday against Cork!
Christy's reply
time to give Dermot O’Brien a spin on the Dansette
I’m overwhelmed by Pat’s (Darcy) and your kindness/generosity. If there was one good thing that came out of the 2022 COVID lockdown, for me it was finding your music via internet radio which led me to all your online videos and lockdown sessions. What a treat it’s been to discovering a genre of traditional and Irish folk music I knew/know little about, and this guestbook is a real-time, walking wikipedia page to learn about history and artists, new and old.
It would be wonderful to have The Voyage be on your setlist. Thank you, Pete (Luk).
Hello Christy,
Reading about Kevin’s jaunt to the Lowden workshop. Sounds fab. I remember when I was a kid seeing a thing on tv that showed a guitar being built. All visual with a bit of background music and no talking. Still remember it. My guitar is a small bodied Taylor, GSMini, very much manufactured rather than built. The serial number is very long and says that it was the 274th guitar completed that day in July last year. But I think it’s beautiful.
I heard you say you like guitars with some age to them.
Rebecca
What a joy to listen to the songs in Ballyconnell yesterday evening.. some good singers down the room too.. the couple sitting next to me missed out on a gig during lawkdown so were down from Donegal and first in line.. Up early here, heading for a tour of the Lowden guitar workshop in Co.Down.. I’ve been playing one their Ed Sheeran smaller model guitars of late.. I’ve heard Luka, Richard Thompson and Paul Brady sing Lowden’s praises.. Will report back on the experience..
Sound Kevin…Have a good day among the Lowdens…time and again I’ve heard those guitars sing sweet in the hands of accomplished players….
the Seandeliers were rattling last night…another rockin night in Cavan….its always been a great county for the travelling troubadour,….Cavan Town, Belturbet, Kingscourt, Virginia, Tierworker,Baileborough, Coothill and Ballinagh have all hosted great gigs across the years…
“O to be in Dún na Rí” was a popular song in our house 70 years ago.It was written by Eilish Farrelly who waa a schoolfriend of my Mother Nancy Power.
Hi Christopher,
Help me please! Over 32 years of persecution for simply being a “Truth-Teller”
Now, the Gits are sending me fake blackmail emails. I am probably the most gentle and harmless man in GB. My brain throbs, fear engulfs my mind, agitated depression, suicidal every day and often planning my end – that’s too easy for me.
May make it to Scotland or Ireland or join Fagend to planet Hell
Hope you and your family are well. Go Maith Ar gut. Big hugs to all.
I just dont know what the story is here…for what its worth, I bin the mails and take a wide detour around social media and anon keyboard cowardy custers….dont know why but it reminds me again of Spike Milligans cure for seasickness..stand under a tree….sorry your sufferin Francis…wish you well
Lid- as in for a bucket.. een as in ín.
A quare name for a quare girl.
Haha you’re spot on she is a hawk herself.
We are really looking forward to seeing and hearing you tonight.
We will be the modest pair shouting up requests 😂🤐
Hello Christy. My friend, Liddean and I will be at your gig this evening. Would it be possible to do a request for Liddean? She is home on holidays from Adelaide, Australia and surprised me with your tickets last week. It has made my year!! She is a big Armagh supporter and me being from Tyrone you can imagine she is hard to listen to these days 🙉 If you can could you dedicate ‘Ride on’ to her this evening.
Many thanks
Lisa
giz a prompt
how to pronounce Liddean
thats a quare name and no doubt
maybe her people are from Tyrone
thats one thing about the 32
theres quare hawks in every county
some counties just cant get over themselves
others are modest beyond belief
Kildare being a prime example
quiet as lambs grazing on The Curragh
we get the odd blow-hard blowing in
but St Brigid inculcated the native Lilies with the divine blessing of modesty
( maybe some will rub off on McGregor)
before she set off for distant Louth
who now claim her as one of their own
will the truth evr be told
at times like this we need Jimmy McGee and Míchéal Ó Muireachartaigh
I believe it’s still on the market..maybe someone is holding out for the end of Summer sale.. fond memories of the gigs under the Seandeliers over the years.. stand out memory hearing Wally’s “This is the Day/So Do I” along with Cathal, Declan and Jimmy a few years back. Have a good one!
Fáilte go dtí an Cabhán; the home of the hackler, Ireland’s hidden heartland and a lake for every day of the year..
back to the crystal chandeliers….to Seanie’s domian…..I love playing that room…I heard that the place was up for sale…any news on that…I hope it remains a gig venue, its a great gig room…some hotels change hands and stop running gigs…..the Slieve Donard an example ..great gig room until it changed hands and the gigs stopped….Lyrath in Kilkenny pulled the gig plug which was a stroke of luck,…the Hub next door is a much better venue (and does not entertain the extreme right)….I enjoy the atmosphere of the hotel function rooms….its where we go for weddings, apres funerals, christenings,communions, confirmations, ard fheiseanna, hoolies,rallys,dirty weekends, many feel at home beneath the hire purchase chandeliers
Good evening Mr Moore.
I just want to bring to your attention that there’s an individual in Creston BC Canada who is using your photo as his profile picture on Facebook. His name is Danny Gilmour and he’s claiming to be your second cousin. It appears to be a fake account. Ever heard of this individual?
Dont know anyone of that name….there once was an unfortunate man called Raymond Gilmour but he died some years ago…..I have a small number of second cousins, no one of that name among them
Evening Christy,
I think the air for Ballydine that you couldn’t recall may well have been Tommy McDonagh recorded by your old mates the Grehan Sisters around sixty years ago. God where do these years get gobbled up? Hope things are fine on your side of the pond.
Thats it John, Thank you….you’ve resurrected the memory of Francey,Marie and Helen ( Bernie) doing their beautiful version of Tommy McDonagh all those years ago…..The Grehan Sisters lit a flame in many young Kildare hearts when we first heard them in Pat Dowlings Prosperous in the early 1960s….later I heard them again in The Railway Hotel in Willesden Junction…. they moved to Hyde in Chesire ..when I landed in Manchester they brought me around a number of clubs and helped me get my foot in the door…
Hi Christy,
Sad news on the passing of Micheál.
On his retirement he said
“There’s only a while in everything,
Sin mar atá an sceál”
But it will be for bringing the games to life
that we will remember him best …
Pat Fox out on the 40 and grabs the sliotar.
I bought a dog from his father last week
Fox turns and sprints for goal
The dog ran a great race last Tuesday in Limerick
Fox to the 21, fires a shot
It goes to the left and wide
and the dog lost as well.
Tabhair Aire
Bourkey
my favourite was Míchéal commentating on a Connacht Final…..”Leitrim people will be leaning over the bannisters in Heaven to look down upon this magnificent game” (words to that effect)
Hi C. The wheel turns, I don’t kow if our Kingdom Laoch was a follower of yours but certainly Tommie O Gorman was a regular at your gigs. May their rest be peaceful,they both left lasting legacies in their own ways. both proud of their homeplaces.Beir bus agus beannacht.H
Tommie Gorman RIP
A dear companero for manys the day…his friendship, compassion, insight, humour and love will always remain a precious part of my life….deepest sympathy to Ceara, Joe and Moya, to his extended family..Tommie’s death will impact on many people in far flung places….
Míchéal Ó Muireacartaigh RIP
I had the good fortune to meet Míchéal on a few occasions…always welcoming, charming, interested and interesting.
Last time was in Croke Park when the Bloody Sunday documentary was being filmed…He led me out on the field and over to the exact spot where Michael Hogan was shot dead in Nov 1920.Then we walked around the pitch and he spoke of the great Kildare teams from years ago.
And in parallel universe number three…
Back in the mists of time, Christy attended a performance of the Rocky Horror Show in the lower room of the Upper George.
Through the dreamlike air, filled with discarded feather boas, glitter and rouge, he saw the arm of Frankenfurter with its eyeliner scrawled tattoo.. 4711…….
Now every Halloween we gather at the Royal spa. All gender barriers are forgotten in a night of cologne soaked frivolity as we dance beneath a full moon disco ball and the ladies toilets is full of both genders and none, carefree as they adjust their lipstick and false eyelashes.
Rebecca
memories of The Upper George still abound…Thu Night Folk Club run upstairs by Richard Collins, down below the Websters always well tended, the Juke Box always distinctive, I got hooked on “Games People Play ” by Joe South…Big Pat always had crumbs of black to share
Thank you Rory for reminding us of the wonderful Ballydine. One of my all time favourites, I can imagine the big Pharma lobby getting up high and mighty.
The lyrics Christy are so, ah what can I say, seemingly harmless and simple, but so unbelievably powerful.
A couple of lines which strike me very deeply.
I dreamt of a curious eviction
Unlike the evictions of old
No sign of a redcoat nor bailiff
‘twas more pernicious and cold.
And later, one of the simplest yet most poignant verses in all songs:
When I awoke I was frightened
I knew ’twas time to head home
I made my way back to Cluan Meala
On the road passing Merck Sharpe and Dohme.
I’m reminded of the HIBERNIA…..40 years gone,still missed here,a number of verses were gleaned from its journals,
Aye Pete, and in a parallel universe to Rebeccahs, Christy was reading his guestbook about thirty years ago, and he noticed he was reading post number four thousand seven hundred and eleven… the number struck his senses, and supposedly at his next gig he proudly announced to the audience he had FOUR THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND ELEVEN fans .. from there the famous 4711.org website was born, and we all rushed to join the 4711ers!
BTW Christy, if England play a stinker tonight, at least it will stink in Cologne. har har! (I stole that from Peter Oh on the Guardian MBM.)
Rice and Grealish could have gone all the way with Éire
Holy Moly, Rebeccah, you just transported me back to my childhood in the 50s where my dad had these green label, crystal-like 4711 bottles of aftershave cologne in the household. I had completely forgotten about this until this nostalgic flashback. I will now go back to my shell. 🙂
Hello Christy,
As one of the regulars who hang out here I’d like to say Hello to all newbies, not so newbies, darned right oldies, and include the very talkative Pete. He’ll have to work out which category he’d like to be in.
Pete, you asked about 4711ers. I’ll try to explain it, corrections will be appreciated…
Christy’s grandmother’s favourite perfume was 4711 cologne. At his gigs, as the stage is empty and the listeners begin to appear, the performers backstage can smell the perfume and aftershave wafting through the air as the room fills up. So, it came from that
“The roar of the greasepaint
The smell of the crowd”…
…by Christy
Rebecca
Hi christy
I heard the story on the radio of the cow killing chemicals in south wales, discovered by Douglas Gowan who fought a lone battle against chemical giants ( michael sheen championing him on websearches).
I thought of your song of John Hanrahan and of Ballydine. A lovely tune, hard hitting song, good to hear it.
Rory
Thanks Rory,
you are one of the few who have commented upon this song…
at the time, there were a few discontented murmurs from the South Riding….
I like to sing it here in the workroom, sometimes late at night, …
that time when noxious fumes are released into the ether….
I borrowed the tune from an old rebel song (which I cant recall at this moment)
I like the verse:
“where the fishermen cast on the waters
where the apples are pressed into wine
where the herd returns slowly to meadow
across the fields that surround Ballydine”
I got a severe dressing down in a Clonmel Pub after that song was released…but Patsy Halloran (Galtee Mountain Boy) intervened and peace was restored
Hi Pat D., I dropped off a message on Matthew’s website to inquire about the Dublin/Drogheda service. So glad to have seen your reply. Thank you, again. And of course I had meant 2020 the year of our COVID lockdown, not 2022 as I erroneously wrote; I tuned to this particular internet folk radio station almost everyday and took note that the songs that caught my attention were all by this same dude Christy Moore. How time flies, it’s been 4 years and counting… I second everything you said about CM music, his no-nonsense openness to share, and, last but not least, the remarkable contributors on this forum which leads me to this question: what’s the significance of this reference – 4711? Good night/morning!
hold your horses, explanation forthcoming
Hi Pete, thanks for the mention, but no bother. I’m from Dundalk, and use Matthews Coaches service from the airport home often.
Christy has inspired a huge drove of people world wide in this 4711 family gathering, all drawn together by the magic of his song, the sincerity of his sharing with us all, aye and indeed also by the super power of his wit and sense of humour and fun! A grand group altogether to belong to. Let the music keep your spirits high up there in North Cal, and enjoy your trip to the wee county….who did us proud yesterday against Cork!
time to give Dermot O’Brien a spin on the Dansette
I’m overwhelmed by Pat’s (Darcy) and your kindness/generosity. If there was one good thing that came out of the 2022 COVID lockdown, for me it was finding your music via internet radio which led me to all your online videos and lockdown sessions. What a treat it’s been to discovering a genre of traditional and Irish folk music I knew/know little about, and this guestbook is a real-time, walking wikipedia page to learn about history and artists, new and old.
It would be wonderful to have The Voyage be on your setlist. Thank you, Pete (Luk).
duly noted