I know someone who would be a great Irish president and prove that you don’t need to know all the Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah…
I don’t think he’s Ireland’s Beethoven but I know he’s our Johnny Cash.
Hi Christy,
Hope you have had a good relaxing off time….. Well done on the Podcast. I’m sure by now you are back in the work room making preparations for your return to the middle of the Island, where the usual welcome awaits.
Unfortunately I have to miss this one , but March is only around the corner. Best wishes on the return…… I’d bet you are like the spring Lambs, raring to go.
Best regards.
Christy's reply
My workroom is akin to the saddling enclosure before a Grand National….I’m sweating buckets hoping to make weight
Didn’t Mike Harding used to have a tv series on BBC, late 70’s, early 80’s. He’d tell stories, sing songs and have great guests on, was must watch tv!
That’s fascinating Christy! Your set list from your first gig. One song that jumps out, Galtee Mountain Boy. You had it a while! No wonder it was so good when you got it down. Could it have made Prosperous or a Planxty album or did it just need Jimmy?
P.S, as a proud Dub meself that clown O’Carroll is an embarrassment!
Christy's reply
I first heard Patsy Halloran sing that song in Donie Ryan’s pub “The Bridge”in Clonmel in 1964 when a “Danno” cost 2 shillings and four pence…..
Christy,
sad to see the anti refugee scenes in Knowsley so soon after Holocaust Memorial Day. I find it hard to believe that our right wing press and Governments still manage to convince people who have nothing that their predicament is due to poor powerless people who also have nothing rather than the rich powerfull people who make all the decisions. As a wise man once said ‘ I Hate Politicians’.
Bertie Dear , don’t come any closer….
Bad Pennies ??
Hope to catch the podcast today , looking forward to it.
The Bard of Passage West was in Ballybofey last night….
Brilliant or what !!
Christy's reply
another ball in the back of the net for Johnny Spillane….
I dread the thought of that man gaining The Park….after Presidents Robinson, McAleese and O’Higgins, its hard to imagine him entering Áras an Uachtaráin with any dignity… the very thought upsets the apple tart
Hi Christy, last night I came from a concert. Back home I poured a belgian beer and put on a cd, and sitting so cosy I was thinking of you. It must be hard to get out on the road on a cold winter night for singing. Do you feel that way? Or does a gig give you so much energy that it’s worth it? (This is my way to say hello)😉
Christy's reply
When such conditions prevail its just as hard, often harder,for those who travel long distance to attend the gig….for all who work behind the scenes to make the gig happen….I consider myself very fortunate……I love my work Moeke…in my young life I did many different jobs and hated every one….3 years in a Bank was awful and I was no good at it….factory work at Walls Pies, Ross Foods, EMI Records pressing plant, Box-Jumping in a waste paper factory, cold meats porter in Lewis Store,Roustabout on Orion Rig in North Sea,4 different laboring jobs on Building sites, Fruit & Veg Van Man,filling hoof holes on Curragh Racecouse, I failed miserably at all these tasks…
then the clouds cleared and the Sun came out….I got my first gig…
there is something very special about gigs on Cold Wintery Nights when
“my hat is frozen to my head,
my body is like a lump of lead”
the warmth of good listeners soon heats me up and drives me on…..greetings to all Belgian songsters…..
I spent a thought provoking morning looking at stunning photos in an exhibition. Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors…Great details of back stories too…At IWM North, Salford Quays. It s less than an hour from me, but I think many companeros here would feel it worthwhile to travel to see it, wherever possible…details at. http://Www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-north/what‘s-on
I left the building intent on finding a cafe to make some notes on what I d seen and thoughts of posting here …after a few yards, I spotted a familiar figure, not seen for aeons. I stopped him for a chat…very affable and all too brief, but I didn’t want to delay him from his museum visit. I mentioned that I d soon be rambling here…that news received a characteristic chuckle…and a request to send his love to you…Mike Harding on fine form!!
Enjoy the day, especially after a great Ireland win.
Dave
Christy's reply
twas on a Sunday Night in 1966 that Mike & Patricia Harding gave me my first gig in Blakeley, Manchester….their Folk Club ran in The Old House at Home beside the ICI works ( the Ikki)…..the room was rammed for Mike was the most popular host….I did two 20 minutes sets and sang
Curragh of Kildare
Enniskillen Dragoon
Galway Races
Little Beggarman
Galtee Mountain Boy
Mary from Dungloe
Seth Davy
Carnloch Bay
Take it Down from The Mast (Irish Traitors)
Follow me up to Carlow
James Larkin
Avondale
Happy to say that Mike,Patricia and I are still in touch,
Hi. C. Well done on the great conversation with the Two Norries, it was really honest and open and lively too. Great to hear you singing and sharing. Since it was mentioned in De Paper yesterday there was great anticipation awaiting its airing. I was in tears myself at the final story. I understand it will be on YouTube in 2 weeks time, The Two Norries podcast. Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Christy's reply
Hey H,
Of all the podcasts that have come my way over the past three years “The Two Norries”is my favourite…. I’ve listened to (or watched) every single episode….So it was with great pleasure that Michael and I travelled down Leeside to meet them…..no brouhaha, no fancy PR,just a great welcome from Timmy,James and (tech man) John….strong tea and apple tart on the Banks of The Lee…how bad is that !!!
Hello Christy,
Good luck to all in the rugby this weekend. I liked the way the Welsh choir sang Athenry before last week’s match.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
Hard to match those Welsh Choirs as they resound from the Valleys…..poor old Molly Malone has been drowned out by the horrid cacophony that emanates from the Tannoys of Lansdowne Road….the unfortunate patrons cannot converse in the racket and take to the drink to kill the pain….its still my fave spectator sport…but from the comfort of the couch….last time I went, a drunken sot spilled 4 pints of expensive lager all over my unfortunate companion….not that the I.R.F.U. give two shites
on the other hand..its the professional era and our brilliant practitioners have to be funded somehow….its a vastly superior spectacle now…yesterdays games were simply spectacular…I dont begrudge the players their hard earned wages….last time I went we were subjected to high volume Bon Jovi and endless processions to Bars and WCs
I’ll be glued to the Sassenachs & Eyeties later
Hello Christy,
Your talk of Yorkshire pudding and gravy had me right back as a 13 year old at the Black Horse in Clifton. Sunday lunch with Mum, Dad and Brother. They did giant Yorkshire puds as a starter. It’s a bit of a tradition here to fill up on them first.
Pipe dream or not, you’d get a whale of a welcome from all your friends across the North.
Sally Wainwright, who wrote Happy Valley also wrote Gentleman Jack. It’s about Anne Lister of Shibden Hall in Halifax. Two great women. https://youtu.be/YInK5yhBQE0
Thank you for your kindness and All the info and memories you share. It’s one big playground for me.
Talking of films… Till is now in cinemas…a horrific tale, which sounds like it s been well handled… The tragic fate of young Emmett came to my attention decades ago via a Dylan bootleg…a song masterly crafted by young Bob, based on newspaper accounts of Till s murder and subsequent rigged injustices…
Currently spinning is a CD by Kris Drever…a superb live set from 2008 and next up will be his studio recording…Black Water…both obtained yesterday in a second hand shop…likely to be the best £4 to be invested this year!
Finally got round to reading Richard Thompson s excellent memoir…. Beeswing…no great revelations, but fascinating to read a first hand account of Fairport s evolution and the carnage of the 1969 van crash etc…sharp insights into song writing and sourcing trad songs such as Matty Groves aka Little Musgrave… FC/ Thompson/Denny at al…pure class. They ‘ve all been with me for a long time, thankfully…
I never ‘got’ mrs brown but i did ‘dig’ song of granite.
Rory
Christy's reply
“I wish the Queen of England would write to me in time
and place me in her Regiment while I’m still in my prime
I’d fight for Ireland’s glory from the clear day light of dawn
and I never would return again to plough the Rocks of Bawn”
a verse,barely remembered, that I once heard Joe Heaney sing ….twas many years ago, in the snug of a Dublin pub
Ps (sorry)
The bafta awards have Banshees in the ‘best british film’ category.
Sorry am i missing something???
Christy maybe its all a deam, are you really from surrey, is johnny sexton a product of harlequins academy, is limerick the capital city of wales?
Better re name 90 miles from dublin as 470 miles from kings cross.
Rory
Christy's reply
They never claimed George Best nor Alex Higgins.
They never claimed Bellaghy’s other Boys…
Good evening Christy,
Just in from The Banshees of Inisherin. Me and ‘she who must be obeyed’ both gave it an 8/10.
Great acting, my pal from Eadestown’s son was an extra, he was braw of course.
Try playing a fiddle with one finger off, not easy, like kicking a drop goal with your boots tied together. No more spoilers.
Like most artistic things out of Ireland it was excellent.
Rory
Christy's reply
apart from the feckin fingers I’m on 8/10 myself…not every one here agrees with me but thats the way it goes….
some people here like Mrs Brown….little prick that she is
Hello Christy,
I heard this this morning and had to share. The whole noise of it blew me away. https://youtu.be/f8gnKT5MlnM
This harp of Siobhan’s is a replica of the Trinity College Harp. It’s strung in brass and 18carat gold. This isn’t a gimic. Gold strings sound very pure.
I know someone who would be a great Irish president and prove that you don’t need to know all the Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah…
I don’t think he’s Ireland’s Beethoven but I know he’s our Johnny Cash.
Nathan may be over-qualified for the job
Hi Christy,
Hope you have had a good relaxing off time….. Well done on the Podcast. I’m sure by now you are back in the work room making preparations for your return to the middle of the Island, where the usual welcome awaits.
Unfortunately I have to miss this one , but March is only around the corner. Best wishes on the return…… I’d bet you are like the spring Lambs, raring to go.
Best regards.
My workroom is akin to the saddling enclosure before a Grand National….I’m sweating buckets hoping to make weight
Hello Christy / All!
Didn’t Mike Harding used to have a tv series on BBC, late 70’s, early 80’s. He’d tell stories, sing songs and have great guests on, was must watch tv!
That’s fascinating Christy! Your set list from your first gig. One song that jumps out, Galtee Mountain Boy. You had it a while! No wonder it was so good when you got it down. Could it have made Prosperous or a Planxty album or did it just need Jimmy?
P.S, as a proud Dub meself that clown O’Carroll is an embarrassment!
I first heard Patsy Halloran sing that song in Donie Ryan’s pub “The Bridge”in Clonmel in 1964 when a “Danno” cost 2 shillings and four pence…..
Christy,
sad to see the anti refugee scenes in Knowsley so soon after Holocaust Memorial Day. I find it hard to believe that our right wing press and Governments still manage to convince people who have nothing that their predicament is due to poor powerless people who also have nothing rather than the rich powerfull people who make all the decisions. As a wise man once said ‘ I Hate Politicians’.
Hi Christy/all
Here s the link for the Holocaust exhibition
http://Www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-north
Head for the What’s On heading
Dave
Fair play Dave via Rob….Manchester to Dublin via Hawick
Bertie Dear , don’t come any closer….
Bad Pennies ??
Hope to catch the podcast today , looking forward to it.
The Bard of Passage West was in Ballybofey last night….
Brilliant or what !!
another ball in the back of the net for Johnny Spillane….
I dread the thought of that man gaining The Park….after Presidents Robinson, McAleese and O’Higgins, its hard to imagine him entering Áras an Uachtaráin with any dignity… the very thought upsets the apple tart
Hi Christy, last night I came from a concert. Back home I poured a belgian beer and put on a cd, and sitting so cosy I was thinking of you. It must be hard to get out on the road on a cold winter night for singing. Do you feel that way? Or does a gig give you so much energy that it’s worth it? (This is my way to say hello)😉
When such conditions prevail its just as hard, often harder,for those who travel long distance to attend the gig….for all who work behind the scenes to make the gig happen….I consider myself very fortunate……I love my work Moeke…in my young life I did many different jobs and hated every one….3 years in a Bank was awful and I was no good at it….factory work at Walls Pies, Ross Foods, EMI Records pressing plant, Box-Jumping in a waste paper factory, cold meats porter in Lewis Store,Roustabout on Orion Rig in North Sea,4 different laboring jobs on Building sites, Fruit & Veg Van Man,filling hoof holes on Curragh Racecouse, I failed miserably at all these tasks…
then the clouds cleared and the Sun came out….I got my first gig…
there is something very special about gigs on Cold Wintery Nights when
“my hat is frozen to my head,
my body is like a lump of lead”
the warmth of good listeners soon heats me up and drives me on…..greetings to all Belgian songsters…..
Hi Christy
I spent a thought provoking morning looking at stunning photos in an exhibition. Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors…Great details of back stories too…At IWM North, Salford Quays. It s less than an hour from me, but I think many companeros here would feel it worthwhile to travel to see it, wherever possible…details at. http://Www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-north/what‘s-on
I left the building intent on finding a cafe to make some notes on what I d seen and thoughts of posting here …after a few yards, I spotted a familiar figure, not seen for aeons. I stopped him for a chat…very affable and all too brief, but I didn’t want to delay him from his museum visit. I mentioned that I d soon be rambling here…that news received a characteristic chuckle…and a request to send his love to you…Mike Harding on fine form!!
Enjoy the day, especially after a great Ireland win.
Dave
twas on a Sunday Night in 1966 that Mike & Patricia Harding gave me my first gig in Blakeley, Manchester….their Folk Club ran in The Old House at Home beside the ICI works ( the Ikki)…..the room was rammed for Mike was the most popular host….I did two 20 minutes sets and sang
Curragh of Kildare
Enniskillen Dragoon
Galway Races
Little Beggarman
Galtee Mountain Boy
Mary from Dungloe
Seth Davy
Carnloch Bay
Take it Down from The Mast (Irish Traitors)
Follow me up to Carlow
James Larkin
Avondale
Happy to say that Mike,Patricia and I are still in touch,
Hi. C. Well done on the great conversation with the Two Norries, it was really honest and open and lively too. Great to hear you singing and sharing. Since it was mentioned in De Paper yesterday there was great anticipation awaiting its airing. I was in tears myself at the final story. I understand it will be on YouTube in 2 weeks time, The Two Norries podcast. Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Hey H,
Of all the podcasts that have come my way over the past three years “The Two Norries”is my favourite…. I’ve listened to (or watched) every single episode….So it was with great pleasure that Michael and I travelled down Leeside to meet them…..no brouhaha, no fancy PR,just a great welcome from Timmy,James and (tech man) John….strong tea and apple tart on the Banks of The Lee…how bad is that !!!
Hello Christy,
Good luck to all in the rugby this weekend. I liked the way the Welsh choir sang Athenry before last week’s match.
Rebecca
Hard to match those Welsh Choirs as they resound from the Valleys…..poor old Molly Malone has been drowned out by the horrid cacophony that emanates from the Tannoys of Lansdowne Road….the unfortunate patrons cannot converse in the racket and take to the drink to kill the pain….its still my fave spectator sport…but from the comfort of the couch….last time I went, a drunken sot spilled 4 pints of expensive lager all over my unfortunate companion….not that the I.R.F.U. give two shites
on the other hand..its the professional era and our brilliant practitioners have to be funded somehow….its a vastly superior spectacle now…yesterdays games were simply spectacular…I dont begrudge the players their hard earned wages….last time I went we were subjected to high volume Bon Jovi and endless processions to Bars and WCs
I’ll be glued to the Sassenachs & Eyeties later
Hi christy hope you are keeping well .
if it was any better I could’nt stick it…but thanks for asking ..its great to be alive this fine Sunday Morning
Back in the day Mrs Brown attempted a version of Hey Paddy.
Let’s just say it was a load of shite and leave it at that.
nor did he reference the fact that Wally wrote it…a nasty act, the nature of the man
Hello Christy,
Your talk of Yorkshire pudding and gravy had me right back as a 13 year old at the Black Horse in Clifton. Sunday lunch with Mum, Dad and Brother. They did giant Yorkshire puds as a starter. It’s a bit of a tradition here to fill up on them first.
Pipe dream or not, you’d get a whale of a welcome from all your friends across the North.
Sally Wainwright, who wrote Happy Valley also wrote Gentleman Jack. It’s about Anne Lister of Shibden Hall in Halifax. Two great women.
https://youtu.be/YInK5yhBQE0
Thank you for your kindness and All the info and memories you share. It’s one big playground for me.
Rebecca
Hi Christy/all
Talking of films… Till is now in cinemas…a horrific tale, which sounds like it s been well handled… The tragic fate of young Emmett came to my attention decades ago via a Dylan bootleg…a song masterly crafted by young Bob, based on newspaper accounts of Till s murder and subsequent rigged injustices…
Currently spinning is a CD by Kris Drever…a superb live set from 2008 and next up will be his studio recording…Black Water…both obtained yesterday in a second hand shop…likely to be the best £4 to be invested this year!
Finally got round to reading Richard Thompson s excellent memoir…. Beeswing…no great revelations, but fascinating to read a first hand account of Fairport s evolution and the carnage of the 1969 van crash etc…sharp insights into song writing and sourcing trad songs such as Matty Groves aka Little Musgrave… FC/ Thompson/Denny at al…pure class. They ‘ve all been with me for a long time, thankfully…
All the best for travels and gigs
Dave
I never ‘got’ mrs brown but i did ‘dig’ song of granite.
Rory
“I wish the Queen of England would write to me in time
and place me in her Regiment while I’m still in my prime
I’d fight for Ireland’s glory from the clear day light of dawn
and I never would return again to plough the Rocks of Bawn”
a verse,barely remembered, that I once heard Joe Heaney sing ….twas many years ago, in the snug of a Dublin pub
Hi C. I know you are interested in film and no doubt there will be great anticipation ahead of the 12th March, hopefully some Oscars will land on the Island. RTE promoted this timely reminder of other great Irish language films, including Song of Granite featuring our very own Roisin Seoighe & Colm Seoighe https://www.rte.ie/gaeilge/2023/0128/1351602-loved-an-cailin-ciuin-3-more-incredible-films-as-gaeilge/?fbclid=IwAR3QxesjksYYUxCWy0LN4TXMKsKUVdhG4YCwVunbWgE5eGf4GmMn4dDuJwA Best of luck as the tour recommences for 2023. Carpe Diem, beir bua agus beannacht. H
Greetings to you H … and to the Seoige family…..a new season looms,the wagons will soon roll again
Ps (sorry)
The bafta awards have Banshees in the ‘best british film’ category.
Sorry am i missing something???
Christy maybe its all a deam, are you really from surrey, is johnny sexton a product of harlequins academy, is limerick the capital city of wales?
Better re name 90 miles from dublin as 470 miles from kings cross.
Rory
They never claimed George Best nor Alex Higgins.
They never claimed Bellaghy’s other Boys…
Slim Dusty – Looking Forward Looking Back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkM4BqWdXHI
“the faces in the photograph are fading..
I cant believe I looked so much like you”…
……………from an old Australian song I used to sing
Good evening Christy,
Just in from The Banshees of Inisherin. Me and ‘she who must be obeyed’ both gave it an 8/10.
Great acting, my pal from Eadestown’s son was an extra, he was braw of course.
Try playing a fiddle with one finger off, not easy, like kicking a drop goal with your boots tied together. No more spoilers.
Like most artistic things out of Ireland it was excellent.
Rory
apart from the feckin fingers I’m on 8/10 myself…not every one here agrees with me but thats the way it goes….
some people here like Mrs Brown….little prick that she is
Hello Christy,
I heard this this morning and had to share. The whole noise of it blew me away.
https://youtu.be/f8gnKT5MlnM
This harp of Siobhan’s is a replica of the Trinity College Harp. It’s strung in brass and 18carat gold. This isn’t a gimic. Gold strings sound very pure.
Rebecca