Or you could just let that hedge get a bit taller and let mother nature do her job…
Lovely book that Bourkey has found.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
Never mind all these minor Alberts…my vote is for Albert Niland….singer,guitarist and writer of many fine songs…..one of which, “Irish Pagan Ritual” (Sail On Jimmy), I love to sing…..having played around the world Albert is now back home in his native County Galway…keep an eye and ear out…his gigs are a treat
Pilgrims pingins for pints of plain
That’s a line – a good one
Could be from Matty
Another eleven and a bit of a chorus …
Christy's reply
“He was robbin pilgrims pennies for to purchase pints o plain”…poor crathur had an awful weakness for the drink….Turlough McGowan once said “your man there,he’d drink it off a sore leg”
I was half afraid of it myself..until I got the hang of it….then there was no stoppin us
Another bit from Wild Embrace …
In pre-Christian cultures there was a belief that underneath the surface of the earth lay a vast lake. Far more than just a body of water, this lake was the otherworld, the source of all knowledge and wisdom, underlying everything. It’s waters surged up as springs, wells, rivers and lakes, making them sacred too, and representing a link between this world and the otherworld.
The tradition of holy wells still holds strong in Ireland today.
The healing powers of Father Moore’s well in Kildare has been attracting pilgrims for over a hundred years.
Christy's reply
that same belief still floats here Bourkey
its all positive under the surface
increasingly negative up here above
the knowledge and activity down there makes sense
up here its getting more chaotic by the day
this fuckin device proves my point
I once knew a fella who fished coins out of Fr Moore’s Well for porter
pilgrims pingins for pints o plain
they do tho, dont they, in anyways , but
there used to be a dote of a Dancehall 500 yards from Fr Moore’s Well….just down the Road from The Hangedman’s pub beside the Grand canal..( Formerly known and much loved as “Kelly’s of The Lock”)
Jasus Bourkey but we had some crack there 60 years ago..Rosin The Bow, Brennan on The Moor and Frank Kelly shoutin “ah come lads, the Sergeants outside”and him still pullin pints of loose porter….the pint was 2/6 then and it was 4/= into the Dance …with the Bobby Rogers Orchestra…
back then there was only one device that mattered
Hello Christy
Once again you gave us an extra ordinary treat Thursday evening in Sligo. We came from Dingle so it was a long drive but it was more than worth it. Once again, like Marty already mentioned, it is striking how many different kind of people are at your gigs. There’s nothing more connecting and ageless than music I guess. It is stronger than myself but every time I stand by the ocean I hear Nancy Spain. Always very moved when I hear you sing it.
My next gig will be Elton John on his again last tour that never seems to end! And in July I have Van the Man on my program, hopefully he’s in a good mood! If you have plans for Vicar Street at the end of the year I hope we can come over again.
Take care and see you.
Chris
Christy's reply
Dear Chris..I meant to dedicate a song to my dear Belgian Travellers but that young scut in the front row blew me off course
Hello Christy,
Thanks to Gipp for posting the clip of your mother and sister. Easy to see her in you, and you in her. She may have been a frustrated singer, but she launched a whole clan of them. And I’m thinking of all the singers you have influenced and helped. She’s the root of it all. I sing Yellow Furze Woman most days. Right now I’m also spending a lot of time with Dalesman’s Litany and The Contender. Parting Glass and First Time Ever.
Halfway through the Ireland trip and gig drought. I’m missing the feeling of possibilities and magic. Yorkshire people feel at home in Ireland. Kildare and Yorkshire cuddle up very well together.
Anyway, less of the stupid dreams, time to get up and get that harp tuned.
Several of our large urban centres who would have a strong army link and local people knew about Jadoville; Athlone being no exception. Hazz: welcome to ‘Europe’, those tentacles spread out further and further. Eurovision and UEFA have claimed Israel for a long time now.
Christy's reply
“If you go to The Curragh Camp
just call on Number 9
you’ll see three squaddies standin there
and the best lookin one is mine
O he was a quare one
fol de dee get outa that
O he was a quare one
I’ll tell you”
I wonder did Paddy Kavanagh hear Brendan Behan sing these lines
“take a look at the writin on the wall
say a prayer for the way I walk”
What’s Australia doing in Eurovision??
Are we part of Europe now?
Did USA sell us off?
Land O’Goshen, as Granma Duck would say
Christy, I’ve yet to dive into the Irish Song Archives etc as recommended by your good self, back from wanders now so will get to it.
Happy Mothers’ Day to Rose & all mums.
The Kildare u20 All Ireland Football Champions 2023, seldom we see All Ireland and Kildare in the same sentence. Great win, with memories of Mangan,Donnelly,Dunny from 1965, but new heros in 2023. Fill that cup with ice cream lemonade and orange…
Christy's reply
I still remember the Lilys winning that U21 All Ireland in ’65..(.I was a homesick, frustrated,porter-swilling, junior bank clerk in Ballyhaunis….
Pat Dunny was a mighty athlete…He played both codes for Leinster (on the same day) in The Railway Cup Finals
PS.
He also played full back for Caragh in the 1959 U14 County Final when our school became County Champions.at least Two Sars Stars were on our team that day…… ( The Quinner Cash and The Rubber Keogh) but the spine of the team came from the other end of the Town !!!…Bro Alphonsus was Coach and Bro Aiden Assistant Manager….Bob Duggan looked after the Jerseys and we got a day off school
Hey Christy,
The siege of jadotville, what a good film, and to my eternal shame i had never connected the ‘when i got back from katanga’ lyric in ‘riding the high stool’ with that heroic effort.
As for conor cruise o’brien, well words fail me.
Always liked the ‘high stool’ song, even more now.
By the way, now we are unfortunately out of the EU,can you as a European tell me what is the size of the wine lake?
Rory
Christy's reply
Rory..Fair play to you….You are the first one ever to mention the Katanga connection….I’m delighted that its finally clicked..when we drink tea I’ll have some chocolate biscuits for you
Riding The High Stool
I was riding the high stool, expandin’ and expoundin’,
On the price of rice in Sierra Leone and the height of the beef mountain.
As to where did Jack Doyle meet Movita.
How many wives did the Aga Khan.
’til dismountin’ from my high horse,
I couldn’t find the handle of the bar room door!
Yeah sure I knew it all then
up again’ the counter,
I’d weigh you up in ten seconds flat.
Ya see I was a great judge of character,
my instincts always telling me exactly what kinda guy I’d got.
‘Til I turned to go,
whereupon I couldn’t tell my arse from my well-bent elbow.
I was heading down the streets of Laredo singin’ Red Sails in the Sunset,
Sure it was no wonder, we knew it all then.
Twas like drinkin’ porter off a sore leg sez Ber Murphy.
“Would ye ever ask me Sister”, sez Catty Barry.
’til showed her the colour of me money when I got back from Katanga,
There’s no business like show business
sez Titch Maher in Flood’s bar.
After snaggin’ turnips for the Bishop & The Holy Fathers,
But after it got dark,
much later;
down by the pinkeen bridge. I cried buckets in the river,
When Mickser sang “Oh Gentle Swallow”…….
For knowin’ it all is a lonely place to be
Yet still I found it very hard to say,
“Hey man, this load is too much for me,
til I was completely terrified.
Whereupon a light ship came upon my way,
and caught me in its beam.
Before I went under, yet again, for the very last time.
I was ridin’ the high stool, expandin’ and expoundin’.
Swimming in the wine lakes and climbing the beef mountains.
Ridin’ the high stool expandin’ and expoundin’,
On the price of rice in Siera Leone and the height of the beef mountain.
Ridin’ the high stool expandin’ and expoundin’….
I’m gonna sing of our “Yellow Furze Woman” here tonight…and what about our Sister Eilish…. she fairly flew the singing flag that night….and she is still singing..Thanks Be
Thanks for posting that Gipp…I’ve not seen that clip for 35 years…our Nancy passed in ’92..we all remember her ….every single day..
and she sits beside me every time I sing “Nancy Spain” (by Barney Rush)
Dear Christy,
In a life there is a lot of regret. Sorry for what you did, sorry for what you did not. There is also a lot of leaving in life. Goodbye to the loved ones, to friends, to precious feelings and events. But for everything there is always music!
Except when I look at the evil in the world. Then I don’t hear any music. There is only silence and tears!
Christy's reply
Sorry to hear that Moeke…
but the Sun will rise in the morning, and we’ll go at it again
Happy to report that the lad and his girlfriend were both fine the morning after the night before….. quieter and easy to have a chat with…. they both said the thought the gig was fantastic !!!
A look along the front row (and indeed the whole room) showed such a mix of ages… its a testament to you and the songs.
p.s.
You dealt with the shenanigans brilliantly and finished the night with a great 3 song encore…..
And
the only harm in him was hangin out of him
I love that phrase
Hanging round this place is like being given a load of lollipops
Or poppololly,
it’s a drink made from licorice, drunk many moons ago round here in May
Hi christy, good to hear that the euro fleadh song is underway.
Anyway i was watching a piece on the gpo 16 and it reminded me to check out Mick Blake’s ‘pride of corranmore’.
Mick is relentless in understated brilliance, all power to him and the memory of Sean and others.
Rory
Cant escape the blinkin eurovision today Christy.
Wondering if you and Johnny Logan got together and sang ‘whats another lisdoonvarna’, you would walk it next year.
Rory
Christy's reply
I’ve already commenced my charge for next years Eurovision….determined to give it a good go….watch this space….
Hi Ed,
I think it was the Christy Man who was reminiscing about rawmashin around Kenny’s (High St.) fado, fado in nGaillimh.
Enjoy your next trip West.
Bourkey
Christy's reply
A classic song from Johnny Mulhearn brings me back to those days and nights in Galway 50 years ago…..I often sing this here in the sweat shop…Johnny also wrote “Matty” and “Continental Céilí”….three of the finest songs I’ve ever heard…unique in style and content…..Johnny gigged regular with our fallen Companero ,the late Wally Page ……when it came to singin they were joined at the hip
Hard Cases….(Johnny Mulhearn)
You’re in the pub at half past ten, the money for the cure all spent again,
Trying to figure out who’s carrying and where they’ll be that day
Forget about the night before when you were flying for an hour or more
And move across to the Cellar Bar hoping that you’ll see
Chorus:
One of them hard cases, soft faces, who grip you with their deadly smile,
The grip it slowly tightens and the grin gets deeper
beads of perspiration stand upon your cadgilation
Someone takes the pressure off and calls out for porter
Soon enough the tap runs dry and the afternoon goes slowly by
The Barman looks on warily as your mates come drifting in
Someone says there’s a session on, the Pecker Dunne has just hit town
Move across to the Harbour, rustle up the entrance fee ….Chorus
A woman you know buys you a glass,the evening goes flashing past
Bridie’s screaming as your eyeing the slops behind the bar
The party crowd is gathering, the banjo, fiddle and mandolin
The cider flagon hunt is on, if you haven’t got a tosser
you can bring along a dozen of them…….Chorus
this is the song as it has evolved over 50 years….some variations from Johnny’s original version….same happens with Matty and Cont Ceili……they were great days….we saw the two days
Hello Christy,
Sounds like a good use for the pilgrim’s pennies. I wonder if he took a shovel.
I didn’t mean Albert Reynolds, but we can add him to the list, if you like.
This is the one I meant
https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/albert-has-to-go-peadar-toibin-calls-for-removal-of-statue-of-king-charles-iii-ancestor-from-leinster-house/a673365907.html
Or you could just let that hedge get a bit taller and let mother nature do her job…
Lovely book that Bourkey has found.
Rebecca
Never mind all these minor Alberts…my vote is for Albert Niland….singer,guitarist and writer of many fine songs…..one of which, “Irish Pagan Ritual” (Sail On Jimmy), I love to sing…..having played around the world Albert is now back home in his native County Galway…keep an eye and ear out…his gigs are a treat
Pilgrims pingins for pints of plain
That’s a line – a good one
Could be from Matty
Another eleven and a bit of a chorus …
“He was robbin pilgrims pennies for to purchase pints o plain”…poor crathur had an awful weakness for the drink….Turlough McGowan once said “your man there,he’d drink it off a sore leg”
I was half afraid of it myself..until I got the hang of it….then there was no stoppin us
Another bit from Wild Embrace …
In pre-Christian cultures there was a belief that underneath the surface of the earth lay a vast lake. Far more than just a body of water, this lake was the otherworld, the source of all knowledge and wisdom, underlying everything. It’s waters surged up as springs, wells, rivers and lakes, making them sacred too, and representing a link between this world and the otherworld.
The tradition of holy wells still holds strong in Ireland today.
The healing powers of Father Moore’s well in Kildare has been attracting pilgrims for over a hundred years.
that same belief still floats here Bourkey
its all positive under the surface
increasingly negative up here above
the knowledge and activity down there makes sense
up here its getting more chaotic by the day
this fuckin device proves my point
I once knew a fella who fished coins out of Fr Moore’s Well for porter
pilgrims pingins for pints o plain
they do tho, dont they, in anyways , but
there used to be a dote of a Dancehall 500 yards from Fr Moore’s Well….just down the Road from The Hangedman’s pub beside the Grand canal..( Formerly known and much loved as “Kelly’s of The Lock”)
Jasus Bourkey but we had some crack there 60 years ago..Rosin The Bow, Brennan on The Moor and Frank Kelly shoutin “ah come lads, the Sergeants outside”and him still pullin pints of loose porter….the pint was 2/6 then and it was 4/= into the Dance …with the Bobby Rogers Orchestra…
back then there was only one device that mattered
Hello Christy
Once again you gave us an extra ordinary treat Thursday evening in Sligo. We came from Dingle so it was a long drive but it was more than worth it. Once again, like Marty already mentioned, it is striking how many different kind of people are at your gigs. There’s nothing more connecting and ageless than music I guess. It is stronger than myself but every time I stand by the ocean I hear Nancy Spain. Always very moved when I hear you sing it.
My next gig will be Elton John on his again last tour that never seems to end! And in July I have Van the Man on my program, hopefully he’s in a good mood! If you have plans for Vicar Street at the end of the year I hope we can come over again.
Take care and see you.
Chris
Dear Chris..I meant to dedicate a song to my dear Belgian Travellers but that young scut in the front row blew me off course
I like this quote
Sometimes it is better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.
Terry Pratchett, “Men At Arms”
Have you guys got rid of the Prince Albert statue yet?
do you mean the statue to Albert Reynolds ?
Hello Christy,
Thanks to Gipp for posting the clip of your mother and sister. Easy to see her in you, and you in her. She may have been a frustrated singer, but she launched a whole clan of them. And I’m thinking of all the singers you have influenced and helped. She’s the root of it all. I sing Yellow Furze Woman most days. Right now I’m also spending a lot of time with Dalesman’s Litany and The Contender. Parting Glass and First Time Ever.
Halfway through the Ireland trip and gig drought. I’m missing the feeling of possibilities and magic. Yorkshire people feel at home in Ireland. Kildare and Yorkshire cuddle up very well together.
Anyway, less of the stupid dreams, time to get up and get that harp tuned.
Rebecca
Several of our large urban centres who would have a strong army link and local people knew about Jadoville; Athlone being no exception. Hazz: welcome to ‘Europe’, those tentacles spread out further and further. Eurovision and UEFA have claimed Israel for a long time now.
“If you go to The Curragh Camp
just call on Number 9
you’ll see three squaddies standin there
and the best lookin one is mine
O he was a quare one
fol de dee get outa that
O he was a quare one
I’ll tell you”
I wonder did Paddy Kavanagh hear Brendan Behan sing these lines
“take a look at the writin on the wall
say a prayer for the way I walk”
What’s Australia doing in Eurovision??
Are we part of Europe now?
Did USA sell us off?
Land O’Goshen, as Granma Duck would say
Christy, I’ve yet to dive into the Irish Song Archives etc as recommended by your good self, back from wanders now so will get to it.
Happy Mothers’ Day to Rose & all mums.
G’day from Oz (part of Europe, apparently)
Kildare used to be in the UK
The Kildare u20 All Ireland Football Champions 2023, seldom we see All Ireland and Kildare in the same sentence. Great win, with memories of Mangan,Donnelly,Dunny from 1965, but new heros in 2023. Fill that cup with ice cream lemonade and orange…
I still remember the Lilys winning that U21 All Ireland in ’65..(.I was a homesick, frustrated,porter-swilling, junior bank clerk in Ballyhaunis….
Pat Dunny was a mighty athlete…He played both codes for Leinster (on the same day) in The Railway Cup Finals
PS.
He also played full back for Caragh in the 1959 U14 County Final when our school became County Champions.at least Two Sars Stars were on our team that day…… ( The Quinner Cash and The Rubber Keogh) but the spine of the team came from the other end of the Town !!!…Bro Alphonsus was Coach and Bro Aiden Assistant Manager….Bob Duggan looked after the Jerseys and we got a day off school
Hey Christy,
The siege of jadotville, what a good film, and to my eternal shame i had never connected the ‘when i got back from katanga’ lyric in ‘riding the high stool’ with that heroic effort.
As for conor cruise o’brien, well words fail me.
Always liked the ‘high stool’ song, even more now.
By the way, now we are unfortunately out of the EU,can you as a European tell me what is the size of the wine lake?
Rory
Rory..Fair play to you….You are the first one ever to mention the Katanga connection….I’m delighted that its finally clicked..when we drink tea I’ll have some chocolate biscuits for you
Riding The High Stool
I was riding the high stool, expandin’ and expoundin’,
On the price of rice in Sierra Leone and the height of the beef mountain.
As to where did Jack Doyle meet Movita.
How many wives did the Aga Khan.
’til dismountin’ from my high horse,
I couldn’t find the handle of the bar room door!
Yeah sure I knew it all then
up again’ the counter,
I’d weigh you up in ten seconds flat.
Ya see I was a great judge of character,
my instincts always telling me exactly what kinda guy I’d got.
‘Til I turned to go,
whereupon I couldn’t tell my arse from my well-bent elbow.
I was heading down the streets of Laredo singin’ Red Sails in the Sunset,
Sure it was no wonder, we knew it all then.
Twas like drinkin’ porter off a sore leg sez Ber Murphy.
“Would ye ever ask me Sister”, sez Catty Barry.
’til showed her the colour of me money when I got back from Katanga,
There’s no business like show business
sez Titch Maher in Flood’s bar.
After snaggin’ turnips for the Bishop & The Holy Fathers,
But after it got dark,
much later;
down by the pinkeen bridge. I cried buckets in the river,
When Mickser sang “Oh Gentle Swallow”…….
For knowin’ it all is a lonely place to be
Yet still I found it very hard to say,
“Hey man, this load is too much for me,
til I was completely terrified.
Whereupon a light ship came upon my way,
and caught me in its beam.
Before I went under, yet again, for the very last time.
I was ridin’ the high stool, expandin’ and expoundin’.
Swimming in the wine lakes and climbing the beef mountains.
Ridin’ the high stool expandin’ and expoundin’,
On the price of rice in Siera Leone and the height of the beef mountain.
Ridin’ the high stool expandin’ and expoundin’….
Howdy Christy! Not sure if you’ve seen this? A piece of magic has just been released from the RTE archive! It just appeared on the RTE homepage!
https://www.rte.ie/archives/2023/0513/1379499-mother-of-all-the-moores/
I’m gonna sing of our “Yellow Furze Woman” here tonight…and what about our Sister Eilish…. she fairly flew the singing flag that night….and she is still singing..Thanks Be
Thanks for posting that Gipp…I’ve not seen that clip for 35 years…our Nancy passed in ’92..we all remember her ….every single day..
and she sits beside me every time I sing “Nancy Spain” (by Barney Rush)
Big win for the Lily Whites in the under 20s today. Congratulations…..… The “one is a row” is still on.
Best regards
we’re going hard at it.. I’m stickin with the Camogie team this year
Dear Christy,
In a life there is a lot of regret. Sorry for what you did, sorry for what you did not. There is also a lot of leaving in life. Goodbye to the loved ones, to friends, to precious feelings and events. But for everything there is always music!
Except when I look at the evil in the world. Then I don’t hear any music. There is only silence and tears!
Sorry to hear that Moeke…
but the Sun will rise in the morning, and we’ll go at it again
Happy to report that the lad and his girlfriend were both fine the morning after the night before….. quieter and easy to have a chat with…. they both said the thought the gig was fantastic !!!
A look along the front row (and indeed the whole room) showed such a mix of ages… its a testament to you and the songs.
p.s.
You dealt with the shenanigans brilliantly and finished the night with a great 3 song encore…..
I was like a dog with two…tails
And
the only harm in him was hangin out of him
I love that phrase
Hanging round this place is like being given a load of lollipops
Or poppololly,
it’s a drink made from licorice, drunk many moons ago round here in May
Talking of Rawmaishing, Cadgilation is a lovely word.
Hi christy, good to hear that the euro fleadh song is underway.
Anyway i was watching a piece on the gpo 16 and it reminded me to check out Mick Blake’s ‘pride of corranmore’.
Mick is relentless in understated brilliance, all power to him and the memory of Sean and others.
Rory
Cant escape the blinkin eurovision today Christy.
Wondering if you and Johnny Logan got together and sang ‘whats another lisdoonvarna’, you would walk it next year.
Rory
I’ve already commenced my charge for next years Eurovision….determined to give it a good go….watch this space….
Hi Ed,
I think it was the Christy Man who was reminiscing about rawmashin around Kenny’s (High St.) fado, fado in nGaillimh.
Enjoy your next trip West.
Bourkey
A classic song from Johnny Mulhearn brings me back to those days and nights in Galway 50 years ago…..I often sing this here in the sweat shop…Johnny also wrote “Matty” and “Continental Céilí”….three of the finest songs I’ve ever heard…unique in style and content…..Johnny gigged regular with our fallen Companero ,the late Wally Page ……when it came to singin they were joined at the hip
Hard Cases….(Johnny Mulhearn)
You’re in the pub at half past ten, the money for the cure all spent again,
Trying to figure out who’s carrying and where they’ll be that day
Forget about the night before when you were flying for an hour or more
And move across to the Cellar Bar hoping that you’ll see
Chorus:
One of them hard cases, soft faces, who grip you with their deadly smile,
The grip it slowly tightens and the grin gets deeper
beads of perspiration stand upon your cadgilation
Someone takes the pressure off and calls out for porter
Soon enough the tap runs dry and the afternoon goes slowly by
The Barman looks on warily as your mates come drifting in
Someone says there’s a session on, the Pecker Dunne has just hit town
Move across to the Harbour, rustle up the entrance fee ….Chorus
A woman you know buys you a glass,the evening goes flashing past
Bridie’s screaming as your eyeing the slops behind the bar
The party crowd is gathering, the banjo, fiddle and mandolin
The cider flagon hunt is on, if you haven’t got a tosser
you can bring along a dozen of them…….Chorus
this is the song as it has evolved over 50 years….some variations from Johnny’s original version….same happens with Matty and Cont Ceili……they were great days….we saw the two days
Hello Christy,
I hope this isn’t too cheeky, but please could we see a picture (or two) of The Atrium, by John Cohen. I love sculpture.
Rebecca
I dont have the skill set currently….but perhaps it may be acquired in the years ahead..
its a powerful and disturbing work of art from a great artist