I went googling and found a song line of two…..
“Oh the crystal chandeliers/light up the paintings on the wall…” seeing as you mention Sean Quinn country and that mentioned lighting system. A great review to get when the online reviewer said you were ‘267’ times better than he envisaged. And then to Clare, what’s that line, “if it’s music you want/you go to Clare..” Choc ices optional extra. The year’s flying as you remark. But the weather’s good.
Dear Christy,
Up and down to Aberdeen, down and up to Newcastle, it gave me time to listen yet again to the box set, i wondered how i could ever thank you for it, i cannot, it will come with me to the desert island, to my days of joy, of sorry, of silence and of reflection.
I thought do i critique it, but am not critic, do i write at huge length but am too impulsive for that, so i intend to drop in to the guestbook with snippets .
I start with the Hamburg Medley, if i could take but one piece of music with me ‘to heaven or to hell’ , it comes ahead of anything by any artist from my thousands of LPs , Tapes, Singles , EPs and CDs, i can be no more grateful than that.
The Box Set thoughts shall return.
Rory
Christy's reply
over the years, your ongoing references to “The Box Set 1964-2004” are greatly appreciated….it is heartwarming to know that the old discs are still getting a spin..it was a great experience..a great job done by Michael Traynor who curated the project and who remains a good friend to this day….over a hundred CDs of out-takes still lie here gathering dust…
Good morning Christy
Were back home and settled in Newfoundland after a most enlightening trip of a lifetime to Ireland . With Hillary’s help (4711ers) we were able to experience your show in Limerick on May 19 . This was my first time in Ireland and first time to see you live.
In short , you reached my soul with your music and energy sir . It was 267 times greater than I had prepared for and can’t wait to see you again . Cheers and thank you for the shout out .
Tom Donahue
Christy's reply
Good Man Tom…..the year is skipping past at a horrid rate….in a blink we’re suddenly in Month Six…Springtime is a distant memory as the Summer blooms…we’re away up to Seanie Quinn’s this week for a blast of songs beneath the crystal chandeliers…(god only knows who owns the goddang things now)…hopefully we’ll all escape without being kidnapped….then we’ll face the caravans for The Burren Territory…we’ll trevail the Sacred Mountain of Mullaghmore and roll on down to Fisher Street to breathe in the air of Micho Russell…we’ll roll in Gusty’s Frolics and rock to Packie’s Reels….in Doolin Central we’ll remember those bygone days of massage parlours in horseboxes as we lick the last few choc ices..
on last May 19th I think I glimpsed you and your buddy up on the balcony to my right…a bit like the old Nally Stand in Croker when I was playin left corner forward for the Lily Whites agin Wexford in the 1956 Leinster Final…
Do come back and see us again…we loves the Newfies here in Bognia
Hello Christy,
I’m so glad to see you posting again.
There are people here who really care about you and, however stupid it is, when you’re not here for a while, we start to worry about you. I know we’ve no right to, but that doesn’t change how things are.
It’s lovely to see your posts and hear what you have to say.
I’m going to post this again because I thought you might like it and find it interesting. https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/bawdy-bard-act-discovered-revealing-fifteenth-century-roots-of-british-comedy
Any time you tell us what you’re up to it’s really appreciated.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
we never stops here…we reads everything that lands but sometimes we is too busy to respond…
Hello Christy,
We’re missing you on here.
Hope you’re doing ok.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
Thank You Rebecca….its been a busy time of late….two days recording, many days preparing, a (hopefully) final anti-covid booster shot, two root canal excavations,ongoing prep for upcoming gigs,78th birthday cake to finish , some new songs on the work bench, a 60 year past-pupil re union, plus the usual day to day routines and duties to fulfil…life is full and good Thanks Be….. abounding gratitude
Hi. Hugh Callaghan must have has some resilience to live to be 93 and it seems he was singing right up to the end ! May his rest be peaceful. https://youtu.be/ULfBgiJ5xBo Beir bua agus beannacht.H
I cannot hear the croquet ( thankfully) but i wonder what the Tyrone boys make of today’s test match between Ireland and england in Cloughjordan or jerusalem or wherever?
I prefer the rugby test match Christy, indeed i prefer the song , especially the matchless Box Set version.
Watch out for the inswinging yorker Christy.
Rory
Hello Christy,
The Tiny Notes album by the Young Uns landed here yesterday.
It’s been 6 months since I cried all the way through something. I don’t think I’ve ever been so touched by an album.
For me it’s doing exactly what folk music should be doing. Telling the stories of ordinary people. The ones the news isn’t interested in. And it’s so much more interesting than the news.
The vinyl gives you an inner sleeve with all the words, plus the background to each song. On the other side there are pictures of all the people the songs are about.
Here’s something else https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/bawdy-bard-act-discovered-revealing-fifteenth-century-roots-of-british-comedy
Rebecca
Christy's reply
the recent Young ‘Uns gig here in Dun Laoire still resounds…..great Band
Hi C, nach bhfuil an aimsir go hiontach ? I got a copy of ” Adventures in Wonderland ” by Paul Charles it’s a fascinating read, his stories are really insightful, he comes across as really sound. On page 118 he writes ” in my opinion , and in no particular order, Seamus Heaney, George Best, Rory Gallagher, Christy Moore, Brian Friel and Van Morrison are the true great men of modern Ireland ” Enough said. Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Christy's reply
Paul has been a great ally to many performers…a true gig man, he always travels far and near to hear his players…..
Hmm Ed, I’m not sure we can connect festival success rates to population numbers. Lisdoonvarna has a population of 829.
I wish I’d been there or, as I bet a few of the people who were there said, “I wish I was here..”
Hello Christy,
Thanks to Hilary for the ARTY MCGLYNN clip. It’s pure gold. Steve plays that first tune on the pipes.
You were quoting from one of my favourite favourites.
Favourite line for me is
“The rats and the worms were still as mice”
First time I heard it in York 2018, I felt like Alice in Wonderland. Totally entranced by it.
3 words in a row
When you could gog go-go dancing…
It happens sometimes.
I was listening to you Live at Vicar Street album, with Donal and Declan yesterday.
That’s a bit of a combination! Johnny Don’t Go sounded like the best jamming session ever. One of those that wheels and spins and bounces off itself, and 3 hours later everyone comes up for breath.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
Arty McGlynn’s solo album “Botera” is special….as was the Man himself
Hi C. Thanks for the detailed info on Arty Mc Glynn I did n’t know that ye had toured together and that he had such an input into Ordinary Man. I think you have referenced this clip before, Cathal does very well to keep it together !! https://youtu.be/9dX3HvRHHXI Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Rebeccah. Looking at that lineup again you’d wonder. A festival didnt leave much of an impression with me. Did all those artistes perform? Copious alcohol consumed? Dont think so. I dont recall all these people on the Tramore stage. As for reasons for its apparent failure. A first festival at that location, no tradition of a festival there before; a festival where he tried to get ‘too many’ acts on the one bill. Nowadays what the promoter aims at a particular market be it indie, heavy rock, folk and so on. Yet that same lineup would book out the likes of Finsbury Park. Reason: a city of 10m, a native Irish population and the diaspora who’ll gladly turn up to a London park for a festival. Ireland: an island of about 4 million people. The festival scene here was changing by the 90s. Another way to do is what Lord Henry managed to do: get one big act in who fills the place, full stop. It worked for him. Lord Henry usually managed the ‘weather’ – how he managed it; unknown.
An observation I recall from Tramore is Christy storming through a great gig, Sunday afternoon in the big tent. Near the end of Christy’s gig Moving Hearts were playing, the adjacent tent. I recall thinking ‘someone here doesnt know about the Irish scene….’. There was a rush out of Christy’s gig, a wholesale exodus, I was stopped by a guy, ‘what’s going on…?’ I told him (an authoritative tone ‘Moving Hearts’). Dont the lines from Lisdoonvarna come to mind?!
Jerry Lee Lewis, he played around Sunday lunchtime. I recall thinking of all the Sunday dinners I ate over the years as he performed; terrible. (Nope, not the Sunday dinners) I’d have preferred to be at home partaking in Sunday dinner. Until Jerry was introduced and appeared on stage I thought he was ‘dead’. (Yes, ‘dead’. Alas here he was in the flesh) He remains the only artist I ever saw perform where I thought he was ‘dead’. He died about a year ago.
Good stellar lineup. Alas, Power was maybe the first to put such a big lineup all together, one festival and it backfired. It’s a most difficult biz: putting bums on seats, or in the case of Co Waterford, deckchairs or ‘popes chairs’, as somebody I used to term them. Trying to do what may work in London and to find it didnt work here.
Christy's reply
You give the impression that you know quite a lot about it….
Hello Christy,
Looking at the line up of that fleadh in Tramore I was gobsmacked. What a group of people. I almost couldn’t believe it had actually happened. Maybe it was a hoax…? That’s why I posted it. Brilliant to read your thoughts and memories. It’s a damn good poster too.
Talking of “trí na chéile” a third of the garden is now being rewilded. It’s always been a good place for wildlife, but I’ve noticed it’s really teeming these days. Loads of different kinds of insects. I can tell by what gets into the conservatory as I’m working in there. On Friday I got a dragonfly. First one I’ve seen in years. I have special equipment to catch and release the insects that wander in. A feather duster, a large glass and a postcard. You get a good look at them in the glass on the way out to the garden.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
we can learn so much from observing insects…
“Daddy Longlegs looked at me directly
with a gaze that could dissect me
and he asked me in a whisper,..
Have You got any Sisters”
I went googling and found a song line of two…..
“Oh the crystal chandeliers/light up the paintings on the wall…” seeing as you mention Sean Quinn country and that mentioned lighting system. A great review to get when the online reviewer said you were ‘267’ times better than he envisaged. And then to Clare, what’s that line, “if it’s music you want/you go to Clare..” Choc ices optional extra. The year’s flying as you remark. But the weather’s good.
“If its music you want….. Up The Banner”
Dear Christy,
Up and down to Aberdeen, down and up to Newcastle, it gave me time to listen yet again to the box set, i wondered how i could ever thank you for it, i cannot, it will come with me to the desert island, to my days of joy, of sorry, of silence and of reflection.
I thought do i critique it, but am not critic, do i write at huge length but am too impulsive for that, so i intend to drop in to the guestbook with snippets .
I start with the Hamburg Medley, if i could take but one piece of music with me ‘to heaven or to hell’ , it comes ahead of anything by any artist from my thousands of LPs , Tapes, Singles , EPs and CDs, i can be no more grateful than that.
The Box Set thoughts shall return.
Rory
over the years, your ongoing references to “The Box Set 1964-2004” are greatly appreciated….it is heartwarming to know that the old discs are still getting a spin..it was a great experience..a great job done by Michael Traynor who curated the project and who remains a good friend to this day….over a hundred CDs of out-takes still lie here gathering dust…
Good morning Christy
Were back home and settled in Newfoundland after a most enlightening trip of a lifetime to Ireland . With Hillary’s help (4711ers) we were able to experience your show in Limerick on May 19 . This was my first time in Ireland and first time to see you live.
In short , you reached my soul with your music and energy sir . It was 267 times greater than I had prepared for and can’t wait to see you again . Cheers and thank you for the shout out .
Tom Donahue
Good Man Tom…..the year is skipping past at a horrid rate….in a blink we’re suddenly in Month Six…Springtime is a distant memory as the Summer blooms…we’re away up to Seanie Quinn’s this week for a blast of songs beneath the crystal chandeliers…(god only knows who owns the goddang things now)…hopefully we’ll all escape without being kidnapped….then we’ll face the caravans for The Burren Territory…we’ll trevail the Sacred Mountain of Mullaghmore and roll on down to Fisher Street to breathe in the air of Micho Russell…we’ll roll in Gusty’s Frolics and rock to Packie’s Reels….in Doolin Central we’ll remember those bygone days of massage parlours in horseboxes as we lick the last few choc ices..
on last May 19th I think I glimpsed you and your buddy up on the balcony to my right…a bit like the old Nally Stand in Croker when I was playin left corner forward for the Lily Whites agin Wexford in the 1956 Leinster Final…
Do come back and see us again…we loves the Newfies here in Bognia
Hello Christy,
I’m so glad to see you posting again.
There are people here who really care about you and, however stupid it is, when you’re not here for a while, we start to worry about you. I know we’ve no right to, but that doesn’t change how things are.
It’s lovely to see your posts and hear what you have to say.
I’m going to post this again because I thought you might like it and find it interesting.
https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/bawdy-bard-act-discovered-revealing-fifteenth-century-roots-of-british-comedy
Any time you tell us what you’re up to it’s really appreciated.
Rebecca
we never stops here…we reads everything that lands but sometimes we is too busy to respond…
Hi C. Lá an-álainn, arist buíochas le Dia. This is a very incisive and I think empathetic piece about Hugh Callaghan (RIP), demonstrating his positive attitude, but also sharing the impact on him of those 16 years. Imagine he left Belfast just two years after you were born ? https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/hugh-callaghan-the-night-terrors-have-become-less-frequent-1.4842120
Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Rest in Peace Hugh……
“Not bitter or angry” but joyful and always ready to sing are the words used to describe Hugh Callaghan, whose death has been announced.
RIP Hugh.
Hello Christy,
We’re missing you on here.
Hope you’re doing ok.
Rebecca
Thank You Rebecca….its been a busy time of late….two days recording, many days preparing, a (hopefully) final anti-covid booster shot, two root canal excavations,ongoing prep for upcoming gigs,78th birthday cake to finish , some new songs on the work bench, a 60 year past-pupil re union, plus the usual day to day routines and duties to fulfil…life is full and good Thanks Be….. abounding gratitude
Hugh Callaghan walked home through the evening rain
Not knowing what lay in store for him
Agreed Hilary, Rest In Peace
Rory
Denning
Hi. Hugh Callaghan must have has some resilience to live to be 93 and it seems he was singing right up to the end ! May his rest be peaceful. https://youtu.be/ULfBgiJ5xBo Beir bua agus beannacht.H
A gentle man who led an exemplary life……
Ed, don’t talk to me about Early Doors, call themselves Twin Cheeks and apparantly there not even sisters??
back home theres cricket in Cloughjordan
the gentle clack of croquet on the lawn
I cannot hear the croquet ( thankfully) but i wonder what the Tyrone boys make of today’s test match between Ireland and england in Cloughjordan or jerusalem or wherever?
I prefer the rugby test match Christy, indeed i prefer the song , especially the matchless Box Set version.
Watch out for the inswinging yorker Christy.
Rory
Greetings to Hawick from The Black Lagoon
Hello Christy,
The Tiny Notes album by the Young Uns landed here yesterday.
It’s been 6 months since I cried all the way through something. I don’t think I’ve ever been so touched by an album.
For me it’s doing exactly what folk music should be doing. Telling the stories of ordinary people. The ones the news isn’t interested in. And it’s so much more interesting than the news.
The vinyl gives you an inner sleeve with all the words, plus the background to each song. On the other side there are pictures of all the people the songs are about.
Here’s something else
https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/bawdy-bard-act-discovered-revealing-fifteenth-century-roots-of-british-comedy
Rebecca
the recent Young ‘Uns gig here in Dun Laoire still resounds…..great Band
Hi C, nach bhfuil an aimsir go hiontach ? I got a copy of ” Adventures in Wonderland ” by Paul Charles it’s a fascinating read, his stories are really insightful, he comes across as really sound. On page 118 he writes ” in my opinion , and in no particular order, Seamus Heaney, George Best, Rory Gallagher, Christy Moore, Brian Friel and Van Morrison are the true great men of modern Ireland ” Enough said. Beir bua agus beannacht. H
Paul has been a great ally to many performers…a true gig man, he always travels far and near to hear his players…..
Early Doors. I’m on a Facebook page. “To the regiment; I wish I was there.”
Hmm Ed, I’m not sure we can connect festival success rates to population numbers. Lisdoonvarna has a population of 829.
I wish I’d been there or, as I bet a few of the people who were there said, “I wish I was here..”
Rebecca
Here’s the beauty in question
https://youtu.be/XVsVAHRXjPQ
Hope this post is long enough to post
Hello Christy,
Thanks to Hilary for the ARTY MCGLYNN clip. It’s pure gold. Steve plays that first tune on the pipes.
You were quoting from one of my favourite favourites.
Favourite line for me is
“The rats and the worms were still as mice”
First time I heard it in York 2018, I felt like Alice in Wonderland. Totally entranced by it.
3 words in a row
When you could gog go-go dancing…
It happens sometimes.
I was listening to you Live at Vicar Street album, with Donal and Declan yesterday.
That’s a bit of a combination! Johnny Don’t Go sounded like the best jamming session ever. One of those that wheels and spins and bounces off itself, and 3 hours later everyone comes up for breath.
Rebecca
Arty McGlynn’s solo album “Botera” is special….as was the Man himself
Hi C. Thanks for the detailed info on Arty Mc Glynn I did n’t know that ye had toured together and that he had such an input into Ordinary Man. I think you have referenced this clip before, Cathal does very well to keep it together !! https://youtu.be/9dX3HvRHHXI Beir bua agus beannacht. H
This clip bears repeated viewing
Rebeccah. Looking at that lineup again you’d wonder. A festival didnt leave much of an impression with me. Did all those artistes perform? Copious alcohol consumed? Dont think so. I dont recall all these people on the Tramore stage. As for reasons for its apparent failure. A first festival at that location, no tradition of a festival there before; a festival where he tried to get ‘too many’ acts on the one bill. Nowadays what the promoter aims at a particular market be it indie, heavy rock, folk and so on. Yet that same lineup would book out the likes of Finsbury Park. Reason: a city of 10m, a native Irish population and the diaspora who’ll gladly turn up to a London park for a festival. Ireland: an island of about 4 million people. The festival scene here was changing by the 90s. Another way to do is what Lord Henry managed to do: get one big act in who fills the place, full stop. It worked for him. Lord Henry usually managed the ‘weather’ – how he managed it; unknown.
An observation I recall from Tramore is Christy storming through a great gig, Sunday afternoon in the big tent. Near the end of Christy’s gig Moving Hearts were playing, the adjacent tent. I recall thinking ‘someone here doesnt know about the Irish scene….’. There was a rush out of Christy’s gig, a wholesale exodus, I was stopped by a guy, ‘what’s going on…?’ I told him (an authoritative tone ‘Moving Hearts’). Dont the lines from Lisdoonvarna come to mind?!
Jerry Lee Lewis, he played around Sunday lunchtime. I recall thinking of all the Sunday dinners I ate over the years as he performed; terrible. (Nope, not the Sunday dinners) I’d have preferred to be at home partaking in Sunday dinner. Until Jerry was introduced and appeared on stage I thought he was ‘dead’. (Yes, ‘dead’. Alas here he was in the flesh) He remains the only artist I ever saw perform where I thought he was ‘dead’. He died about a year ago.
Good stellar lineup. Alas, Power was maybe the first to put such a big lineup all together, one festival and it backfired. It’s a most difficult biz: putting bums on seats, or in the case of Co Waterford, deckchairs or ‘popes chairs’, as somebody I used to term them. Trying to do what may work in London and to find it didnt work here.
You give the impression that you know quite a lot about it….
Hello Christy,
Looking at the line up of that fleadh in Tramore I was gobsmacked. What a group of people. I almost couldn’t believe it had actually happened. Maybe it was a hoax…? That’s why I posted it. Brilliant to read your thoughts and memories. It’s a damn good poster too.
Talking of “trí na chéile” a third of the garden is now being rewilded. It’s always been a good place for wildlife, but I’ve noticed it’s really teeming these days. Loads of different kinds of insects. I can tell by what gets into the conservatory as I’m working in there. On Friday I got a dragonfly. First one I’ve seen in years. I have special equipment to catch and release the insects that wander in. A feather duster, a large glass and a postcard. You get a good look at them in the glass on the way out to the garden.
Rebecca
we can learn so much from observing insects…
“Daddy Longlegs looked at me directly
with a gaze that could dissect me
and he asked me in a whisper,..
Have You got any Sisters”