Now Christy,
Here is a thing, not everyone did ‘dig’ that youtube ‘gig’ that pat D put together around 3 years ago for you but everyone must have ‘dug’ the beautiful rendition of John ‘O Dreams by Matt McGinn.
So i challenge anyone not to be in awe of this, the latest offering from the Laird of the Mournes.
I am not a good cut and paster ,nor a repeater one either , so i hope this works…
Christy thanks for the reply. Yes Paddy Duffy was my uncle and his wife Nancy was a Maher. The house across the street is where I was raised although people say I was dragged up not raised. My cousi Anne Duffy married Ken Coffey and their son is captain of Sarsfields this year and made the county team last yeay. My other cousin John Maher married Cora Coffey. Good connections. I am very close to the Keane’s and went out with Catherine Keane before immigrating with Connor Keane (rip) in 85. Loved Frankie, and I visiting Miltown Malbay Saturday. I know the house Frankie was raised in. I am so lucky for the people I was and am surrounded by. My son Rory Maher is 21 and fell in love with the pipes last April when he had a cigarette with blackie in a pup in doolin. Plays the mandolin well. Paul Maher
Hello Christy,
Wishing you all a joyful time in Cork today.
Strange times. It’s a year since I was sitting every morning by my mother’s bed. I’m feeling it right now. I’m sorry if my recent posts have been a bit weird. That’s why. I suppose doing something like that teaches you that you can do it.
Playing and singing is makes me feel more normal.
Hear the aunt in bed a dying
Where is my Johnny?
Faded pictures in the hallway
Which one of these brown ghosts is he?
Shane
Hoping we might hear some news about the big marquee in the next few days.
Rebecca
Christy's reply
see the bright new moon is rising
above the land of black and green
Yes have had a peek at Last Stop Larrimah – gotta sit down & watch the lot
There’s a good Aussie show Mystery Road made by local ABC which is a beauty too if you can access it Christy
Makes me smile: here’s me in Oz studying up on Shamrock Island & there’s you in Bognia catching up on some Downunder wonder…
Keep wowin’ them there appreciative fans CM – it’s a bloody great gift to be able to yarn spin & sing & play & carry ‘em all away
Many smiles & thumbs up to you & your gang
Danny Harris
Christy's reply
Hoping to play Larrimah on my next Oz trip..maybe Paddy Moriarty might turn up
Tomorrow in Cork will be the first time we’ve seen you since before lockdown, and we can’t wait.
Those online sessions were a godsend during you-know-what, but it’s nothing on being in the room for the real thing – and we’ve missed that greatly. (We’ve flown over from England for the privilege).
And thank you for standing up for the people of Gaza – as you always have. The world would be a better place if we swapped the warmongers for storytellers.
If I had one request for tomorrow night, it would be Viva la Quinte Brigada – as good a song of resistance and opposing descent into fascism as I can think of.
For my mam Linda, who works with refugees and named me after you ❤️
Thanks for the music and solidarity.
– from one Christy to another!
Cheers
Christy's reply
Good Man Christy..just loadin the van here now..happy travels
Christy, son charlie and i went to the peace gathering in glasgow yesterday and on the way back we nicked in to the Shelter shop near his flat in Dennistoun.
Well what a joy a Johnny McEvoy single for a pound and the same price for the Hamish Imlach ‘sampler’ album. We were made up. It contains such gems as The Twae Corbies, Cod Liver Oil and Its Better in the Dark.
‘Some man for one man’ we thought as the vinyl spun a few minutes later in his flat.
Rory
Christy's reply
I once stood in for Johnny McEvoy….great singer from way back…I heard him play in the Club Memphis in Leeds in 1967 ..him and Mick Crotty a great duo called (I think) The Ramblers…around the same time I met Hamish at the MSG club in Manchester…he became my mentor and lifelong friend…still in touch with his loyal and loving family ( Hamish & Wilma R.I.P.)
Been listening to him lately..his early guitar playing so good…a young Irish band from Dundalk are covering some of his songs…his daughter Fiona now running a venue in Lancashire called Hamish’s
Christy, Paul Maher from the Naas Rd. Been out here for a very long time but coming home to visit the Family next week Maher’s, Coffeys,Duffy’s and Keane’s from College Park. Were off to Ennis Saturday nigh for the trad festival as my son is into the music so much. We home also to pickup his new Illen Pipes from the maker in Rathcoole. Just wondering if there was any way he could meet you for a few minutes while home ? Thank for all the great music down through the years as it was such a great companion in those lonely this for this displace Irishman. Up the Sash ! Paul maher
Christy's reply
Morra Paul,
I well remember the Mahers and Duffys from the Naas Road….Paddy Duffy was a friend of my Father’s…I have good memories from those early times….our first car was a green Hillman Husky ( reg ZW 1723) I can still see Paddy lookin under the bonnet trying to explain the problem to my Da….I’m talkin early 1950s here….much later ,late 1960s, I was home from England with my own car….it broke down at The Red House… back to Paddy Duffy I went and he got me back on he road….I know Paddy was connected to the Mahers across the road…was Mrs Duffy a Maher by any chance…. I also remember the Mahers being a proud Sarsfield Family…..
I knew the Coffey families too…still in touch with John and Gráinne….
also had close connections with the Keane family, Frank & Kay….In 1956 I stayed with them when Daddy died…Frank took me to my Da’s funeral…just me and him in his old black Ford Anglia….later in life when I was starting out at the singing Frank was a great supporter ( and we supped porter too ! )
So your lad is playing the Uileann Pipes…Whats his name ? What age is he ?
Up Moorefield !!
Christy
Looking forward to tommorow nights gig at the Opera House. No doubt Christy another night to remember by the Lee.The very best of luck with it.
Christy's reply
fingers crossed Dave…its very different these days…back in time we’d be like a 24 hour circus or carnival…settin up ,takin down, hittin the road from town to town, nowadays there is time to reflect, to prepare…its 8 days since Castlebar…I’ve had that time, 8 days, to contemplate d’Opera House be de Lee….Mayo to Cork, green & red to blood & bandage….Castlebar was a great night…heres hopin we can pull it off again tomorrow night…no County in Ireland is as lauded in Song as Cork…so many bards,poets,songwriters, balladeers,chanters…. I’ve had the pleasure of covering so many great Corky songs ….theres a high bar down there…I’ll need a spring in my step …if you see Gav & Michelle …I send them love…Monks Lane Abú
The ballad boom, singing lounges, and the sponsored programmes on Radio Eireann playing those ballads and the Clancys music. Times they were a changing. One writer would tell his recalling they learning a certain ballad in school. By the time the holidays came and they returned to school the song was banned from the radio. The NI Troubles had broken out and twasnt expedient to have men singing about taking pikes and guns up to the border and joining certain organisations.
Christy's reply
ICA IFA GAA CIE ESB EBS P&T VdeP FCA A&E CYMS YMCA B&I M&M RIC UDR RIP IRS IRA INLA UDF UFF Q&A GNR RFU INTO DUP GNP EU AA OA ACOA NA
expedience prevents me continuing Ed…bells ring calling me to the 11 o’clock…Fr Gorman officiating, always good for a short sermon…the PP is a nightmare..
“its not my school, its your school,
each and every one of your schools”
and him at every race meetin, drinkin sherry up the town with all the rich auld wans and swannin around in his new Ford Zephyr and readin out the Easter Dues with no hint of shame or irony…every name in the town from the five pounders right across to the one and sixpences
“Armoured Cars, Tanks and guns ,
come to take away our Sons” sang Paddy McGuigan & The Barleycorn
“All the Radio Said was another shot dead,
Billy Reid Died with a gun in his Hand”
two you would’nt hear on the wireless….even before Conor Cruise got hold of the reins
From time to time work has me driving by the Embankment! I always pull in for a few minutes and loose meself in the memories! It’s like there’s some sort of never ending gig still playing in the air there! It’s a very sad place now. Original building still standing but Derelict, railings all ’round, I think its one of those properties thats under constant dispute. Wasn’t it amazing back in the day when the foresight was there to record some iconic gigs!
The memory serves you incredibly well.. no doubt there are some lovely intimate venues dotted around the island.. your response reminded me of “If I get an encore”…
‘From the Rising Sun in Brownstown to The Blue Lagoon in Sligo Town’…..’twas before The Sphere in Las Vegas
Hi Christy, belated thanks for the gig in (ex-TF) Castlebar in October, we came from Italy especially to see you. I think it is fair to say you were in good form that night, and my wife Anna Maria enjoyed it as much as I did, even though she wouldn’t have understood all the references you made when talking. No worries. Also credit to you for including a song relevant to the situation as regards children (and not only) at this minute in Gaza. We are living in terrible times, but an evening with yourself on form dispels the gloom. God bless and may you carry on as long as you can keep going.
The Minister for War & Finance is off at the cafe with her daughters savouring some scandal broth & discussing their matters
I’m home sitting outside & the birds & Christy are serenading me, me with me matcha tea & Google on the phone
Oh I’m missing you sings Christy as I read up on pubs in Ireland – like a kid with his nose pressed up against the lolly shop window
Lovely peaceful vibes – a day to wash you clean & bring that contentment to your being
Gonna love this day – don’t think about tomorrow with it’s lawnmower competition
& whatever
Magdalena Laundry is so sad but a chance to reflect
There’s no wind like a music breeze
There no feeling like a bird in the tree singing along with Christy, Declan & me
Keep well you souls
Danny Harris
I forgot to mention one of the tables was called My Little Honda 50! Curious about the hardship of some of the ballad lounges.. played a gig recently and there was a handful of kinats who made playing difficult..they were the only people in the bar so I thought it best to sing on..
Christy's reply
If memory serves,The “Ballad Lounge” phenomenon kicked off in the early sixties and must be linked to the popularity of The Clancy Brothers.I think I first heard the term “Ballad Lounge” when I was 15 or 16. A few years later I began to seek out these rooms, Pat Dowlings in Prosperous, O’Connor’s in Salthill.Carpenter’s in Carlow eventually finding my way to the Holy of Holies, Paddy and Maureen O’Donoghue’s in Merrion Row,Dublin….
In the 70s I returned from England and, after Planxty, began working in the Lounges myself …some were excellent venues, others were not… I remember The Merriman in Scariff, The Phoenix in Cork,The Embankment in Tallaght, The Lower Deck in Portobello,Rakish Paddy’s in Lanesborogh, The Blue in Sligo,The Venue in Strandhill,Kennedy’s in Puckaune….all good venues where performers were respected and treated well…but there were some horrid kips as well, run by hungry hoors with no regard for musician or listener…I’ll not name them for they have long since crumbled to dust or become bettin shops …
50 years on there are some really fine venues emerging again…recently I heard my brother play in Kenny’s of Lahinch… a lovely venue where artist and audience are given the respect they deserve…De Barras in Clonakilty still a great venue, Ernesto’s in Rathmines has occasional gigs,
another great development this past decade are the gigs being run in the numerous Art Centres around the country…..
standards have have risen since the days of the early Ballad Lounges….regular listeners no longer have to frequent bad venues
I sympathise with you having to sing to noisy “kinats”…such neucks have ruined manys the good night…feckin snotgobblinfuckpigs
Some great chatter on here recently.. lovely to pop in and read when the kettle is on the boil… Mention of Tom Tuohy’s Honda 50 reminded me.. I played a few songs last weekend at The Markree Castle in Sligo for a couple who had just got married..the bride was a Sligo woman and himself from Cill Dara.. Some couples nowadays give names to guest tables. I noted on the way out his table names were: Viva la Quinte Brigada, Continental Ceilidh, The Voyage, Curragh of Kildare, Joxer goes to Stuttgart, Nancy Spain, Don’t forget your shovel, Black is the colour, Companeros, Lisdoonvarna, Ride On, Beeswing, and the Weekend in Amsterdam.. a drop of milk and no sugar..
Christy's reply
I stayed in The Markree Castle for a week many years ago..I was doing a run of gigs in Sligo..a grand spot run by a Cooper man who used to have a guesthouse nr Strandhill in the 1970s…back then I was very partial to a night time bottle of French Sauternes after the hardship of various ballad lounges in the region
Willie Campbell playing the saw.
https://digitalfilmarchive.net/media/willie-campbell-plays-the-saw-4097
whallup Willie…
Now Christy,
Here is a thing, not everyone did ‘dig’ that youtube ‘gig’ that pat D put together around 3 years ago for you but everyone must have ‘dug’ the beautiful rendition of John ‘O Dreams by Matt McGinn.
So i challenge anyone not to be in awe of this, the latest offering from the Laird of the Mournes.
I am not a good cut and paster ,nor a repeater one either , so i hope this works…
https://youtu.be/6oGLWNH3ogU?si=D1GkPPTK1czkI8H6
Good luck
Rory
good man Rory..great to hear Willie again..we had him here during covid..great to see him returning…Matt of the Mountain does him justice
Christy thanks for the reply. Yes Paddy Duffy was my uncle and his wife Nancy was a Maher. The house across the street is where I was raised although people say I was dragged up not raised. My cousi Anne Duffy married Ken Coffey and their son is captain of Sarsfields this year and made the county team last yeay. My other cousin John Maher married Cora Coffey. Good connections. I am very close to the Keane’s and went out with Catherine Keane before immigrating with Connor Keane (rip) in 85. Loved Frankie, and I visiting Miltown Malbay Saturday. I know the house Frankie was raised in. I am so lucky for the people I was and am surrounded by. My son Rory Maher is 21 and fell in love with the pipes last April when he had a cigarette with blackie in a pup in doolin. Plays the mandolin well. Paul Maher
still bangin out the Citroens on the Naas Rd
Hello Christy,
Wishing you all a joyful time in Cork today.
Strange times. It’s a year since I was sitting every morning by my mother’s bed. I’m feeling it right now. I’m sorry if my recent posts have been a bit weird. That’s why. I suppose doing something like that teaches you that you can do it.
Playing and singing is makes me feel more normal.
Hear the aunt in bed a dying
Where is my Johnny?
Faded pictures in the hallway
Which one of these brown ghosts is he?
Shane
Hoping we might hear some news about the big marquee in the next few days.
Rebecca
see the bright new moon is rising
above the land of black and green
Yes have had a peek at Last Stop Larrimah – gotta sit down & watch the lot
There’s a good Aussie show Mystery Road made by local ABC which is a beauty too if you can access it Christy
Makes me smile: here’s me in Oz studying up on Shamrock Island & there’s you in Bognia catching up on some Downunder wonder…
Keep wowin’ them there appreciative fans CM – it’s a bloody great gift to be able to yarn spin & sing & play & carry ‘em all away
Many smiles & thumbs up to you & your gang
Danny Harris
Hoping to play Larrimah on my next Oz trip..maybe Paddy Moriarty might turn up
Tomorrow in Cork will be the first time we’ve seen you since before lockdown, and we can’t wait.
Those online sessions were a godsend during you-know-what, but it’s nothing on being in the room for the real thing – and we’ve missed that greatly. (We’ve flown over from England for the privilege).
And thank you for standing up for the people of Gaza – as you always have. The world would be a better place if we swapped the warmongers for storytellers.
If I had one request for tomorrow night, it would be Viva la Quinte Brigada – as good a song of resistance and opposing descent into fascism as I can think of.
For my mam Linda, who works with refugees and named me after you ❤️
Thanks for the music and solidarity.
– from one Christy to another!
Cheers
Good Man Christy..just loadin the van here now..happy travels
Christy, son charlie and i went to the peace gathering in glasgow yesterday and on the way back we nicked in to the Shelter shop near his flat in Dennistoun.
Well what a joy a Johnny McEvoy single for a pound and the same price for the Hamish Imlach ‘sampler’ album. We were made up. It contains such gems as The Twae Corbies, Cod Liver Oil and Its Better in the Dark.
‘Some man for one man’ we thought as the vinyl spun a few minutes later in his flat.
Rory
I once stood in for Johnny McEvoy….great singer from way back…I heard him play in the Club Memphis in Leeds in 1967 ..him and Mick Crotty a great duo called (I think) The Ramblers…around the same time I met Hamish at the MSG club in Manchester…he became my mentor and lifelong friend…still in touch with his loyal and loving family ( Hamish & Wilma R.I.P.)
Been listening to him lately..his early guitar playing so good…a young Irish band from Dundalk are covering some of his songs…his daughter Fiona now running a venue in Lancashire called Hamish’s
Christy, Paul Maher from the Naas Rd. Been out here for a very long time but coming home to visit the Family next week Maher’s, Coffeys,Duffy’s and Keane’s from College Park. Were off to Ennis Saturday nigh for the trad festival as my son is into the music so much. We home also to pickup his new Illen Pipes from the maker in Rathcoole. Just wondering if there was any way he could meet you for a few minutes while home ? Thank for all the great music down through the years as it was such a great companion in those lonely this for this displace Irishman. Up the Sash ! Paul maher
Morra Paul,
I well remember the Mahers and Duffys from the Naas Road….Paddy Duffy was a friend of my Father’s…I have good memories from those early times….our first car was a green Hillman Husky ( reg ZW 1723) I can still see Paddy lookin under the bonnet trying to explain the problem to my Da….I’m talkin early 1950s here….much later ,late 1960s, I was home from England with my own car….it broke down at The Red House… back to Paddy Duffy I went and he got me back on he road….I know Paddy was connected to the Mahers across the road…was Mrs Duffy a Maher by any chance…. I also remember the Mahers being a proud Sarsfield Family…..
I knew the Coffey families too…still in touch with John and Gráinne….
also had close connections with the Keane family, Frank & Kay….In 1956 I stayed with them when Daddy died…Frank took me to my Da’s funeral…just me and him in his old black Ford Anglia….later in life when I was starting out at the singing Frank was a great supporter ( and we supped porter too ! )
So your lad is playing the Uileann Pipes…Whats his name ? What age is he ?
Up Moorefield !!
Christy
Looking forward to tommorow nights gig at the Opera House. No doubt Christy another night to remember by the Lee.The very best of luck with it.
fingers crossed Dave…its very different these days…back in time we’d be like a 24 hour circus or carnival…settin up ,takin down, hittin the road from town to town, nowadays there is time to reflect, to prepare…its 8 days since Castlebar…I’ve had that time, 8 days, to contemplate d’Opera House be de Lee….Mayo to Cork, green & red to blood & bandage….Castlebar was a great night…heres hopin we can pull it off again tomorrow night…no County in Ireland is as lauded in Song as Cork…so many bards,poets,songwriters, balladeers,chanters…. I’ve had the pleasure of covering so many great Corky songs ….theres a high bar down there…I’ll need a spring in my step …if you see Gav & Michelle …I send them love…Monks Lane Abú
The ballad boom, singing lounges, and the sponsored programmes on Radio Eireann playing those ballads and the Clancys music. Times they were a changing. One writer would tell his recalling they learning a certain ballad in school. By the time the holidays came and they returned to school the song was banned from the radio. The NI Troubles had broken out and twasnt expedient to have men singing about taking pikes and guns up to the border and joining certain organisations.
ICA IFA GAA CIE ESB EBS P&T VdeP FCA A&E CYMS YMCA B&I M&M RIC UDR RIP IRS IRA INLA UDF UFF Q&A GNR RFU INTO DUP GNP EU AA OA ACOA NA
expedience prevents me continuing Ed…bells ring calling me to the 11 o’clock…Fr Gorman officiating, always good for a short sermon…the PP is a nightmare..
“its not my school, its your school,
each and every one of your schools”
and him at every race meetin, drinkin sherry up the town with all the rich auld wans and swannin around in his new Ford Zephyr and readin out the Easter Dues with no hint of shame or irony…every name in the town from the five pounders right across to the one and sixpences
“Armoured Cars, Tanks and guns ,
come to take away our Sons” sang Paddy McGuigan & The Barleycorn
“All the Radio Said was another shot dead,
Billy Reid Died with a gun in his Hand”
two you would’nt hear on the wireless….even before Conor Cruise got hold of the reins
The sphere needs to earn its soul
From time to time work has me driving by the Embankment! I always pull in for a few minutes and loose meself in the memories! It’s like there’s some sort of never ending gig still playing in the air there! It’s a very sad place now. Original building still standing but Derelict, railings all ’round, I think its one of those properties thats under constant dispute. Wasn’t it amazing back in the day when the foresight was there to record some iconic gigs!
The memory serves you incredibly well.. no doubt there are some lovely intimate venues dotted around the island.. your response reminded me of “If I get an encore”…
‘From the Rising Sun in Brownstown to The Blue Lagoon in Sligo Town’…..’twas before The Sphere in Las Vegas
Hi Christy, belated thanks for the gig in (ex-TF) Castlebar in October, we came from Italy especially to see you. I think it is fair to say you were in good form that night, and my wife Anna Maria enjoyed it as much as I did, even though she wouldn’t have understood all the references you made when talking. No worries. Also credit to you for including a song relevant to the situation as regards children (and not only) at this minute in Gaza. We are living in terrible times, but an evening with yourself on form dispels the gloom. God bless and may you carry on as long as you can keep going.
feckinsnotgobblinfuckpigs – brilliant
Hello Christy,
Something for a Saturday morning.
https://youtu.be/cGa5uB7bonM?si=y9DgDknP1QzoCH-q
Rebecca
The Minister for War & Finance is off at the cafe with her daughters savouring some scandal broth & discussing their matters
I’m home sitting outside & the birds & Christy are serenading me, me with me matcha tea & Google on the phone
Oh I’m missing you sings Christy as I read up on pubs in Ireland – like a kid with his nose pressed up against the lolly shop window
Lovely peaceful vibes – a day to wash you clean & bring that contentment to your being
Gonna love this day – don’t think about tomorrow with it’s lawnmower competition
& whatever
Magdalena Laundry is so sad but a chance to reflect
There’s no wind like a music breeze
There no feeling like a bird in the tree singing along with Christy, Declan & me
Keep well you souls
Danny Harris
I forgot to mention one of the tables was called My Little Honda 50! Curious about the hardship of some of the ballad lounges.. played a gig recently and there was a handful of kinats who made playing difficult..they were the only people in the bar so I thought it best to sing on..
If memory serves,The “Ballad Lounge” phenomenon kicked off in the early sixties and must be linked to the popularity of The Clancy Brothers.I think I first heard the term “Ballad Lounge” when I was 15 or 16. A few years later I began to seek out these rooms, Pat Dowlings in Prosperous, O’Connor’s in Salthill.Carpenter’s in Carlow eventually finding my way to the Holy of Holies, Paddy and Maureen O’Donoghue’s in Merrion Row,Dublin….
In the 70s I returned from England and, after Planxty, began working in the Lounges myself …some were excellent venues, others were not… I remember The Merriman in Scariff, The Phoenix in Cork,The Embankment in Tallaght, The Lower Deck in Portobello,Rakish Paddy’s in Lanesborogh, The Blue in Sligo,The Venue in Strandhill,Kennedy’s in Puckaune….all good venues where performers were respected and treated well…but there were some horrid kips as well, run by hungry hoors with no regard for musician or listener…I’ll not name them for they have long since crumbled to dust or become bettin shops …
50 years on there are some really fine venues emerging again…recently I heard my brother play in Kenny’s of Lahinch… a lovely venue where artist and audience are given the respect they deserve…De Barras in Clonakilty still a great venue, Ernesto’s in Rathmines has occasional gigs,
another great development this past decade are the gigs being run in the numerous Art Centres around the country…..
standards have have risen since the days of the early Ballad Lounges….regular listeners no longer have to frequent bad venues
I sympathise with you having to sing to noisy “kinats”…such neucks have ruined manys the good night…feckin snotgobblinfuckpigs
Some great chatter on here recently.. lovely to pop in and read when the kettle is on the boil… Mention of Tom Tuohy’s Honda 50 reminded me.. I played a few songs last weekend at The Markree Castle in Sligo for a couple who had just got married..the bride was a Sligo woman and himself from Cill Dara.. Some couples nowadays give names to guest tables. I noted on the way out his table names were: Viva la Quinte Brigada, Continental Ceilidh, The Voyage, Curragh of Kildare, Joxer goes to Stuttgart, Nancy Spain, Don’t forget your shovel, Black is the colour, Companeros, Lisdoonvarna, Ride On, Beeswing, and the Weekend in Amsterdam.. a drop of milk and no sugar..
I stayed in The Markree Castle for a week many years ago..I was doing a run of gigs in Sligo..a grand spot run by a Cooper man who used to have a guesthouse nr Strandhill in the 1970s…back then I was very partial to a night time bottle of French Sauternes after the hardship of various ballad lounges in the region
Gosh, that was a lot of commas. Sorry.