Another Song Is Born

Christy Moore

I looked over my shoulder but not for too long,
It’s no place to look if you’re writing a song,
Some songs grow ancient and live through the years,
While others die off and dry up like tears.

You open the cloak and lift up a veil,
The hammer is raised to drive home a nail,
The flesh is torn open, the bone is revealed,
Wounds that fester seldom get healed.

Chorus:
Songs written for love and written for gain,
Some make you laugh, soothe a bad pain,
Songs have a heart, a body, a soul,
You lay one to rest and another song is born.

While we rescue banks and Royal Kilmanham Halls,
Hell on this earth means nothing at all,
My hands are all withered and I cannot breathe,
The nightmare of indifference to suffering and need.

Chorus

The elite on the plinth maintain status quo,
Marble and granite their movements are slow,
The silk stays unruffled as the eyebrows are raised,
Satin and mohair the good lord be praised.

Chorus….

 

CHORDS

Sorry no Chords at present.

Andytown Girl

Author: Christy Moore

I can see the image of your face

but I cannot hear your voice

although your lips are moving

I can see your lips are moving

 

I can see that you are laughing

but I cannot hear your voice

although your eyes are sparkling

I can see your eyes are sparkling

 

you are playing in the sand

but I cannot hear your voice

now I see you dancing

I can see your Irish dancing

 

From behind those prison walls

I could not hear your voice

but when you told me you were dreaming

I could tell what you were dreaming

 

I saw how you were taken

but I could not hear your voice

I know you were’nt complaining

you were not one for complaining

 

I saw your hands joined in communion

but I could not hear your voice

I know you took a beating

but you were never beaten

 

More Info

 

Mairéad Farrell wrote me many years ago asking would I consider writing a song about the struggle in Armagh Prison.(I subsequently wrote “On The Bridge”).The above is an early draft of a song I wrote after Mairéad was executed in Gibralter.I never got to sing it. Terry O’Neill subsequently performed a version of the song with music from Brian Moore. ( for the record there is a very fine song written by Marguerita D’Arcy called ” Armagh Women”.A rough recording can be heard on tk13 of the Lilac Disc of the Box Set from a few years back. There are plenty of them out there)

 

CHORDS

Sorry no Chords at present.

 

 

Among The Wicklow Hills

Pierce Turner
The autumn evenings filled with copper shades
I see the birds’ neck in the frame
A figure walks into the sunset
Someone goes past suspended from the sky

Takes more imagination
When everything’s remote control
For me it’s just a case of
What’s on the far side of the road

Tell everybody
I’m going away for ten years
I’m going to wander
Among the Wicklow hills

The travelling children in their Sunday clothes
Lost on the corner of the Street
Fat gypsy lady smacks the windowpane
A farm dog gets out on the motorway

Takes more imagination
When everything’s remote control
For me it’s just a case of
What’s on the far side of the road

Tell everybody
I’m going away for ten years
I’m going to wander
Among the Wicklow hills

More Info

Sorry no essay at present.

CHORDS

Sorry no Chords at present.

America, You Are Not The World

Morrissey
America your head is so big
America your belly is so big
I LOVE you
but I wish you’d stay where you live

In America the land of the free they say
land of opportunity in a just and truthful way
where the president is never black female or gay
and until that day you’ve nothing to say to help me believe

In America you gave us the hamburger
America you know where you can shove your hamburger
don’t you wonder why in Estonia they say
hey you, yes you, you pig you big fat pig

Steely blue eyes with no love in them scan the world
and a humourless smile with no warmth within greets the world
while I who have nothing to offer you no no no no
but this heart deep and true you say you don’t need

See with your eyes feel with your hands, please
Hear with your ears know in your soul please
For haven’t you me with you now and I love you
America, I love you…

More Info
Apologies to the man for giving it the wrong title on “Burning Times”. Some Morrissey fans were outraged by my having the audacity to cover a song from “their” man.Some Americans were too but both Declan and I like to perform this as it allows us both to express our love for this beautiful country( but not for all of what goes on in it.)

CHORDS
Sorry no Chords at present.

Allende

Don Lange

The nighthawk flies and the owl cries as we’re driving down the road.
Listening to the music on the all night radio show,

The announcer comes on says if you’ve got ideas I’ll file the patent for you,
What’s an idea if it’s not in the store makin’ a buck or two.
We drive to the town but the shutters are down and the all-night restaurant’s closed
Its the land of the free,we’ve got booze and T.V. and there’s tramps in the telephone booths.
The stars and the trees and the early Spring breeze say forget what assassins have done,
Take our good soil in the palm of your hands and wait for tomorrows sun.

 

CHORUS.
Its a long way from the heartlands
to Santiago bay
Where the good doctor lies with blood in his eyes
and the bullets read U.S.of A.

 

A truck driver’s wife she leads a rough life he spends his life on the road.
Carrying the goods all the copper and wood thats what makes America great,
But the dollars like swallows they fly to the South where they know they’ve got something to gain,
Allende is killed, and the trucks are soon rolling again.

 

The nighthawk flies and the owl it cries as we’re driving down the road,
The full moon reveals all the houses and fields where good people do what they’re told,
Victor Jara he lies with coins in his eyes there’s no one around him to mourn,
Who needs a poet who won’t take commands who’d rather make love then war.

CHORUS

 

 

More Info

 

 

I have 3 versions of where I heard this song.

1. On AFN radio late one night I heard Peggy Seeger sing it out of Franfurt.(unlikely).
2. I heard Don Lange sing it in The Meeting Place Dorset St. Dublin.(even more unlikely).
3. The Dir. of  L.E. in R.T.E. sent me a cassette after hearing me sing El Salvador(by Johnny Duhan) in The Felons Club In Andytown.( poss.).

It is a powerful song which never loses its potency. I first recorded it with Moving Hearts in 1983( Dark End of The Street) and again in 2002 ( Live at Vicar St.)
The author still  writes,sings and records and,I am glad to say still sends me the occasional song

 

 

CHORDS

 

 

C…..G.

Am.Em.F.G.

C…..G.

Am.Em.G.C.

CHORUS

FGC.

F.G.

Am.Em

FGC.

All I Remember

Mick Hanly

I was lured by the rocking horse,
Sweets and the bualadh bos,
Fifty wild boys to a room.
Sing lámh, lámh eile, the dish ran away with the spoon.
Black shoes and stockings for those who say don’t.
Blue is the colour outside.
God made the world,
The snake tempted Eve and she died.
Wild Christian Brothers sharpening their leathers,
Learn it by heart, that’s the rule.
All I remember is dreading September and school.

CHORUS
And they made me for better or worse,
The fool that I am or the wise man I’ll be.
And they gave me their blessings or curse.
It wasn’t their fault I was me …
Not the one that you see.

The priest in confession condemns my obsession,
With thoughts that I do not invite.
I mumble and stutter,
He slams down the shutter,
Goodnight   – (Good night to you too, Father!)
Stainless as steel,
Lord, you know how I feel,
Someone shoot me while my soul is clear.
I don’t think I’ll last,
But my vow to abstain was sincere.
Arch-confraternity men to the fight,
Raise up your banners on high.
Searching for grace,
Securing my place,
When I die.

CHORUS

Oh God, he kept a very close eye on me,
Hung round my bed in the darkness, he spied on me,
Caught me in the long grass so often, he died on me….

Ballrooms of romance in Salthill or Mallow,
I stood like John Wayne by the wall,
Lined up like cattle, we wait to do battle and fall.
You can’t wine and dine her in an old Morris Minor,
So ask her before it’s too late.
I danced on girls’ toes – accepted rejection as my fate.
Drink was my saviour, it made me much braver,
But I couldn’t hold it too well.
I slipped on the coach and ruined my approach as I fell.

CHORUS

More Info

 

In my memory Mick Hanly sang this song to me in Connolly Hall Cork circa 1981. His words have been corrupted over the years as I sang it in sheebeens and concert halls.  It describes fittingly the 50s and 60s groping with adolescence whilst gettin’ the head bate off of us by frustrated bog trotters dying from the lack of horn pleasure if not the horn itself, love and companionship too, the poor hures. 

 

CHORDS

 

 

C…F.C

Am.G.C…

C…F.C..

AmG.C..

EmAmGC.

C.G.C..

CHORUS

G..C

FCAmDa

G..C.

FCAm.G

GC…

 

A pair of brown eyes

Shane Mac Gowan

One summer evening drunk as hell,
I sat there nearly lifeless.
An old man in the corner sang,
Where the water lilies grow.
On the jukebox Johnny sang,
About a thing called love.
And it’s “how are you kid? What’s your name?
And what do you know?”
In blood and death ‘neath a screaming sky,
I lay down on the ground.
The arms and legs of other men,
Were scattered all around.
Some prayed and cursed, then cursed and prayed,
And then they prayed some more.
And the only thing that I could see,
Was a pair of brown eyes they were looking at me.
When we got back, labeled parts one to three,
There was no pair of brown eyes waiting for me.
And a rovin’ a rovin’ a rovin’ I’ll go,
A rovin’ a rovin’ a rovin’ I’ll go,
And a rovin’ a rovin’ a rovin’ I’ll go,
For a pair of brown eyes,
For a pair of brown eyes.
I looked at him he looked at me,
All I could do was hate him.
While Ray and Philomena sang,
Of my elusive dream.
I saw the streams and the rolling hills,
Where his brown eyes were waiting.
And I thought about a pair of brown eyes,
That waited once for me,
That waited once for me.
So drunk as hell I left the place,
Sometimes walking, sometimes crawling.
A hungry sound came through the breeze,
So I gave the walls a talking.
And I heard the sounds of long ago,
From the old canal.
And the birds were whistling in the trees,
Where the wind was gently laughing.
And a rovin’ a rovin’ a rovin’ I’ll go,
A rovin’ a rovin’ a rovin’ I’ll go,
And a rovin’ a rovin’ a rovin’ I’ll go,
For a pair of brown eyes,
For a pair of brown eyes.

More Info

This is the first Pogues song I learned. I liked them from day one – Shane’s lyrics just got to me.  He writes the Erse in a way that very few writers can.  Johnny Mulhearn has it too and maybe Dempsey in a more urban way.  It is of the source and touches the core.  McGahern has it and Heaney too.  McGowan has it but these days he chooses to rest his muse and act the cackling clown.. .If he never  writes another song he will have written his fair share, he has made his mark with songs that are beautiful, that will last for as long as paddies and bridies sing.

Chords

Sorry no Chords at present.

Barrowland, Glasgow

april 6th

1.Back home in Derry

2.North and South

3. Pity the poor Immigrant

4.Chicago

5.Barrowland.

6.Yellow Triangle

7.Cry like a man

8.Ordinary man

9.This is the day

10.No time for love

11.Little musgrave

12. Missing You

13. Scapegoats ( for Paddy Hill)

14.Corrina

15.Beeswing

16. Smoke and strong whiskey

17.Two conneeleys

18.Viva la Quinte Brigada

19 Time has come

20.Natives

21 Biko drum

22 Ride On

23.Hiroshima Nagasaki Russian Roulatte

encore

24.McIlhatton

25.Nancy Spain

26.Bright blue rose

27.Black is the colour( For Hamish Imlach)

28. Lisdoonvarna

 

Donegal, Dundalk & Dungannon

Beechmount – West Belfast, Bantry Masters, Clonakilty

Beechmount – West Belfast July 30th, Bantry Masters August 13th, Clonakilty August 30th, 31st

Musikhalle, Hamburg & Tempodrome, Berlin

Musikhalle, Hamburg
25th October

1. North and South
2. Beeswing
3. Missing You
4. Butterfly
5. Sixteen Fishermen Raving
6. Motherland
7. Hattie Carroll
8. America I.L.Y.
9. City of Chicago
10. Ride On
11. Biko Drum
12. Magic nights
13. Hiroshima N.R.R.
14. Burning Times
15. Flickering Light
16. Aongus
17. Delirium Tremens
18. Only our Rivers
19. Released (Declan)
20. Faithfull Departed
21. Natives
22. The Shovel
23. Nancy Spain
24. After The deluge
25. Pontchartrain
26. Lisdoonvarna

Encore

27. Voyage
28. Back Home in Derry
29. Hurt
30. Black is the Colour
31. Sonny’s dream

2 hours, 35 minutes

 

Tempodrome, Berlin
27th October

1. Burning Times
2. North and South
3. Hiroshima Nagasaki Russian Roulette
4. Pontchartrain
5. Biko Drum
6. Hattie Carroll
7. Wandering Aongus
8. Missing You
9. Butterfly
10. Wise and Holy Woman
11. America.I.L.Y
12. Viva La Quince brigada
13. Ride On
14. Ordinary Man
15. Beeswing
16. Go Move Shift
17. Motherland
18. Two Island swans
19. Natives
20. City of Chicago
21. Delirium Tremens
22. Released (Declan)
23. Metropolitan Avenue
24. The Contender
25. Lisdoonvarna
26. Black is the colour

Encore

27. Allende
28. Victor Jara
29. Hurt
30. The Shovel
31. Nancy Spain

2 hours, 25 minutes

TF Castlebar May

May 13th
2005

Ennis, Sligo, Armagh

GLÓR Ennis, 14th March; Sligo 22nd & 23rd; Armagh 31st & 1st April
2005

Wexford, Cork, Clonakilty

Vicar St., Dublin

april 6th

1.Back home in Derry

2.North and South

3. Pity the poor Immigrant

4.Chicago

5.Barrowland.

6.Yellow Triangle

7.Cry like a man

8.Ordinary man

9.This is the day

10.No time for love

11.Little musgrave

12. Missing You

13. Scapegoats ( for Paddy Hill)

14.Corrina

15.Beeswing

16. Smoke and strong whiskey

17.Two conneeleys

18.Viva la Quinte Brigada

19 Time has come

20.Natives

21 Biko drum

22 Ride On

23.Hiroshima Nagasaki Russian Roulette

encore

24.McIlhatton

25.Nancy Spain

26.Bright blue rose

27.Black is the colour( For Hamish Imlach)

28. Lisdoonvarna

 

Royal Concert Hall,Glasgae

april 9th 2007

1. Back Home in derry

2. Chicago

3. Barrowland

4. Beeswing

5.Hattie carroll

6.Biko Drum

7.Wise and Holy Woman

8.Hiroshima

9.Motherland

10. Quinte Brigada

11. Declan sang Corrina

12.Smoke and Strong Whiskey

13.Immigrant

14.Missing you

15.McIlhatton

16.Butterfly

17.Delerium Tremens

18. North and south

19.Time has Come

20 A pair of Brown Eyes

21. Scapegoats

22.Lisdoonvarna

encore

23.Bright blue rose

24 Faithfull Departed

25. Ride On.

Hamburg, Laeisz Halle

17th May 2007

1. One Last Cold Kiss
2. Beeswing
3. Missing You
4. I Pity The Poor Immigrant
5. Hiroshima Nagasaki Russian Roulette
6. Little Musgrave
7. Back Home In Derry
8. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
9. North & South
10. The Least We Can Do
11. Ordinary Man
12. Burning Times
13. Yellow Woman’s Door (Declan)
14. Black Is The Colour
15. Natives
16. Motherland
17. Viva La Quinta Brigada
18. Ride On
19. The City Of Chicago
20. Allende
21. Biko Drum
22. The Time Has Come
23. A Pair Of Brown Eyes
24. Reel In The Flickering Light
25. Nancy Spain
26. Lisdoonvarna
27. The Cliffs Of Dooneen
28. The Lakes Of Pontchartrain
29. Bright Blue Rose

Bridgewater Manchester

Nov 19th 2007

1. aisling
2. all for the roses
3. beeswing
4. missing you
5. biko drum
6. yellow triangle
7. cliffs of dooneen
8. fairytale of n.y.
9. north and south of the river
10. black is the colour
11. quinte brigada
12. stitch in time
13. i will
14. chicago
15. merseyside
16. nancy
17. joxer
18. ride on
19. ordinary man
20. time has come
21. smoke and strong whiskey
22. voyage
23. flickering light
24. lisdoonvarna
25. john of dreams
26. wise and holy woman
27. allende

The Sage Gateshead

1. aisling
2. all for the roses
3. biko drum
4. magic nights
5. missing you
6. cliffs of dooneen
7. companeros
8. allende
9. chicago
10. stitch
11. I will
12. fairytale of n.y.
13. shovel
14. black is the colour
15. sacco and vanzetti
16. merseyside
17. flickering light
18. north and south
19. joxer
20. ride on
21. quinte brigada
22. beeswing
23. lisdoonvarna
24. voyage
25. quiet desperation
26. john of dreams

Waterfront, Belfast 2008

Monday May 5th

1. After the Deluge
2. Natives
3. Back Home in Derry
4. Time has Come.
5. McIlhatton
6. Missing You
7. Quiet Desperation
8. Merseyside
9. Quinte
10. Contender
11. Metropolitan Avenue
12. Biko Drum
13. On The Bridge
14. Brown Eyes
15. Sacco and Vanzetti
16. I Will
17. Shovel
18. Minds Locked Shut
19. Beeswing
20. As I Roved Out
21. Only Our Rivers
22. Ordinary Man
23. Stitch in Time
24. Joxer
25. City of Chicago
26. Black is the colour
27. Lisdoonvarna
28. Cliffs of Dooneen
29. Ride On

 

Tuesday 6th May

1. Deluge
2. Aisling
3. McIlhatton
4. Barrowland
5. Smoke and strong Whisky
6. On The bridge
7. Natives
8. Shovel
9. Quiet desperation
10. Missing You
11. Nancy Spain
12. Quinte
13. Motherland
14. Hattie Carroll
15. Stitch
16. Go Move shift
17. Bright Blue Rose
18. Joxer
19. Derry
20. Hurt
21. Lisdoonvarna
22. Time has Come
23. Ride on
24. No Time For Love.

Monday 19th May.

1. Deluge
2. Smoke&Whiskey
3. Black is the colour
4. Companeros
5. Go move Shift
6. Natives
7. Missing You
8. Quiet desperation
9. Ordinary Man
10. Scapegoats
11. Barrowland
12. I will
13. Yellow Furze Woman
14. Stitch
15. North and south
16. Time has Come
17. Joxer
18. Shovel
19. Minds Locked shut
20. Ride On’
21. Biko Drum
22. All for the roses
23. Beeswing
24. Derry
25. Nancy Spain
26. Lisdoonvarna
27. Bright Blue Rose
28. Quinte Brigada

 

Tuesday May 20^th

 

1. Deluge
2. Motherland
3. McIlhatton
4. Faithfull Departed
5. Shovel
6. Beeswing
7. Missing you
8. Merseyside
9. Victor Jara
10. Sacco and Vanzetti (In memory of Jim Lawlor)
11. Derry
12. Cliffs
13. Smoke&Whiskey
14. Casey
15. I will
16. Stitch
17. Joxer
18. Biko
19. On The bridge
20. Quinte.
21. Nancy
22. Hattie Carroll
23. Time has come
24. Ordinary man
25. Voyage
26. No Time For Love
27. Ride On

Limerick Concert Hall 2008

Sacco & Vanzetti

Hammersmith Apollo

Hammersmith Apollo, Tuesday 30th October
Reviewed by Robin Denselow, The Guardian.

Most guitar-strumming singer-songwriters start solo then acquire a band, but Christy Moore turned the process on its head. He started out on the folk circuit in the 1960s and went on to work with Planxty and Moving Hearts, but now has only one other guitarist to help him, the sensitive Declan Sinnott.

He has acquired legendary status in Irish music, yet still acts as if he were playing in the intimate setting of a front room. His songs constantly change direction, from humour and whimsy to angry musical history lessons on Cuba, apartheid or the Irish contingent who fought against Franco with the International Brigade. It works because he is a fine storyteller with a glorious, soulful voice and the ability to make other people’s songs his own.

At Hammersmith, his carefully constructed set switched from Yellow Triangle, his thoughtfully chilling song about fascism, to Richard Thompson’s lyrical Beeswing, and then the emotional Missing You, on the loneliness of Irish migrant workers in London. His return here prompted both nostalgia and surprises, with reminiscences of performing at Ewan MacColl’s Singers Club bringing on a MacColl ballad, Sweet Thames, Flow Softly, and memories of the Watersons, followed by a bravely unaccompanied treatment of Mike Waterson’s A Stitch in Time. So it went on, with North and South of the River, the stirring, controversial song of reconciliation in Northern Ireland that he co-wrote with Bono and the Edge, followed by a version of the very funny, half-spoken and stomping Lisdoonvarna and the traditional Cliffs of Dooneen, surely one of the most exquisite of all Irish ballads. Christy Moore may be in his early 60s, but his potency is undiminished.

Barrowland, Pat Ryan

Cappoquin – Ceapach Choinn

Organisations

Alcoholics Anonymous

www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie/opencontent/default.asp

AWARE

www.aware.ie

Childline

www.childline.ie

Samaritans

www.samaritans.org

Trust

www.trust-ireland.ie

Console – living with suicide

www.console.ie/index.aspx?content=home

MOJO (The Miscarriages of justice organisation)

www.mojoscotland.com

Pavee Point Travellers Centre

www.paveepoint.ie

Burma Action Ireland

www.burmaactionireland.org

Children In Crossfire

www.childrenincrossfire.org

Mannix Flynn

www.votemannixflynn.ie

Turn Off The Red Light – End Prostitution and Sex Trafficking in Ireland

http://www.turnofftheredlight.ie/

Richard Boyd Barrett – People Before Profit

http://richardboydbarrett.ie/

 

Lakes of Ponchartrain

Trad / Arr: Christy Moore

C
It was one fine March morning I bid New Orleans adieu
Am G Am C/G F
And I took the road to Jackson town, my fortune to renew.
C Am G Am C/G F
I cursed all foreign money, no credit could I gain,
C
Which filled me heart with longing for the lakes of Ponchartrain.

I stepped on board of a railroad car beneath the morning sun,
I rode the rods till evening and I laid me down again.
All strangers there no friends to me till a dark girl towards me came
And I fell in love with my Creole girl by the lakes of Ponchartrain.

I said, “Me pretty Creole girl, me money here’s no good,
If it weren’t for the alligators, I’d sleep out in the wood.”
“You’re welcome here, kind stranger, from such sad thoughts refrain,
For me Mammy welcomes strangers by the lakes of Ponchartrain.

She took me into her Mammy’s house, and treated me right well.
The hair upon her shoulders in jet black ringlets fell.
To try and paint her beauty, Im sure twould be in vain,
So handsome was my Creole girl by the lakes of Ponchartrain.

I asked her if she’d marry me. She said that ne’er could be
For she had got a lover and he was far at sea.
She said that she would wait for him and true she would remain
Till he’d return to his Creole girl on the lakes of Ponchartrain.

Its fare thee well, me Creole girl, I never may see you more.
I’ll neer forget your kindness in the cottage by the shore
And at each social gathering, a flowing bowl I’ll drain
And I’ll drink a health to my Creole girl by the lakes of Ponchartrain.
more info

Sorry no essay at present.

CHORDS

Sorry no Chords at present.

News

We are still working on finalising the Lyrics and
Discography sections.
New registration is required to add
to the Guestbook.
Please visit the feedback page if you have
any problems.

2000s

Well we had 10 sacks of rice, a container of beans, all our money in silver and gold and not a shaggin’ thing happened. All the greedy promoters lost a packet on their rip off gigs and the hungry hoors of publicans who put on big cover charges got their tight arses burnt. Y2K me bollix.

Into 2000 and I did not one gig all year. It was all book stuff. Finishing off ‘One Voice’. Corrections, re-writes, photos, proof reading, it was all new and kinda’ exciting. Did book signings all over Ireland and also in London. Good fun.

Had a few weird experiences in London. Lunch with The Financial Times was quite superb.Began talking to Declan Sinnot about playing some songs. Then we played at his 50th party and Donal joined in. Then all Decky’s gear got robbed and Donal and I did a benefit (The Stolen Guitars Gig) and Decky joined in and we had a great gig on Wednesday 30th August 2000. Next thing we were recording ‘This Is The Day’ in Kilkenny in January 2001 and we decided to do some gigs on the back of that. These got recorded and are released as ‘Live At Vicar St.’ I’m back in front of the lamps and it feels good, so lets see where we go from here.

Talk Soon,

The Gay Nineties

I remember the nineties alright. I recorded ‘Smoke And Strong Whiskey’ in Westland. It’s a strange album. I fell out with some of the musicians I’d rehearsed with and had to re-convene. The album always sounds too fast to me.

My old label put out a compilation the same time as ‘Smoke And Strong Whiskey’ and it fairly sunk the album but that’s the way those people think, so fuck ‘em (although I must admit it’s a good album!).

’King Puck’ was recorded in Ballyvourney and I used to visit Peader and Geraldine O’Riada for healing cups of tea and honey sandwiches. I got to play with Neil McColl and Máire Breathnach. Got the old ‘Rose’ down at last and also vowed never again to wear make-up no matter what the photographer told me. I still blush when I see the shaggin’ snaps.

Nancy died in 1992 but I still talk to her and I miss her too but she’s not gone too far away. I was finally cut loose from my moorings.

‘Live At The Point’ was a nightmare in the making for I regarded three different sets of gigs at the venue and mixed them all. It was arduous but also rewarding, educational, humbling and sometimes great fun. ’Graffiti Tongue’ came next and some of the early work was wonderful. Inis Meán and Passage were special but back in Ballyvourney it got very lonely. This is the loneliest album I ever made.

I realise I’m only writing about albums here but down the road I’ll fill in some gaps. I’ll tell you all about the real life after ‘Graffiti Tongue’, there was ANOTHER compilation. Yes the fucking ‘Collection Part 2’. There’s a story here too but I won’t tell it just now – only to say that it was the multinationals 1997again. The suits were pressed into my face once more. I didn’t record for three years after ‘Graffiti’ but then I discovered again that the process of recording songs should be enjoyable – that it could be (even) fun.

Me and Leo Pearson down the garden banging ‘Traveller’ together. Fuck it but ‘twas a healing balm. Young Lunny came in and played bouzouki backwards while The Edge was a welcome guest.

There’s another ten years up the spout.

 

 

 

Other Links

Facebook Page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christy-Moore/

4711ers (CM discussion forum)

4711ers Forum

The museum of Free Derry

www.museumoffreederry.org/index02.html

Irish Traditional Music Archive

www.itma.ie/English/Broadcasting.html

West Cork Music

www.westcorkmusic.ie

Crooked House Theatre Company

http://kildare.ie/crookedhouse/

Crooked House Theatre Company

http://kildare.ie/crookedhouse/

Review from Ryan Graham

Ryan Graham took the trouble to post this review on the Guest page…
I read it just before the Barrowland gig and it stayed with me

Hi folks, I’ve been up since the early hours this morning on a rare day off and have spent it doing something I haven’t had a chance to do in too long a time. Christy CDs on and just relaxing around the house and trawling through the internet for anything interesting to read. I came across the following post on a soccer forum and it said a lot I myself couldn’t have put in to words so eloquently so I thought I would share them with you.

Anyway, here goes:
Good Morning, in another universe and on another planet, in another time, another place I wear a different hat and coat. In that other world and with a different name I have cause to write sporadically on things simply not related to Celtic Football Club or Football in general. One- Pastime-so to speak, in this other world occasionally involves the reviewing of the odd performance artiste, and in the course of so doing I do occasionally throw in a mention of my love for Celtic Football club and all- or at least most things- related to the club. This morning I feel the need to bring that other world into this football forum- and talk not about football, but about something else entirely. I first “heard” Christy Moore live whilst hanging about outside the Mitchell Street Theatre. It would be the very early ’80’s sometime and he was rehearsing for a gig that night. I had no idea he was on and had no tickets for the gig. I had no idea he was rehearsing- I only heard a noise and a tune that stopped me in my tracks. In those days, I was a part timer. Part time student, part time drinker, part time footballer ( in the purely amateurish and recreational sense ), part time shite talker, part time sage, part time- everything! It is a job description or life style that I have never escaped despite eventually becoming a full time worker, husband, father and I suppose Adult. I am and hopefully always will be a part time something or other. Within two years I had me a job, a wage, a supposedly 9-5 existence, and the permanent smile and laugh that I hope one’s early twenties should bring. I also therefore had the wherewithal and the savvy to go and see the man from Kildare when he next came to town. That too was to become a fixture that I rarely missed and Christy has ever since been a constant source of reference. He still is some nearly 30 years on. The reason for Christy Moore being an Iconic performer was all too much in evidence last night at the Concert Hall. Some may come to listen to the man sing, but for me it is more- far, far more- than the singing which drags me in like a tractor beam. I will openly admit that I frequently, if not always, shed a quiet tear during a Christy concert. It is something that I cannot and never can explain. Whether it is the emotion he throws into a concert, or the songs or the lyrics, or whatever- I am gripped. Seized with the images painted in words and music. He grabs the root tree and branch of the soul and the very being. He can reach into the grave and pull out your ancestors as well as showing you your children. When you look into a child’s face- you are seeing all the human race. Moore has vast cannon of songs and whilst he has a songbook with a list always at hand, there is no set list as such. Yes there is the stable diet of standards, but he feels his way into a vibe and plays and sings what he feels is right in the spur of the moment-often leaving his side kick, Declan Sennett (of whom more later ) having to follow on and catch up. Last night, you clearly got the impression that he had a particular vibe- a particular message. A subliminal statement to make. Starting quite deliberately with North and South (co written with Bono), he went through a range of numbers concerning Ireland and the Irish, the today, the yesterday and the tomorrow. He name checked “Mary” at 70 and “Hannah” at 14. He paid his homage- as he always does- to Scotland and Glasgow in particular with the beautiful Barrowlands, and Black is the colour learned from the late great Hamish. Mentions of Danny Kyle, and the boys of the loch were thrown in and a quick tale about being saved one night by Tam Harvey, Billy Connolly and the late Gerry Rafferty, who threw him into the back of a van one night quickstyle- when he sang the wrong song in the wrong place! There is no need for me to go through a Christy Set list on here- many will know the words and tunes as well as I do if not better. What I want to convey is that I always feel a better man for having been to listen to Christy. He sings and talks of what is right. About the issues. About a moral coda that to me seems absolutely the right path and stance. A stance full of humour and the good things of life with no animosity to your fellow man, and a deep respect and love for those who we share the planet with. However all of this is fortified with the right and belief that you should stand up for your rights and for the rights of the man next door no matter his race, creed, background or whatever. There are few Human beings on this earth who are as “Gentle” as Christy Moore, but by God I swear that Declan Sinnott is one such. His effortless guitar playing and his endless capacity to just follow on wherever Christy chooses to go is, in itself, a wonder. These two men are linked by far more than the desire or need to eek out a living on the road together. There is clearly a deep bond between them, which goes way beyond the playing of music. Declan has huge hands. Hands that could be wrapped around the frets of three guitars at once let alone one. He sings with a lovely gentle voice that should be heard more often, and he plays the guitar with his right shoulder. If you don’t know what I mean by that, then treat yourself and buy a bloody ticket next time round. Declan will applaud some solo stuff that Christy comes out with, and seems sometimes surprised and delighted at what his fellow performer comes away with. Many reading this will have had parents, or grandparents, or great grandparents who came here from Ireland a long time ago. They came in search of the better and to escape if not the great famine, then a different type of famine- oppression, a lack of hope or opportunity, a lack of possibilities for them and their kids. Others will have come to Scotland- and elsewhere- to escape the more recent troubles- the bombs, the bullets, the army, the police, the tensions, the bigotry, the gerrymandering, the unemployment and the general greyness of the 60’s or 70’s that could be found almost anywhere in Britain and Ireland. They came with Hope. Hope and a sense of tradition expressed in music and song. The ability to build, or fix, or mend, to work long hours if given the chance, and to contribute and fend for themselves and theirs. Christy’s songs always bring that back home. The reminder that the ordinary man is precisely that- the ordinary man just going about his day to day. Not seeking conflict or hassle, just the chance of the daily wage, the bread on the table, the ability to give the next generation the leg up. In 2011, life is much more comfortable for many than it was in the’80’s or before. The standard of living is higher and in many respects the rubbish that came with the troubles and the troubles themselves are behind us. Songs will always exist about historical events. Some glorify past actions, some are testament to and a reminder of things in the past which must remain in the past and never be allowed to happen again. Not just in Scotland or Ireland, but England, South America, The US- everywhere.Yep, Christy Moore reminds me of why I get up in the morning, and instills in me the belief that if enough of us pull together then the world will be a better place than yesterday and the day before. He also instills that sense of righteous gentleness that you see in many, many good folk from all walks of life, all colours, and all persuasions. Ordinary people, not politicians, presidents, kings, film stars and the like – just the ordinary Joe. Such a concert is magic – just magic and you leave with the belief that you are absolutely right and justified in dreaming of past, present and future. So if you have never been then make it a must do for the next time yer man comes to town. I swear you will feel the soul move. My oldest son is called Declan, my youngest called Christy – and I just like that. And to the big fella that sat next to me and who tunes in here from time to time– Enjoy the Barrowlands tonight- I will be singing in the living room. So come all you dreamers……….. Ride On!

All For The Roses

Wally Page/Tony Boylan

He’s twenty-five; he’s sick and tired,
It’s time to try the other side,
The B&I to paradise,
To sergeants and their men.

He’s never been to Dun Na Ri,
Combed the beaches after three,
Chips and beer and greenery,
Brothers one and all.

He signed and took the soldiers crest,
A decent man in battle dress,
When bugles blow you do your best,
For sergeants and their men.

All for the roses, over the sea.

He’s way ahead; he’s second to none,
With his fabrique nationali gun,
Marching bands with Saxon blood,
Sergeants and their men.

They landed with the sinking sun,
An invasion by the media run,
They covered up and they kissed with tongues,
Sergeants and their men.

But the phantom gunner danced the end,
And battered human bodies bled,
They butchered us, we butchered them,
Sergeants and their men.

All for the roses, over the sea,
All for the roses, Finglas boys to be.

Now a flower of sleep grows on his grave,
Forgotten soon the cowards and the brave,
But the coldest hate still lives today,
For sergeants and their men.

All for the roses, over the sea,
All for the roses, Finglas boys to be.

more info

Sorry no essay at present.

 

CHORDS

Sorry no Chords at present.

Aisling

Shane Mac Gowan

See the bright new moon is rising,
Above the land of black and green.
Hear the rebels voices calling,
I will not die ’till you bury me.

The aunt upstairs in the bed she is calling,
Why has he forsaken me.
Faded pictures in the hallway,
Which one of them brown ghosts is he?

Bless the wind that shakes the barley,
Curse the spade and curse the plough.
I’ve counted years and weeks and days,
And I wish to God I was with you now.

Fare thee well me black-haired diamond,
Fare thee well me own Aisling.
At night fond dreams of you still haunt me,
Far across the grey north sea.

And the wind it blows from the North and South,
To the East And to the West.
I will be like the wind my love,
For I will know no rest  until I return to thee.

1, 2, 3, 4 telegraph poles,
Standing on the cold black road.
The night is fading into morning,
Give us a drop of your sweet poitín.

The rain was lashing – the sun was rising,
The wind was whipping through the trees.
The madness from the mountains crawling,
When I saw you first my own Aisling.

Bless the wind that shakes the barley,
Curse the spade and curse the plough.
I’ve counted years and weeks and days,
And I wish to God I was with you now.

Fare thee well my black haired diamond,
Fare thee well my own Aisling.
At night fond dreams of you still haunt me,
Far across the grey north sea.

more info

Myself and Shane were having a spasmodic shambolic attempt at telephone communication. I recall we were talking about a great lyric he had called”St.John of God(s)”. He mentioned Aisling in  passing and spoke the words down the line, I was instantly smitten.   He sent me a cassette of the song and I could not make out the melody, in my anxiety to sing the song I threw a tune at it. I have never been happy with the result. A flawed tune and a great lyric. He subsequently recorded the song himself with The Popes. Whilst I have not heard it yet I will hazard a guess that it is the better melody.

 

CHORDS

no tabs here. the tune I use is incorrect..see below

January 2012

Thanks to all who have been in touch since the last letter. Thanks too for Seasonal greetings proffered in great abundance and for all your support during the recent run of gigs.  Some interesting talk about venues on the site recently. I like it when we get your impressions of various gigs and venues. Michael Hayes (no relation to The Farmer) wrote from England about different venues. It started a train of thought. By now I may have played 30-40 different venues in the City of London. My first gig there was in The Troubadour Club for Martin Windsor and Redd Sullivan back in 1967. After that came The Singers Club with Ewan McColl and Peggy Seeger. The Hammersmith Folk Centre, The Peelers Club, The Fighting Cocks in Kingston, Wood Green club… later I played Cecil Sharpe House, Albert Hall, Half Moon Putney, Shaw Theatre, The Swan in Stockwell, The Roundhouse, The Marquee Club, Ronnie Scott’s, Queens Hall, The Palladium, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, National Kilburn, Gaumont State Kilburn (with Doc Watson), Forum Kentish Town, Electric Ballroom, Dominion, Hammersmith Odeon, Hackney Empire, The George Robey, Royal Festival Hall… all these from the top of my head without delving into old diaries… such an array of rooms. As I write this The Forum Kentish Town comes out on top and Albert Hall at the bottom. The former because of some great gigs there, the latter for the unfriendly vibe I experienced there which still lingers 20 years on.

Where I end up playing depends on a host of very different factors. It’s somewhat different from 45 years ago when this tour began. Back then I got most of my gigs through hanging around Folk Clubs, meeting organisers, doing floor spots at singers’ nights. I travelled very light, guitar case and sleeping bag. Overheads were extremely low. I basically lived hand to mouth.

These days it’s a very different world. We first decide, about 18 months in advance, when we might cross the water. My colleague in Lisdoon then contacts our Agent in London. He in turn makes contact with various promoters and venues around England, Scotland and Wales. They begin to get the bones of a tour together. When the gigs are in place it is time to plan production, accommodation, flights, ferries and publicity. All this takes a lot of time, work and attention to detail. I am fortunate to have work colleagues who take great care and pride in their particular part of the operation.

It’s not always possible to play where I would wish. I look forward to playing Leeds for its been nigh on 20 years since. It just has not been possible in the interim. I hoped to play Buxton having heard such great reports about the venue there. It simply has not worked out, maybe some day it will. For years I have wanted to play Cornwall but it has not worked out. 5 years ago I played Torquay, in my ignorance I thought I was in Cornwall but the Devon audience soon put me right on that one. Someone else suggested Cecil Sharp House in London. I played there in1973 with Planxty. Currently our London Listeners are sufficient in numbers for us to do 2 nights in the RFH so that’s where I like to play. Who knows, maybe in another few years I’ll be back at The Half Moon, Putney… I cherish the thought.

It is 40 years this week since Bloody Sunday.
I was 26 years old and back living in Dublin after 6 years working the Folk Clubs of England, Scotland and Wales. Planxty was in its infancy. We were rehearsing daily and playing small clubs in Dublin. I was in my element. I was reasonably aware of the situation up North. I knew a bit about the N.I Civil Rights Movement, (played a few fundraisers); I knew what happened at Burntollet, about
B Specials, Gerrymandering, Religious Sectarianism and class struggle but it was all a bit at arms length. Bloody Sunday changed that. I remember the day clearly, how the news began to filter through (news travelled at a different pace back then). As we realised what was happening on the Streets of Derry, many of our lives began to change. Everyone knew as the word spread and people took to the Streets. I was among the many thousands who marched to the British Embassy. It was my first time to witness violent street protest. Police baton charged us on Merrion Square, skulls were cracked. Eventually the British Embassy went up in flames. Subsequently I became more interested, and later involved, in what was happening “Up North”. Songs were written, gigs were planned and performed, and funds were raised. I became familiar with what life was like in Ballymurphy and The Bogside, in Bellaghy and The Bone. I visited The H Blocks to learn more about The Blanket Protest and over the subsequent years my work as a singer was imbued with songs and stories from The Six Counties. 40 years later and I returned again to Derry (Jan 25th) where I was invited to launch the book “Setting the Truth Free” by Julieann Campbell. It tells the inside story of the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign. May the healing process continue, may we live in Peace

We cross over to Manchester next week for the BBC Folk Awards. Kevin Littlewood’s song “On Morecambe Bay” has been nominated for an award and I have been invited to sing it on the night. It is such a powerful song. I am looking forward to playing in the new Lowry Theatre in Salford, the town that Ewan McColl described in his classic song “Dirty Old Town”. It was his home town. I have been blessed in my working life to have had access to so many great writers across the water. From Ewan McColl on to Dave Goulder, Peter Hames, Mike Waterson, Sandra Kerr, Dave Cadwell, Bill Caddick, Harvey Andrews, Ian Prowse, Peter Cadle to name a few. All those writers, singers and musicians who shared so generously, who swapped songs and chords, shared gigs…

I have also been invited to perform on the BBC’s excellent Sunday Morning Programme The Andrew Marr Show. My choice was to perform “On Morecambe Bay”. I was perplexed and disappointed when the editor decided it was not suitable for their TV show. My first thought was to pull the gig but instead I have decided to proceed. Maybe there will be a change of heart. If not I will find another song to sing. Recently I have performed this song on Ireland’s most popular TV show; also on many of our top Radio Shows (with Pat Kenny on RTE Radio 1, Tom Dunne on Newstalk FM, Gerry Anderson on BBC Radio Foyle and with Mick O’Brien on Dublin City FM). Small wonder that Folk Music exists in the mainstream of music in Ireland. “On Morecambe Bay” has become widely known here over the past 3 months, it is an achingly beautiful, well crafted, relevant and controversial song. Yet it has sadly been deemed unsuitable by the editorial suits of the (very fine) Andrew Marr Show.

I received a very powerful album last week. I first met Helen Brennan in the early 70s. We both frequented The Traditional Club which ran in Slattery’s of Capel St., Dublin every Wednesday night for over 20 years… Her album “Mirrors of the Soul” is a very fine collection. Helen tells me that it is available from Claddagh records…CD World…Celtic Note…iTunes

The visit to the Sin é Radio Show was a gem. My third visit in 12 years it was one of my most enjoyable radio experiences ever. Mick O’Brien was master of ceremonies, Lar Flynn was “fear an tí ” and we had three 4711er’s in as guests who doubled on backing vocals (Adam, Graham and Olivia). It was more like 6 friends sitting about shooting the breeze (with the added dimension of friends dropping in from all around the globe on text, facebook, flitter, scutter and twatter) Lots of songs, banter, tea, tart and simple downright bonhomie.

Some new dates added to this year’s schedule. Currently in place are gigs in Mullingar, Kilkenny, Drogheda, Enniscorthy, Killarney, Cardiff, Leeds, London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Charleville, Castlebar , Derry, Carrickmacross, Tullamore, Cork… details for these gigs are on the gig page.

Later in the year we hope to play, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Galway, Lecky Picky and Donegal amongst other. Details will be posted when available… both Declan Sinnott and myself may do some solo gigs towards the end of the year. Happy Listening. Keep in touch and let us know what’s going on out there…

Christy.

PS…Just received “Speech Project” an album by Gerry Divers…Very Highly recommended to anyone interested in music innovation. Trad. Irish with contemporary and classical flavours. In fact it is impossible for me to define or categorise this music except to say that I am finding it riveting, spellbinding and (in the case of the Margaret Barry tracks) very emotional… it will be released in the coming week on One Fine Day records.