The legendary Andy Irvine

Dave has been lucky enough to see Andy play a few times – either as a solo, with Patrick Street or the band Mozaik. This was my first time seeing him live, and he didn’t disappoint. He did a fine mix of songs from his new album — including The Spirit of Mother Jones, Emptyhanded, and Oslo — and classics from earlier in his career like Arthur McBride, My Heart’s Tonight in Ireland and Never Tired of the Road.

One song that stood out for me was O’Donoghue’s – his ode to the days when he first got started in music by hanging out at the famous Dublin pub with the boys from The Dubliners and the lads that Andy would soon join to form Sweeney’s Men. Kinda reminds me of my experience coming to The Press Room — getting to know all the other musicians, forming deep friendships and, eventually, creating this duo with Dave, and our maritime group Mudhook with our friends Alan Eaton and Mike Jeanneau (the biggest Andy Irvine fan I know). As the song says: “This is what life was all about.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you made it to the show, or his performance at Blue in Portland, what did ya think? What was your favorite song?

Sue nicely built the momentum during the evening, starting a capella, playing some tunes with Chris Stevens, and then moving to songs (with yours truly and then Michel Jenneau) and more tunes, with most of Boghat (to be fair.. Jamie wasn’t there). 

She brought it around full circle to end with a pair of a capella songs.  The crowd, which happened to include Paddy Keenan, loved it.

We had a great session afterward, where, for a few fleeting moments, we all saw ‘another side of Tom Rota.’   Put the cash in a plain brown envelope, Tom.