òran mór

Reagh Greenleaf, of Wandering Tree Arts,  organized the music for this year’s Earth Day celebration at the Seacoast Science Center at Odiorn Point State Park in Rye, NH.  He invited a few of us local folk to join him under the tent and we had a great time  It was a beautiful Saturday morning.  After a race that ended on the point we — that would be Reagh, Bill Perry, Rocky Rockwood and I – started in on some tunes and songs.   Families and many energetic kids were about – so we had instant dancers.   I had a chance during the break to check out the latest exhibits at the Science Center.  That’s grown to quite a place, and a visit that I’d recommend when you are in the area.

Thanks again to Reagh for setting things up, and to Eva Powers for snapping these shots!

You probably  know that Terry Weir leads the Wednesday session at Harrington’s in Wakefield MA, and that we join him to become the trio “Sligo Road’ on many occasions, too.  

Terry is on vacation in warmer climes this week – and he has entrusted the Harrington’s Session to Pete and I.   One of  us told him ‘You can trust us” — while the other whispered “You’ll be sooooorrry”  (no need to tell you which was which).
Anyway – we have the reins there this Wednesday, the 21st.  If you happen to be around, or up for a little drive, we’d love to see you there.  We’ll be having a good time there from 8:30 to 11:30 – then trying to cover our tracks the best we can.

Well, we survived the high holiday intact, even if it’s taken us a little time to recover. I know the lack of recent posts has concerned a few people…but really, we’re okay.

Actually, this year was a fantastic St. Patrick’s Day season, with lots of friends, music, dancing and all around great craic. The afternoon gig at Ri Ra was fantastic, and we enjoyed the evening at Feile Restaurant and Pub in Wells ME. The requests for songs were non-stop…and I thought I’d share two interesting requests.

First, if you’ve ever seen us perform, you’ve probably heard me make the joke that we welcome requests — “especially if they’re written on the back of a $5 bill.” For the first time, someone actually took me up on it. 

Payday!

It was while we were playing The Port Tavern in Newburyport with Terry Weir (as Sligo Road). As you can see, it was a plum request … Ewan MacColl’s Dirty Old Town … which we did our best on since it’s not part of the regular repetiore. We even gave the guy a money-back guarantee in case our attempt was less than he expected. But he was happy enough and insisted we keep it.

The other request came while Dave and I were at Feile late on St. Patrick’s Day. A very nice, older woman was sitting with her friends and family at a table right in front of the stage … it was tight quarters, too. I could have swiped a chicken finger, no problem.

"Why, yes! I DO know that song!"

Anyway, we set up our gear and finally started playing and, part way through dessert (say 8pm), she handed up a note that read:

“When I was in Ireland a singer at a pub [sang] about a man trying to get blocks on a rope but kept falling up + down.”

After deciphering the handwriting, a huge grin came over my face. This lovely woman had requested one of my all-time favorites to sing. Pete Cooksey’s The Sick Note (also known as Dear Boss). I read the note aloud to the congregation, err, the crowd, and launched into it. I don’t want to brag, but the audience was pleased and impressed…either because I knew the song, or because they’d been drinking pints since 3 pm that afternoon.

The funny thing is: This song has twice made me look like a rock star. Dave actually has a recording from when we had the session at Molly Malone’s, and a woman requested it for her husband. On the recording, you can distinctly hear her squeal “Oh, yes! That’s it!”

But I’ll let you in on a secret – I love this song. I used to play Robbie O’Connell’s recording of it all the time, and the only reason I don’t sing it more often is that the joke loses its luster for those people who come to see us all the time. You have to pace yourself with that one.

Speaking of requests, if you have any and you haven’t seen us for  a bit, you might want to swing by KATE O’SHEA’s in Seabrook NH this weekend. We’ll be playing there on SATURDAY night, APRIL 10.

We’d love to see you and get you joining in the songs.

Glowing with the approach of St. Patrick's Day

I always loved that ole bit of poetry that goes “In Spring, a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of St. Patrick’s Day…” or something like that.

Whatever the quote (yes, I know the real one), it is that time of year when we find people really DO want to listen to a variety of Irish songs and tunes…some they know, and some they have yet to discover. Well, we have a bunch of dates coming up that you may want to mark on the calendar…and we hope to see you soon so we can play the stuff you know, and maybe introduce you to a new favorite!

• March 15, 7-10pm  @ Ri Ra, Portsmouth, NH
• March 16, 11:30a-1:30pm @ Brooksby Village Retirement Community, Peabody, MA (as Sligo Road w/ Terry Weir) 
• March 17, 1-4pm  @ Ri Ra, Portsmouth, NH
• March 17, 7:30-10:30pm  @ Feile Restaurant, Wells, ME
• March 21, 5:30-8:30pm  @ The Port Tavern, Newburyport, MA (as Sligo Road w/ Terry Weir)
• March 22, 7-10pm  @ Ri Ra, Portsmouth, NH
• March 29, 7-10pm  @ Ri Ra, Portsmouth, NH

A few months ago, a new Irish pub opened in Seabrook, NH on Rte. 107, called Kate O’Shea’s. We had heard good things about it from our friends Mark and Claire Tobyne, as well as Reagh Greenleaf, who has played a few gigs there. Everything we heard was that it’s a comfortable, cozy place, with friendly staff and good food.

Ian from Kate O'Shea's Irish Pub, with our friends Mark and Claire Tobyne

Well, they weren’t lying. I stopped in last week to confirm an upcoming gig with owners Ian and Kerri, and they were very welcoming and friendly. Then again, I like any pub where the owners book live music.

Don’t take my word for it, though! Come on down to check out Kate O’Shea’s Irish Pub for yourself this Friday night (Feb. 19). We’ll be playing there starting at 7:30 pm, and hope to make our debut at Kate’s a great night. We’re looking forward to seeing some friends there, and maybe even dragging Mark and Claire up on stage to sing us a song.