òran mór

Just a quick blast to remind everyone we’ll be at Kate O’Shea’s in Seabrook tomorrow night, July 23, starting at 7pm. Always a good time, and always a great pint!

There's your man, Ian, behind the bar

 Check ‘em out on Facebook, and then come on down for the craic!

Just a heads-up that our planned appearance at Kate O’Shea’s in Seabrook NH on 6/26 has been cancelled…they’ve booked a private party for that night, so we’ll be off doing other things that night.

(I’m not sure what we’ll be doing…but it’ll be fun. Wish you were there.)

Don’t worry, however…we’re still playing there this Saturday night (6/12) and next Friday 6/18)…so there are plenty of opportunities to see more mor.

(or is that mor more?)

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.

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.