òran mór

So you’ve heard us mention our friend Terry Weir several times…both for his session at Harringtons in Wakefield MA and because the three of us used to play regularly in Newburyport as the trio ‘Sligo Road’ …

And we’ve mentioned the session at The Press Room in Portsmouth NH…the session that’s a 25 year institution, and where Dave and I first met.

Well, tonight (5/14/2010), the two will get together for the first time. Terry is coming north from County Wakefield and is headed to The Press Room session to join in the craic…and then he’s is going to join us for the gig we have at Kate O’Shea’s in Seabrook. (We go on at 7:30 pm.)

I’m really looking forward to seeing his reaction to The Press Room. It can be wild and wooly sometimes, but the singing is always great and everyone there is like family. It will kind of be like introducing a long-lost cousin to the clan.

And, of course, Dave and I are really excited that Terry will be playing with us at Kates…he’s a terrific mandolin player and he’s got some great songs as well.

Hope you can join us for this special treat!

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

This coming Sunday is Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day…when thoughts of love fill the hearts of people, the windows of the chocolate shops, and the card aisles at CVS. We’ll be performing again at The Port Tavern in Newburyport with Sligo Road, so in preparation, I’ve been going through the ol’ songbook to make sure we have a few choice love songs to play.

Not that Irish love songs end particularly well, mind you. Seamus Eagan from Solas once opined that the relationships in Irish love songs “either never get off the ground, or they end particularly badly.”

Anyway, we recently had a few requests for a particular love song that I hadn’t heard in years, called “Grace”…so I went ahead and learned it. Now that I’ve done a bit of research about the song, I thought I’d share the history of this lovely classic.

This isn’t some kind of sentimental saccharine of this Hallmark holiday…this song made famous by Jim McCann tells a true story of love that is directly tied to the fight for Ireland’s independence.

Grace Gifford

At the turn of the last century, there was a young Irish woman named Grace Gifford. A cartoonist by trade, she was engaged to a poet and journalist by the name of Joseph Plunkett. They were supposed to be married on Easter Sunday in 1916 in University Chapel on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin.

Now those who know about the Easter Rising in 1916 will recognize Plunkett’s name. He was one of the leaders of the rebellion and, at age 28, was the youngest to sign the Proclamation of the Republic that Patrick Pearse read at the General Post Office in Dublin.

In planning the revolt, the secrecy required meant that Joseph couldn’t tell Grace that their wedding plans would be replaced by the Easter Rising.

Joseph Plunkett

Following the failed revolt, Plunkett and the other leaders were sentenced to death by firing squad at Kilmainham Jail. When Grace learned that her darling Joseph was to be killed the next day, she bought a ring and rushed to the jail at night. She and Joseph were married in the chapel in the early morning of May 4 under guard from 20 soldiers and, as soon as the ceremony ended, Plunkett was taken back to his cell. Later that morning, he was marched to the courtyard and shot.

I can’t imagine what it would have been like for Grace to look into his eyes and pledge her undying love, knowing that he’d be taken from her in just a few hours. As the last line of the song’s chorus says: “There won’t be time to share our love, for we must say goodbye.”

Some people may point to Romeo and Juliet as a great love story, but that was fiction. The true story of Grace and Joseph takes my breath away. I don’t view the song a republican anthem, it’s a terrific reminder that we should always let those we love know how we feel every chance we get.