
Just saying. This is day 17 in the country and the warmest temperature so far was 17C.
Oh yeah, and it’s raining. But to be fair yesterday on the summer solstice, midsummers, it had been dreadfully rainy. A solstice with no sun! But by 4:00 the clouds cleared and we had sunshine for the longest day of the year. An interesting coincidence is the Sun set at 22:07 in both Galway and Edmonton.
I took Bus Eireann from Galway City to Letterkenny Co. Donegal. You’ll be happy to hear that with no stops the 248km trip was only 30 minutes shorter that the flight from Montreal to Dublin! (5’40” vs 6’10”). But I’m here reacquainting with Edmonton friend Cathal Tunney and his wife Mary. Had a lovely dinner then picked up his brother Paddy and made the hour trek to Bunbeg at Huidi Beag’s pub. This is in my top 5 best sessions in Ireland, if not the best. Great mix of younger and older musicians. Host with the most Hugh Gallagher (gal-a-her) would jump from fiddle, piano or serving drinks.
Brothers Cathal& Paddy Tunney are great fiddlers and singers. Other musicians included well known harpist Janet Harbison -https://www.janetharbisonharp.com. She was very good!
Gearóid Ó Maonaigh (Mooney) played his beautiful Guild guitar. He is the brother of Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (fiddle and vocals) of Altan and father of Ciarán Ó Maonaigh (fiddle) former young traditional musician of the year.
Young Cillian was ripping up the box.
And young Molly Mooney of the Altan lineage was playing every tune. Played til 1 than an hour home.
The first week has flown by! Galway City, SW Donegal for 3 nights, now back in Galway.
Met up with old friend, fiddler and fisherman Adrian Murray. Adrian had bought 2 of my CD’s and was a big fan of Georgia’s Canada Day Waltz. He had me play it at every session and it went over very well.
here’s the link (at long last- it was nowhere to be found).
Georgia’s Canada Day Waltz -1994
For the record: there are more than 3 musicians in Galway City. But if you’re going to play at the Big 3 (Taaffe’s Tigh Coili’s and the Crane) you’ll often be playing with Johnny O’Halloran, Anders Trajberg and Declan Corey.
Hacked! Don’t open any attachments.
It looks like a hacker has been in my Gmail and been sending incoherent messages (unlike me! haha)
please delete these messages.
I am having a great summer and I hope you are too.
Jay
Player two gigs today; Winter Fun Fest in promotion of the
upcoming “Flying Canoe Adventures” then off to WEM to play “Frosty the Snowman” and such. It was all great fun but the freezing rain was very bad and made for treacherous driving. 🙁
A lovely last night in Kearney’s. Tony Halsall played some mighty stuff. It was quiet enough so Jackie & I played loads of our tunes. Bouasque is always a show stopper.
Left Roscommon & headed towards Galway. Stopped in Athenry for a visit with John & Mary O’Connor. There was loads of food & Their daughter, Julianna, & her daughters, Bloween & Murren. We had music by the fire where I played the fiddl and Bloween played the drum (a biscuit tin & a wooden spoon). Then to Renmore which is really touching Galway city to see the Fuller/ Byrne family. We have a tradition where I teach the children some tunes. This year I taught Daniel & Sarah ‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley’ & ‘Sally Gardens’. But in a nice twist Sarah, now 16, taught me a tune; The Boys of Knock.
Now, Saturday night Session at Tig Coili’s (the link is not my session but you get the feel). Connor on box, his wife Maureen on fiddle (the have 8 mo. old twin boys!) Jakub on guitar and Barry Brady on box. The tunes were flying and the place was packed. My Chicago Blackhawks jersey also got a lot of attention. Wearing a hockey jersey is a great way to meet Canadians, we always take the bait. I was a bit disappointed when they played the Buck at 12:10 and they were done. But then an English lad sat down and open up his fiddle and then Maureen Browne sat down and grabbed a fiddle. “I know Edmonton” she says, ” I played there last summer with the Alan Kelly Gang at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.” so we had loads more music, hooray!