On December 4th, 2009, Liam Clancy passed away. It was the end of an era. He was the youngest of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem group and for the past couple of years was, as he said himself, "the last man standing." I knew that he had been seriously ill but his death still came as an awful shock. I still can't believe that someone so much larger than life is no longer with us.

Liam was my uncle, my mother's brother, but he was also a friend, a mentor and an inspiration. No one could inhabit a song like Liam could or enchant a room full of people with such masterful presence. As I worked with him over the years, we had many great times together and a few not so great. But it's the great times that I want to remember now.

Back in 2007 I was co-writer of a book called Clean Cabbage in the Bucket and Other Tales from the Irish Music Trenches. One of the pieces I wrote, The Stampede, was about a very memorable day Liam and I had back in the winter of 1996. I would like to add it here as a tribute to Liam as it recalls, for me, the Liam that I knew.

As Tomas O Criomhthain said of the people of the Great Blasket Island in his book, The Islandman, "Ni bheidh a leitheid ann aris." We will never see his likes again.

The Stampede

In the fall of 1996, I got a call from Liam Clancy asking me if I would come over to Ireland to perform with him at the post premiere party of Neil Jordan's film, "Michael Collins." A grand nephew of the film’s hero, also named Michael Collins, was one of the city councilors in Waterford City, so this was a special premiere. The plan was to have Liam Neeson, the star of the film, make an appearance prior to the screening of the movie and at 10:30pm we would all repair to the Granville hotel where Liam Clancy, Martin Murray and I would perform for an hour.
The concept of time in Ireland does not conform to any known scientific laws. It was midnight before the crowd assembled at the hotel and a little after one a.m. when we finally got started. We found that the audience was more interested in talking about the film than listening to us, so we finished up our set and headed back to the bar. Ironically, some of the same people who talked all through the concert now wanted to hear more music. A classic Irish session was soon underway, and when I left for bed around six in the morning, it was still going strong.
I awoke at two the following afternoon, feeling as fragile as an empty egg. After I figured out that I was still alive, I cautiously made my way to the shower where a half hour under a cascade of steaming water revived me enough to go in search of breakfast. I cautiously made my way to the hotel dining room where Liam joined me, a little later. His condition appeared even worse than mine so we picked at our food and didn’t say much.
There are certain kinds of hangovers that make you philosophical. Your everyday perspective has shifted and everything seems infused with deep meaning. Even the most mundane things appear profound. You suddenly realize how wondrous the mechanics of a flush toilet are, or, you watch mesmerized as a seagull hovers overhead then dives down to snatch a discarded orange peel. Phrases of songs that you never knew start playing in your head; lines of poetry that you have not thought of for years suddenly surface. This alternative perspective on reality is a gift not to be wasted, and we were not the boys to let an opportunity like this pass us by.
It was November, the sky was clear, and the thermometer was hovering around freezing point. We decided that it was a perfect day to take the long way home. In Ireland, that means driving on the back roads and stopping at small country pubs along the way. It’s a rural adventure that is best indulged in on crisp winter days when the sky is blue, the muddy roads are frozen and every country pub has a big fire blazing. These frosty days are also perfect for connecting with the old world; visiting graveyards and ruined castles, or searching for Sheila na Gigs. An hour or two of tramping through frozen fields and climbing over brambly ditches can make a hot whiskey taste like the nectar of the Gods.
I realized that our back-roads itinerary would take us close to the Knockeen dolmen. I persuaded Liam that he had to see this archeological wonder. It’s a three thousand-year-old burial mound comprised of giant standing stones of granite, capped with a monstrous twenty-ton boulder. This may not be the average person’s idea of a good time, but in Waterford, my hometown, we revere our ancestors, particularly when a hot whiskey is involved.
But the Knockeen dolmen is not easy to find. It lies hidden on farmland, surrounded by a maze of narrow winding roads – roads from which careless travelers may never return. We were on the third wrong turn when we noticed several dogs wandering around. That's not an unusual sight in rural Ireland where dogs have their own social network, independent of their masters. You will often pass dogs on the road as they are hurrying to business meetings or staggering home from the pub. But there seemed to be more dogs than the usual wandering around. I knew that Liam was no dog lover and I could sense his anxiety level rising. At last, I spotted a familiar old iron gate and announced triumphantly, "This is it!"
"Okay. Where is this thing?" Liam asked, with all the enthusiasm of a flat pint.
"We just have to climb over this gate, cross the field and hop over the wall, and it's right there," I replied.
"You must be joking," said Liam, looking wide-eyed at me. "Do you expect me to climb over that gate in this condition?"
It took a while, but with the aid of several snide remarks about his manhood, and assurances that there were no dogs in the vicinity, I managed to coax him into the field. We still had to walk about two hundred yards to the far wall where the dolmen awaited. The field was sloped; the higher ground on our right and the lower part rolling down for a quarter of a mile to our left. The grass was tall and spongy under foot, so, with heads down, carefully scanning the terrain for cow pats and soggy spots, we advanced from tuft to tuft.
"This is great," I said, with forced exuberance. "Plenty of fresh air to clear the head."
"Where the hell is it?" Liam asked, impatiently.
"Just inside that ditch," I said, pointing to the wall about fifty yards ahead.
Suddenly, we heard a long note from a horn or bugle, immediately followed by a deep rumbling sound. We looked up the hill. A huge herd of frightened bullocks was stampeding directly towards us. It was exactly like a scene from an old cowboy movie, minus the clouds of dust. We looked wildly around. Not a rock or tree was in sight; nothing but the open field.
"Jesus Christ!" I screamed. "Run!"
We were running like hares when we spotted a telegraph pole, fifty feet ahead. It didn’t look like much protection, but it was all there was and our only hope. We made a dash for it. With hearts pounding, we lined up behind the pole, trying to make ourselves as thin as possible. Terrified cattle thundered by on either side of us. Hundreds of hooves battered the ground, just inches away, like the roar of a massive waterfall. The smell of hot, hairy animals filled our nostrils. Specks of mud dotted our clothes. We stood there, panic stricken, limbs trembling, adrenaline racing through our veins. It was Armageddon for certain; at least for us. Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it was all over.
The silence that followed seemed unnatural. We were so shaken, we just stood there waiting for the panic to subside. We could not believe we had survived. We stared at the cattle, now milling uneasily at the lower end of the field. If that telephone pole had not been there, we would have been trampled to death for sure.
"Let's get the hell out of here," said Liam. "But we’re almost there," I pleaded. "Just take a quick look over the wall." We had almost paid a dear price in this effort, and I was not about to give up now. Reluctantly, he followed me as far as the wall.
"Is that it?" Liam asked, with little more than a glance at the ivy-covered heap of stones. I nodded. “Right, then,” he said. “Let’s go.” There was no arguing with him. He’d had enough.
Still keeping a wary eye on the cattle now huddled in the lower corner of the field, we crossed back the way we had come. As we were getting into the car, the bugle sounded again and we realized what had had happened. There was a foxhunt in full pursuit somewhere nearby. Though we couldn’t see them, we could hear the muffled shouts of the riders and the faint barking of the hounds. That explained the unusual number of dogs we had seen earlier and the spooked, charging cattle.
"Where are we anyway?" asked Liam. "What's the nearest village?"
"Dunhill is about three miles," I replied.
"Great!" says he, "Harney's is just the place."
The whole surreal episode was still very much with us and we were both in need of a little something to settle the nerves. A short drive brought us to Dunhill and Harney's pub. A fire was blazing in a big stone fireplace, and feeling a bit more relaxed and secure, we sat up at the bar. It was mid afternoon and there were only two other customers. One was reading a paper while the other stared into space. Jim Harney, the proprietor, appeared behind the bar. He was delighted to see Liam.
"I can't believe it," he said. "We were only talking about you last night. Paddy Barron is staying here and he was asking about you." He went on to explain how Paddy, an old friend of Liam’s, was home from the States for a short holiday, but had gone to Dublin that morning and was not expected back for several hours.
"He'll be really disappointed to miss you," Jim said, setting two creamy pints of Guinness on the counter. We both put twenty-pound notes on the bar but Jim insisted that the drinks were on the house. We chatted with the other customers; one of whom we learned was a psychiatric nurse unwinding from a hard week’s work.
I have often noticed that the search for mutual acquaintances seems to be of primary importance among strangers in Irish pubs. Maybe it’s that old suspicion of the outsider that still lingers in the countryside. But after a few minutes, we established that we had some friends in common and we settled into conversation.
Two more pints appeared, and still our twenty-pound notes remained untouched on the counter. We related the story of the stampede, which was already assuming mythic proportions for us, but the locals were unimpressed. It didn’t sound like such a big deal to them. But reliving the ordeal, we realized just how narrow our escape had been and how lucky we were. It gave us that heightened awareness of being alive and seemed like a cause for celebration. Liam spotted a dusty old bottle of Midleton Special Old Malt whiskey on the top shelf. Never having seen that particular brand before we thought a little taste would be appropriate to the occasion. We insisted that Jim take the money this time. He quickly poured out two very generous glasses, but to our embarrassment dismissed our efforts to pay.
“No, no,” he said, shaking his head. “Sure that wouldn't even cover it."
This was getting awkward now. We wanted to stay, but we couldn't just sit there drinking and not paying. Liam had an idea.
"Well," he said, "If you won't take the money, we'll have to sing for our supper."
I went out to the car and brought in Liam’s concertina and my guitar. We relocated to the other end of the room where yellow flames were dancing away in fireplace. The few people who had been sitting at the bar moved with us. Liam picked up his concertina and played a couple of O'Carolan tunes.
Turlough O’Carolan was the last of the great Irish Harper’s who traveled the countryside in the early eighteenth century, visiting the big houses and entertaining the Gaelic aristocracy. These bards were held in high esteem and both revered and feared. If they considered themselves well treated they would write songs of praise for their patrons, but they were equally quick to defame those who did not meet their expectations.
Our miraculous pint glasses never seemed to be empty and we sat there in the firelight singing shut-eye songs and playing sweet old tunes. At one point, someone was moved to quote a couplet from Tennyson's “Ulysses.” Liam instantly sprang into action.

“It little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth among these barren crags…”

To the surprise of all, he recited the whole poem, all seventy lines, from start to finish. It was a masterful performance. His voice was full of emotion particularly when he reached the final lines:

“Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

I could see huge tears flowing down the cheeks of the psychiatric nurse. She looked stunned. Evidently, she was not accustomed to this kind of fine madness. I sang a song of my own which had been inspired by the nearby village on Dunmore East:

“I was walking the road to Dunmore,
One evening as often I’d done.
And my heart was as heavy as stone,
I was thinking of times that are gone
When we walked arm in arm on the shore
And we watched the waves roll on the sea
Never thinking that there’d come a time
They’d be rolling between you and me”

Although I had often performed that song, it was as if I was truly hearing it for the first time. Every song and tune that afternoon felt timeless and perfect. It was like stepping back in history, I thought. Surely, it must have been just like this for the old bards. We were in the zone now. Not even the arrival of several boisterous customers coming in for an after work drink could break the spell.
A little later, Jim's wife, Mary, appeared. "Come on now," she said, "Your dinner is on the table. Just leave the instruments there, and we'll take care of them."
She marched us upstairs and sat us down before a table laden with steaks, potatoes and vegetables. There was food enough for a dozen hungry men who had worked the fields from dawn to dusk. Bottles of wine were opened, glasses were filled, and with appetites sharpened by pints of Guinness and Special Old Malt whiskey, we attacked the feast manfully.
The dinner was nearly finished when the door opened and Paddy Barron stepped in. Hugs, handshakes and good-natured insults were exchanged. Another bottle of wine was opened, and then the stories began.
"Remember the time we…"
It was fascinating stuff. I heard stories of poets, musicians and “great nights” in Greenwich Village; tales of wild and crazy characters, most no longer living. After an hour or two (I’d lost track of the time by then) we headed back down to the small bar on the other side of the pub for a session. The instruments were waiting for us. Even if we had wanted to leave at that point it would have been rude to do so after all the hospitality we had received. So, we extracted a promise from Jim that he would let us pay for our drinks from here on out. Then we picked up our instruments and settled in beside the fire. Within minutes the room was packed with regulars and it soon turned into a mighty session. Several local singers eagerly joined in and we carried on singing and playing way past the official closing time.
At about two o'clock in the morning, ten hours after we stopped in for one drink, we finally took our leave. After a lengthy string of farewells, we stepped outside. The sky was riddled with stars, and frost was settling on the roadway. The world seemed strange, different, like it does when you leave a dark movie theatre and step out into daylight. It took us a couple of moments to get our bearings and to locate Liam’s car.
Anxious to avoid any police cars on our homeward journey, we discussed the pro and cons of the different routes we could take. Liam handed me his car keys.
"You have an American license,” he said. “You better drive."
If there was logic to this, I failed to see it, but it had been such an extraordinary day that I did not argue. We drove carefully and slowly, kept to the deserted back roads, and eventually we made it home safely.

The itinerary for next year's Celtica Heart of Ireland Tour, The Best of the West is now up online and available for booking. I have never seen the bookings come in so quickly. There seems to be a pent up demand from those who were wary of going earlier this year because of economic uncertainties. We also have several repeat passengers, which is wonderful. The 2010 tour will ramble up the west coast from West Cork to Mayo taking in some fabulous places along the way including three islands, Garnish Island, The Great Blasket and Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands. We will also visit some of my favorite towns - Kenmare, Dingle, Doolin, Galway, Cong and Westport, among others. Some of my favorite hotels are also on this itinerary. Benner's Hotel in Dingle is one of the places people never want to leave and Renvyle House in Connemara has an amazing chef and serves some the best food in Ireland. I can hardly wait. I'm ready to leave right now.

I've been back in the studio for the past few days, putting the finishing touches to the new Clancy Legacy CD. Hopefully, it will all be finished in the next month or so and ready for release before Christmas.

I have some interesting gigs coming up, starting this weekend with the Maritime Folk Festival in Portsmouth, NH. I want to thank Celtic Crossing in Portsmouth for their generous sponsorship that made my participation possible. I'm looking forward to checking out their store while I'm there.

In a few weeks I'll be doing a concert on board the square-rigged ship Balclutha in Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco. I did this a few years ago and really enjoyed it so I'm looking forward to going back. It's a great feeling to be singing sea songs on an actual ship.

On my way out, I'll be stopping in Tucson, AZ to do a concert, kindly organized by Melissa and Chris Tatum. I have always loved Tucson and it's been several years since I was last there so spending some time there will be an added bonus.
The weekend prior to that, I have a duo concert with Mick Moloney at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland RI. The following day, I'll be with Aoife Clancy at the Irish Heritage Festivalin Quincy, MA.

The first time I went to St. John's, Newfoundland I was bewildered by the sense of familiarity that I felt. The people all looked like the people I had grown up with in Waterford and the accent was almost the same. It's not surprising since it's mostly people from Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny who first settled the area. They first went out fishing for cod on the Grand Banks in the summers and gradually began to spend the winters there as well. St John's got its name from the St John's parish in Waterford city where I was baptized so I feel a real sense of connection there. It looks like I'll be doing a few concerts in Newfoundland in November. I'll have more on that in a week or two or you can just check my Concert Calendar, if you are in that area. That's about it for now. I hope you all enjoy the lovely fall weather.

The re-issue of my Never Learned to Dance CD, with a new cover photo, is now available at the Celtica Music Shop. With the demise of Green Linnet records, this CD has been in Limbo for the past decade but now, I'm happy to say, it is back in circulation. It's on sale for the month of April at a special price of only $15.00 including shipping and handling.

The cover photo is one I first saw, in 2007, at an exhibition of the photographs of my cousin Fionan O'Connell at the Harbor Gallery at U Mass Boston. The exhibition, called In the Heart of the Hibernian Metropolis, was a collection of photographs of contemporary Dublin. Some of you may have seen it in Boston or seen part of it last year at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland RI. This September, it will be at the Hilliard Gallery in Kansas City, MO as part of the Kansas City Irish Fest. You can get a taste of it from the link above but you really need to see the larger sized photos to get the full impact. By the way, I'll be performing at the festival too.

Celtica Music Shop also has the Absolutely Irish CD, which is the sound track from the television show of the same name. It features, Mick Moloney, Susan McKeown, John Doyle, Seamus Egan, Eileen Ivers, Karan Casey, Liz Carroll, Joanie Madden, Athena Tergis, Robbie O'Connell, Niall O'Leary, Darrah Carr, Jerry O'Sullivan, Billy McComiskey, Brendan Dolan, Rhys Jones, Tim Collins, Mac Benford, Mike Rafferty and Jo McNamara.

I'm heading off to Ireland soon for the WGBH Irish Sojourn and for the Celtica Heart of Ireland tour but I will be back for my favorite festival on the second weekend of June. Aoife and Donal Clancy and I will be appearing at the Mystic Sea Music Festival. The recreation of the nineteenth century whaling village is the perfect setting for listening to sea songs. It's a wonderful place to visit at any time but you haven't lived until you've heard 400 people belting out sea shanties together. It will make the hair stand your head.

Next Sunday, Aoife and I are doing a benefit concert for the Free Library in Wareham MA. I hope to see you there. Enjoy the spring!

All the best,

Robbie

Do Look Back

Last week I watched Don't Look Back, a documentary of Bob Dylan's 1965 English tour. I had been aware of the film for years but had never managed to see it. A day later, I happened upon a PBS special of Murray Lerner's wonderful footage of Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963, 1964 and in 1965 when he famously angered many in the crowd by having an electric back up band.

Also last week, David McDonough very kindly gave me a present of the recently released double CD of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem In Person at Carnegie Hall- The Complete 1963 Concert. It was an interesting convergence of events for me, and a very enjoyable one, to experience these two classic acts at the top of their game before all their imitators jumped on the bandwagon and tarnished the brilliance of the originals.

As a kid, I never particularly liked Bob Dylan even though I loved many of his songs. Possibly, I was just a bit too young to get the Dylan bug when he first arrived on the scene and the cultural divide between Ireland and the USA was also an obstacle. However, looking back now I see that it was the press coverage of him that turned me off. They made him out to be a self proclaimed Messiah and a spokesman for his generation. I did not realize what a distortion that was and I saw him as a something of a charlatan. I was stunned a few years ago when I read his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One and discovered that he was constantly battling the image the press created of him. The movies I recently watched reconfirmed that discovery and I found myself seeing him without bias and finally appreciating the talent and freshness that caused all the hype in the first place.

Listening to the CD of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem at Carnegie Hall in 1963 was also an eye opener. It is a powerful performance recorded with just two omnidirectional microphones. The sound is stunningly good and full considering that the only instruments were a nylon stringed guitar, a five string banjo and an occasional tin whistle. However, it is the singing, the performance, the poetry, the banter and the unbridled enthusiasm of the St. Patrick's day audience that make it so special. That was something that could not be counterfeited by the imitators.

I had simply forgotten how good they were then. As an eleven year old in 1962, I had attended their first Irish concert at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin so I should have remembered. I can still feel the thrill and the excitement of that magic night. Looking back now, I realize that concert probably changed the course of my life.

Fifteen years later, I joined a new iteration of the Clancy Brothers with Paddy, Tom and Bobby and later, after Tom's death, with Liam. I was part of the group for nineteen years but we never achieved the kind of magic you can hear on that Carnegie Hall CD. We had many great nights, and some not so great, but the chemistry of the original group could not be duplicated. I think Tommy and Liam found some of that chemistry as Makem and Clancy but even the reunion of the original group in 1984 failed to capture it all.

It's no different with Bob Dylan. There are still flashes of it in his shows but without the backdrop of the early 60's and the vigor of youth, it's simply not the same thing. One of the great things about living in this media age is that we have the benefit of time travel. That is really what it is to watch or listen to these classic recordings of a bygone era. So I say, do look back. Look back and enjoy the magic as it is captured in the convergence of time and place. It will never happen again.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you all have a great one.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

I have just added a bunch of new shows to the Concert Calendar. Most of them are Clancy Legacy concerts as Aoife, Donal and I are trying to do as many shows as we can together. We are in the process of recording a new CD and you can listen to a few of the rough mixes at The Clancy Legacy on My Space.

It should be a great session this Sunday afternoon at the Oakhurst mansion in Whitinsville, MA. We are expecting some great singers like Dan & Bonnie Milner, Bridget Fitzgerald, Michael O'Leary and many others. I'll kick things off with a short concert and then it morphs into an open session where everyone can sing. See the Concert Calendar for more info.

We still have space available on this year's Celtica Heart of Ireland Tour. Aer Lingus just announced a sale on flights to Ireland so, between that and the stronger dollar, this is a great time to join me on our Northern Sights Tour. You can call 1-800-299-CELT (2358) for more info or if you have any questions.

I heard from Brian O'Donovan, host of WGBH's Celtic Sojourn radio show that they are archiving their "live" Boston Sessions and the first one is now available. I was delighted to be part of it, along with a bunch of wonderful musicians like Hanneke Cassell, Flynn Cohen, Emerald Rae and many more.

Amid all the doom and gloom in the air in recent months, I took great joy in witnessing the historic election of Barack Obama. and in seeing him introduce his cabinet on TV today. As someone who had chosen American citizenship, rather than being born into it, I had many misgivings about that decision during the past eight years. Now those doubts are put to rest.

I do not expect him to perform miracles but, at the very least, intelligence and dignity have been restored to the office and the man knows how to pronounce "nuclear." I decided to make a list of the top ten qualities that I admire in Obama. That's when the trouble started. I accidentally hit the return key after the fourth line and I almost died of shock. Here's what I saw:

Dignity
Intelligence
Charisma
Kindness

Charm
Honesty
Energy
Nobility
Equanimity
Youthfulness

You may think this is a coincidence but I am convinced that Cheney is ensconced in his evil lair with some dastardly machine that he uses to manipulate Obama's mind. I was already suspicious when I heard that he had kept the Republican, Robert Gates, on as Secretary of Defense but this is the last straw. Does anybody know what time the next bus leaves for Canada?

However, I have some good news too. The new Green Fields of America CD is now available at Celtica Music Shop.

Compass Records will not officially release it until February but you can get an advance copy now and give it to yourself or someone else as a Christmas present. I recently did an interview with Brian O'Donovan for his Celtic Sojourn radio show on WGBH. We talked about the Green Fields group and played some tracks from the new CD. You can listen to some of that interview here. It's a fairly large file so it may take a few moments to download.

Thanks to all of you that have emailed me to say how much you have enjoyed reading "Clean Cabbage in the Bucket." I just got in a new supply for Celtica Music Shop. It makes a perfect present for any Irish music aficionado who would enjoy a behind the scenes look at the life of the traveling Irish musician or as we are known in scientific circles, Homo Hibernicus Musicus. I think I may have been watching too much PBS recently.

Speaking of PBS, you can see A Christmas Celtic Sojourn on TV in the Greater Boston area on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7:30pm on WGBH 2, Sunday, Nov. 30, 4:30pm and Friday, Dec. 5, 3:30pm on WGBH 44. It may be on other PBS stations as well so keep an eye out for it.

It is a recording of the show at the Cutler Majestic Theatre that I was part of in 2006 with, our congenial host, the aforementioned Brian O'Donovan. The huge cast consisted of Karan Casey, The Mulcahy Family, George Keith, Shannon Heaton, Navan, Tony McManus, Billy Novick, Kieran Jordan and many more. The Boston Globe called it, " A musically resplendent stroll through Celtic Midwinter." There is also a CD and a DVD of the show available from Celtica Music Shop.

Of course the best present of all, for yourself or someone you love, would be a Celtica Tours trip to Ireland, with me, next May. This time we are exploring the Northern Sights of Ireland. I shied away from touring in this area for many years because of the "troubles." However, the peace process has really worked and it is now possible to safely visit so many of Northern Ireland's magnificent places like The Glens of Antrim, The Giant's Causeway and the Grianan of Aileach. It's the best of all possible worlds, wandering around scenic rural Ireland in the beautiful month of May and listening to great Irish music every night. Please call me at 800-299-CELT if you have any questions.

"Yes, I'm the Great Procrastinator, Woe Oh, Woe Oh…."

Sometimes, procrastination pays off. This time last year, I put some free MP3 downloads of Christmas songs on my website and, you guessed it, they are still there for the taking. I almost did the same with the Christmas lights but I finally got them down in July, which was early for me. And what good did that do me? Now I have to put them all back up again. Why can't everyday be Christmas? It would make life so much easier.

I hope you all enjoy the upcoming holidays and New Year. My New Year's resolution is to write my blog more often but don't hold your breath.

This year's Irish Music Cruise was a great success. I really enjoyed playing with Aoife, George, Matt & Shannon. Since we were setting out from Los Angeles, Willie Quinn organized a great concert for us in Santa Barbara beforehand. We had a great time but were surprised to find the weather was cold and wet. It was weird to see snow on the mountains around Los Angeles and it didn't really feel hot until we got to Acapulco. We spent a few days at sea but we had some great sessions on board the ship. Cabo San Lucas is a strange place. When you go ashore they greet you by putting an iguana on your head. Thanks to Hamish Burgess for the photo.

We had some great additions to the roster this year with Danny Doyle, Fiona Walsh and Ciaran Sheehan. Danny's show about the 1916 Rebellion was brilliant. The only downside of the week, for me, was the Patriot's loss in the Super Bowl. I still can't believe they got out-coached and out-played but hats off to the Giants for playing so tough. They won it fair and square. The 2009 cruise will be in the Caribbean and we will get to visit a lot of Mayan ruins. I'm really looking forward to that. The information should be up soon at Irish Music Cruises .

I'll be doing my first gig in Bristol, RI next Saturday at the Stone Church Coffeehouse.
The Clancy Legacy will be back at the Kinsale Inn
in Mattapoisett on Sunday March 2nd for an afternoon show at 4.00 PM. There are a bunch of other shows coming up in Michigan, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Massachusetts and West Virginia and you can find all the relevant on my Concert Calendar.

Keep an eye out for a Concert Film and Documentary, called Absolutely Irish, by award-winning filmmaker, Paul Wagner. The world premiere screening will take place on March 2 nd at the Irish Arts Center in New York. It is edited down from about 8 hours of performances we did last April and features an amazing cast: Mick Moloney, Susan McKeown, John Doyle, Seamus Egan, Eileen Ivers, Karen Casey, Liz Carroll, Joanie Madden, Athena Tergis, Niall O'Leary, Darrah Carr, Tim Collins, Jerry O'Sullivan, Mike Raferty, Billy McComiskey, Brendan Dolan, Rhys Jones, Mac Benford and Jo McNamara. And, oh yeah, I'm in there too. I haven't seen the film yet but it was an incredible concert so I have high expectations. There's a clip of the Fiddlers on You Tube. The full show should be on most PBS stations in the month of March. It will also available soon on CD and DVD.

The Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI is hosting a photographic exhibition, called In the Heart of the Hibernian Metropolis by Fionan O'Connell until March 20th. Fionan is my first cousin and an amazing photographer as well as one of my favorite people on the planet. You can read more about the exhibit and see some of his work at Fionan O'Connell.

I'm getting together this week with Aoife and Donal Clancy to work on material for a new CD. We hope to do some recording next month and get a Clancy Legacy CD out by the end of the year. With all our different schedules, it's tricky finding times when we can get together but with a little luck we should be able to do it. By the way, we will be playing together at the Dublin Ohio Irish Festival this August.

I'm looking forward to the Irish tours this year. I've had enough of winter and I can't wait to be in Ireland in May. The WGBH tour is sold out but we still have a few spaces available on the Celtica, Best of the West Tour May 19-28. Wandering around the west of Ireland in the month of May is hard to beat and you can join us if you wish by contacting Celtica Tours.