Tickets in the paw

Got em-thanks be to God and Willie-Meighan that is! At 9.03 yesterday, got the magical 4 tickets for Clapton at the Live at the Marquee festival on June 20th. To the wiseguy in Cork that suggested he should be playing in old folks homes I say come along and see this sixty-something do things with a strat that the young lads can only dream about. Roll on June and a chance to see the king of the blues up close and personal.

Really angry but seeing the best in one who's passed on.

Tonight I am raving with anger about something really shitty that has happened to a number of decent people in this city, and about which I'll blog tomorrow when the news becomes public. It's at moments like this when you can lose faith in the most basic honesty and decency in people around you. But more anon....

My good friend 'An Fear Rua' however always has a way of making things better, and he sent me this magic Youtube video of the great Christie Hennessy from Tralee who passed on this morning. All of us from the Kingdom are really proud of what a so-called uneducated man from Tralee, forced to take the emigrant ship to London like most of his compatriots in the fifties and sixties, has achieved in writing some of the greatest songs of recent decades and having become 'A Star' so late in life. More than anything else that magical simplicity of Christy's 'Up de rock and down de square' Tralee attitude to life, and his pure niceness and gentleness should bring out the best in us.

This video sums it all up, and I'm off tomorrow to buy the album. For those who I'll write about tomorrow, they should look at Christie as the example of how life should be lived. Suaimhneas siorai agat Christie-rest in peace forever, and may the music shine on!

Droch-Lá-Susie leaves us

This is a sad way to return to blogging after another break, but yesterday we got the news that Ireland's bravest woman, Susie Long had lost her battle with bowel cancer. I knew Susie from about town over the past couple of years, and first met her at a gig in Ó Riada's pub about three years ago. Susie was a great music fan, and my abiding memory of her will be the night I shared my colleague Malcolm Noonan's back seat with Suzie on the way back from Bruce Springsteen's magical Seeger Sessions concert in the Point Depot last Novemember. Like the rest of us, Susie indulged in a bag of chips in Inchicore, although she knew that with her illness it would cause her pain the next day. It was the fact that she, like my 15 year old son Fionn, Malcolm, Kairon and myself, were on the ultimate musical high after a truly uplifting gig that will stand in the memory.

Of course it was as Rosie on the Joe Duffy show on RTÉ Radio One that Susie became a national person of influence. Her honest and painful retelling of the story of her delayed treatment as a result of her lack of private health insurance struck a note with everybody who heard it or read the transcript afterwards. Suzie was not looking for personal sympathy, but through her anger at what she knew was her imminent passing, was fighting to ensure that an unfair and appalling health system would not claim others. If you haven't heard the original clip, here is the transcript, or here is the podcast.

In the months since Susie has borne her illness with great dignity, and was delighted to be in attendance in St.Luke's hospital to see the plans for the long-awaited day services unit which will be dedicated to her memory, and indeed her fighting spirit.

Susie was a life-long political fighter and gave so much to her adopted Kilkenny. I was privileged to have known her, although not as deeply as I would have liked. To Conor Macliam, her husband, and to Fergus and Aine, her beloved kids, my sympathies. As she annouced to the nation in an icredible interview with the Sunday Tribune recently. Even more enlightening was the short interview she gave to Miriam O' Callaghan on Primetime, which you can access here.Susie's body will be cremated today Monday, and a memorial service will be held in her memory on Friday.I believe we must honour Susie's memory in a concrete way. One is to continue the fight for decent cancer services for all. Another is to work for a proper hospice in Kilkenny. For now we just miss you Susie, and hope that your battle inspires us all to keep on fighting.

Bongos and Boogie-Fair Trade Tunes

It was a great kick-off to Fair Trade Fortnight in Kilkenny last Thursday night as the irrepressible Sophia Westwick organised a novel Drummers V. D.J's night in Cleere's Pub. Cleere's was one of the first pubs in Kilkenny to start to stock Fair Trade tea and coffee, and helped put the whole campaign on the road. We returned therefore to the best little theatre in the country for a gathering featuring world music by D.J's Andy Harte and Yuvi and drummers led by Colm Byrne.

Some us needed some encouragement to get out and boogie but the reggae sounds of Bob Marley soon got even the most senior stalwarts into action. All in all it was a good night, raising a few euro in the process, and reawakening the spirits on the committee.

Next up is Wednesday night's fashion show in Langton's. Fair Trade clothing is a new area, with people like Ali Hewson, wife of God (sorry I mean Bono) one of the highest profile designers in the marketplace, with her Edun range. People Tree is another company selling really good fashion online, with a cool animated ad to promote their products. One of my favourite multiples, if that's not a contradiction, Marks and Spencer's (they actually make clothes that fit people like me!) have also launched a Fair Trade range. On Wednesday night we join Burnchurch National School in a fund-raising fashion show, with mens and womens fashion items which are exclusively Fair Trade products. The committee have thankfully avoided being drafted as models, so we'll just be there to cheer on the volunteers. Well done to new member Niamh Mulvey who has put so much work into this and see you all in Langton's at 8.00 pm on Wednesday.

Deireadh Seachtain den scoth-An almost ideal weekend

What a weekend gone by. My three passions in life(apart from the one who'll get the roses today), all rolled into three days, and with fabulous results, except for one two minutes.

It started on Friday night with probably my favourite music group of all time, the wonderful Moving Hearts. The line-up of Dónal Lunny, probably Ireland's most talented musician/producer/composer/director, Keith Donald, who can make a sax sing sweetly, Davy Spillane, master piper and whistler, the ever-smiling Eoghan O' Neill on the bass, and the super-percussive Noel Eccles on percussion and Brian Calnan on drums were joined on the night by Graham Henderson on keyboards and Anto Drennan on guitar. This was the music of my youth, therband I remember seeing at least forty times from the first occasion at Siamsa Kilkenny in Nowlan Park in 1981 I think.

One of my own personal stories relating to the Hearts occurred on my wedding day in Jenkinstown church, all of 17 years ago. The tune we had picked as a reflection piece after communion was a piece from 'The Storm', the instrumental album which the lads were celebrating on Friday. It was called 'Tribute to Peadar O' Donnell, written to celebrate the life of one of Ireland's inspirational Republican Socialists. Unfortunately, the parish priest of the time took exception to 'any tributes to communists in my church', and instructed that it not be played. A tune of another name, but bearing remarkable similarity to the arranged tune was played on the day. When I looked up at the concert in Vicar Street on Friday, who did I see except the Clara!!!! Piper, Billy Carrigan, who had played the tune on the day. Smiles all round:-)!

One of the dozens of faces I recognised was former Students Union leader, Giollaiosa Ó Lideadha, who was President of USI in 1985/86. Gizz, as we called him, is now one of the country's leading barristers, and still a charming rogue. The womens' heads still turn when he appears I noticed, although he has also kept his radical credentials alive. He even professes to occasionally reading this blog. He was also, mind you, the only USI President to send pics of himself out to every college, although he always claimed somebody else did. I remember there was a ferocious row about which union activist got to keep it! Anyway great to see you again Gizz, and it's time the USI lads organised a decent reunion again.

Back to the music, it was a fantastic gig, rolling back all the years with all of us slightly greyer, slightly fatter, slightly slower fans still lapping it up. As Eoghan quipped after a rocking version of 'McBrides', "Can we have two respirators and an ambulance please?" Here's to the Hearts taking to the road again, and maybe one or two of the former vocalists will join in. If ye can do Planxty lads, this shouldn't be too difficult!

Christmas Really Begins-Bell, Book and Candle in the Cathedral

Last Sunday was the night when the Christmas season begins in style for a Kilkenny City councillor. The annual 'Nine Carols and Nine Lessons' service of the Church of Ireland community, but open to all takes place in the wonderful setting of St. Canice's Cathedral. It was presided over by the relatively new bishop, Michael Burrowes, whose consecration I unfortunately missed in February last. The singing by the cathedral choir, and by children from the Model National School was uplifting and the ideal start to the real Christmas-that of the sacred rather than the shopping frenzy and all that other madness.

The real treat came at the end of the night however, when we were invited into the bell tower, quiet a climb from the main church, where the bell ringers or 'change ringers' showed us their art in action. This was the first time that our council was invited into the private area of the church in its 400 year history. We then climbed a little higher to see the actual bells, which are up to 500 years old. Thanks a million to all the change ringers for their hospitality. I'd love to get there for the annual new year's ceremony on new year's eve at 11.30, followed by the midnight ringing of the bells.

By the way thanks to Harry Reid for the magic photos.

Ceol Beo-Na Flowers hit town

I've blogged here about Hothouse Flowers in the past. They're my favourite Irish band of the 80's, and they have remained consistently one of the hardest-working bands of the nineties and early 21st century. It's hard to believe it's 22 years since the lads appeared as 'Fonn Tonn' to win Slógadh, singing blues as Gaeilge with a batch of trumpets, sax players etc. in a Blues Brothers set-up. They won the Dublin final by beating a John Denver/Stockton's Wing sub-standard set-up fronted by the current Deputy Mayor of Kilkenny!!

Soon after they were playing a very popular support to Fleetwood Mac open-air in the RDS, and seemed set to follow U2 as our next big breakthrough in international music. Despite the success of 'Don't Go', and a string of great songs, it never seemed to quite happen on that scale, but the lads remained huge favourites with Irish listeners, playing some of the best live shows I've ever seen.

They put on a great show last night in Lyrath Hotel, despite a very disappointing turnout on the stormy night it was. The sign of true pro's is that they always give it their all, and this politician and music fan has sore legs today from the bopping.

Mar leaideanna a labhair Gaeilge go fliúrseach, mar an chéad ghlúin do Ghaelscolaiocht sa tir, bhiodar mar eiseamláiri domsa agus mo chomhleacaithe a raibh ag casadh ar ais i dtreo na teangan. Choimeádadar dilis chomh maith don gceol traidisiúnta, á mheascadh mar chuid lárnach dár gceol úr féinigh.

Tá baint ar leith agam féin leis an ngrúpa, mar gur thugas ceann dos na céad gigs dóibh a sheineadar go poibli, i gcoláiste Froebel cúpla seachtain i ndiaidh dóibh Slógadh a bhuachaint. Nios tábhachtai fós, mhúineas cailini Fiachna Ó Braonáin agus Jadzia dár ndóigh (Kasia agus Liadain) i nGaelscoil Osrai. Is daoine iontacha iad araon.

Liam of course also gave us great help with the campaign against RTÉ's removal of the Rattlebag programme.

Revisiting that particular episode, I have given Derek Mooney a very patient few months, but I have to say that the programme is dire. The mish-mash of reality singing lessons, inane quizes and MOR music is exactly what we all feared. The promise to include loads of coverage of local arts events has disappeaered from my limited listening. The only saving grace is the Friday afternoon 'Mooney goes wild' section, which was already there anyway on Saturday. Meanwhile, the late-night arts offering by Pádraig Breathnach has great content, but how many people are listening. Even sombody like me who loves the arts rarely has the energy or inclination to listen so late. It will be interesting to see the next detailed JNLR figures. Maybe RTÉ and Anna Leddy might then have the good grace to admit they were wrong, and give us back Rattlebag or a similar programme in the waking hours.