We arrived safe and sound at Shannon airport last night after eighteen hours of flights, and rented a car, a process which took almost as long as the flight over here. We met Bridie, the owner of the very, very nice property where we’ll be staying for the next three days. We had dinner, beef stew and fish and chips, yum, and fresh pints of Guiness at McGann’s in Doolin. Right after dinner, a session got started with Kevin Griffin on banjo and a couple of fine fiddlers. This is a regular gig for them so we just sat outside with our pints and listened until the jetlag got the better of us. The view from the front door of our well-apointed manor is of the Aran islands, and Galway Bay to the north…but this is what we awoke to this morning. A little mist off the bog. Still, undaunted – no, actually we CAME for this, so bring it on, weather gods – we had a fry-up and then called Davy, a friend of Becky (a flute-player who lives in Mt Vernon, WA) and he very kindly agreed to meet us in his local, the Kilshanny House, for a quick pint and a few tunes. He’s a fine, fine flute and concertina player, and we had a nice hour together before he had to go home to milk the sheep or whatever. Just before he left, he told us about a session in Miltown Malbay (I’m loving this – every town has a tune or three named after it; we’re here at the Cliffs of Moher, down the road from Lisdoonvarna, etc, etc) tonight, so we’re off to that after a quick stew cooked by Rick and Morgan…
Traditional Irish Music and Song
