Dobros and JD at Longford

Colin Henry reports:

Ireland's small but highly dedicated dobro fraternity (plus one from Spain and two from England) were joined in an afternoon session in the Longford Arms by none other than Jerry Douglas, often (if not always) named as the greatest dobro player in the world. He came in with dobro in hand and we all had a round of 'Fireball Mail' as he led the way. Jerry then sat and played some solo pieces and showed off his current guitar - a Beard, by the way. We had an informal question-and-answer session, and then the highlight for me personally was when Janet asked Jerry if he would accompany her in a song. He immediately agreed and Janet sang a song written by ourselves while Jerry played backup and took a solo. This is something that only happens once in a lifetime and I'm glad it was in mine.

Jerry Douglas is an absolute gentleman who obviously puts his fans first, taking time out of his very busy day to sit in a bar in Longford with a bunch of middle-aged (Gerry Fitz and I) and younger (all the rest) dobro amateurs playing a tune he must have played more than any other on Planet Dobro.

Many, many thanks to Gerry Fitzpatrick for setting the whole thing up and for staying up so late the night before just to secure the meeting!

I attach two photos: one of Jerry playing in the bar and one of Gerry Fitz taking his break with the maestro on 'Fireball Mail'.