On the Irish road: 3

Thanks to Colin Henry for a further instalment on the current tour by Ferguson, Holmes, & Henry:

To sit at one o'clock in the morning in a small bar in Kilworth, Co. Cork, listening to the indomitable John Nyhan singing and playing guitar is an experience every musician should have, and one which most musicians who have played Kilworth Arts Centre will have had. So it was on Monday last. Gary, Janet, and I had just played a double gig with the Tennessee Hennessees, and a very happy and successful one it was. The sound was good and the audience were a real listening crowd. Mighty indeed.

From Kilworth we travelled to Listowel in Co. Kerry to play an 'In the Round' with one of Ireland's best known songwriters, Charlie McGettigan. Charlie's songwriting pedigree is well known, having won the Eurovision contest. He is also a very good guitar player and has toured with many great singers such as Maura O'Connell. Above all he is a nice man to know and work with. The 'In the Round' gigs have become a regular feature of the tour and are musically very satisfying. Charlie, Janet, and Gary each perform their own songs with everyone joining in. I play throughout and do one or two of my own instrumentals. You can see us all [below] in the green room in the interval.


Wednesday found us in Miltown Malbay and a gig at the Market House Theatre for Sean Malone. I really wanted to play in Miltown Malbay as for me, an Andy Irvine fan for many years, it is a place with an iconic status. The place was a real find for us. It was a great place to play, with an audience that was there to hear the music, though we were all able to get a drink as well! We hope to return there again. Gary caught a bug of some sort and has developed a cough, but nothing stops him singing.

From Co. Clare we moved on to Mullarkeys Bar in Foyles Hotel in Clifden, Co. Galway. It is a family-run hotel and Jason Foyle runs the music and the bar. Jason's hospitality to us is immense and well exceeds what any travelling musician could expect. We were treated to a lovely meal in the restaurant before we played. The bar is not as quiet as the previous gigs but it was a good night. We did get a slight shock at four in the morning when some chap and his girlfriend kicked down our door to find a bed for the night. Having no success in our room, he did the same to Gary. We were stirred but not shaken.

On Friday we had a long journey from Galway to Portstewart, Co. Antrim, though the scenery en route made it all worthwhile. We stopped to take some pictures and Gary left his jacket on the roof of the car. Of course we drove off and lost it. We concluded that the scenery was so spectacular the jacket wanted to stay! The gig was in the Flowerfield Arts Centre in Portstewart and we were concerned we would not draw a crowd. In fact we need not have worried. It was a good crowd and we had a good night. Being home territory for me I had my sister in the audience and she finally got to see what we did on the tour and to hear me sing live on stage. The picture of Gary and me [below] proves it really did happen.

From a good crowd in Co. Antrim we then had a small audience in Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo, on Saturday night. Professional to the end, however, we did our whole show and notched it up to the vagaries of the time of year and the weather - a bit like fishing really.

Sunday night brought us back to Sharon's and Arnie's house concert in Cookstown. We were the first band to play for Sharon and Arnie last year, and there have been successful concerts with others since. They are wonderful hosts and have now perfected the house concert setup. There really should be more of these about the country. Gary left with two bottles of Arnie's potent brew - he said he needed something for his cough, and it certainly disappeared after one glass.

Into the final few days now of the tour and one last gig at The Shed in Killyleagh, Co. Down. It is another night with the Tennessees and I think we are going to end on a high.