29 January 2017

'Retirement'

The BIB editor writes:

Just a week ago the BIB and Woodbine's Facebook both carried the news that I had decided to retire from playing with the band. The many kind comments on Facebook have been very much appreciated by me; and as I'm not on Facebook myself, this post is meant as a response to clarify a few points.

I am not retiring from the blog, bluegrass, the banjo, or attending concerts and festivals - only from playing in a band. I'm glad to say that this has nothing to do with medical issues over the last six months, all of which seem to be happily resolved. But nearly two years ago I began to feel my age: playing gigs was starting to take too much out of me. If playing with Woodbine had not been the fun it is, I would not have lasted this long.

I am glad to repeat that Woodbine is the best band I've been in or could have hoped to be in, and I have been proud to be their banjo player. Since July, whenever I was obliged to miss gigs, they have been able to call in at one time or another Martin Cooney, Mel Corry, or Evan Lyons, three of the best players in Ireland; so whoever may become Woodbine's regular banjo player, I have no doubt of seeing the band go from strength to strength in the future.

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