We had lodgers at our house, we did, John and George and Mick and Sid. John was old with balding head Pleased he’d managed not to wed. Like to sit on the old sea wall, Got so drunk once he had a fall. They fished him out and he did say, Not a drop I’ll touch from this day. George as a lad went to sea, On a training ship, so it be. On a training ship, so it be. Stole a pair of boots when he was eight. That was the punishment at that date. Mick was Irish like his name, Singing in the pubs was his fame. Courted a girl who went into the church, Became a Nun, he was left in the lurch. Last but not least we come to Sid, Always caused trouble, was what he did, The Police would be ’round knocking the door, As Grannie would pick him up from the floor. You’re not staying here any more, she would say ‘I’ll be glad when they come to take you away.’
They died of course, one by one For Mick a wake was good fun, George in a sack went to sea, John said a whiskey case for me. Sid the worst was the last Fighting to the end as was his past. Of course Grannie outlived them all They were happy times I do recall.
The Farewell Tour of Mary Black supported by Sharon Shannon. Held at St Davids Hall, Cardiff on 15th May 2015.
They both perform Celtic folk music. Mary sang mostly ballads supported by her band but I preferred Sharon’s completely instrumental support/warm up act where she played the melodeon (diatonic button accordion) and had one very skilled guy playing the guitar and piano simultaneously. It was a very enjoyable evening although it had more of an older crowd if I am honest. Certainly I would go see Sharon Shannon again albeit I think such music is better suited to a venue where you can get up and dance a bit if you want as a few did in the aisles eventually.
Although Mary said she would still be performing in Ireland after this farewell tour the entire concept of farewell tours means nothing nowadays considering how many artists have said it was their final tour only to then have a few more and joke about how each one with definitely be the final one. She’ll be touring again soon enough no doubt. If anything the final tour or performance often doesn’t get recognised until far later when there is no further concerts.
As for the venue the auditorium has good seating with plenty of leg space however I think sometimes some sound technicians have a bit of an issue with the venue’s acoustics during some performances I have attended here in the past. The bar refused to take orders for the interval until they were ready – which was two minutes after they were asked as apparently the protocol is they announce it over the intercom at a set time first then take the orders which is poor customer service when they had at best 5 people at the bar to be serving. After the event they had Mary signing and taking photos in a very low lit area which was bad enough to happen except the theatre manager himself was stood right there for over 15 minutes fully aware of this and made no effort to move the stool and free standing background to a nearby well lit area which was shameful. He later went to help advise how to set up the next day’s Punjabi community event offering anyone interested a taste of their culture but did not lift a finger to help them. There is a ‘friends corner’ which doubles as a autograph table and very well lit merchandise area where Sharon Shannon could be found both during the interval and after the show signing and taking photos with everyone whether they bought anything or not. Poor effort by St David’s Hall on the night but it didn’t spoil anyone’s enthusiasm. The musicians themselves exemplified that Irish informal friendliness and charm you hear so much about.
A great evening of Irish folk music only slightly marred by poor venue management decisions.
Mary Black (born 23 May 1955) is an Irish singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both folk and contemporary material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland, and in many other parts of the world. For a number of years, ‘What Hi-Fi?’ magazine considered Black’s voice to be so pure, that it was used as an audiophile benchmark for comparing the sound quality of different high fidelity systems. Music critic and lyricist Michael Leahy once said: “Over the years, Mary Black has come to define what many people see as the essence of Irish woman singers: profound, slightly ethereal and beyond the reaches of trends.” Today, Black is held in high esteem in her native Ireland and beyond and is regarded as one of the most important Irish vocalists of her generation.
Sharon Shannon (born 12 November 1968 in Ruan, County Clare) is an Irish musician. She is best known for her work with the accordion and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 album Sharon Shannon is the best selling album of traditional Irish music ever released there. Beginning with Irish folk music, her work demonstrates a wide-ranging number of musical influences, including reggae, cajun music, Portuguese music, and French Canadian music. Her single What You Make It (da, da, da, da) featured hip hop music artists. She won the lifetime achievement award at the 2009 Meteor Awards.
There was a longer draft but my computer shutdown suddenly and I lost it all. You may not have heard of either of these Irish musicians so its a good introduction to them at least.
Rambling At The Bridge Head 
You must be logged in to post a comment.