There are certain places in Ireland which are hidden from the view of common people, but which materialise occasionally to make themselves known for a time. I happened upon such a place the other night on my homeward journey from a mesmerising performance by Robin Williamson at Knocklofty House. I’d been enthralled by songs and stories of magic and mystery from this fine Scottish bard and his harp, and I was still dreaming dreams of it when I was enticed to stop somewhere I had never been before. I lifted the latch and slowly pushed the door open with a long, low creaking sound. It was brighter inside than I had expected, but there was the inviting hum of friendly chatter and the enticing sound of music in the room beyond. I followed the sound until I arrived in a fine old kitchen with chairs by the walls, both soft and hard, and a table or two here and there, laden with drinks. Once in, I was invited to sit, and a melodion was thrust into my hands and I was told to play. I wrestled a tune from the box as it slipped and slid, trying to escape between the notes. By the third tune we’d got to grips with each other, myself and the old box, and the tunes poured freely, my fingers skipping happily up and down the fingerboard. I looked up to find a circle of dancers before me, twirling wildly around the room as I played. Then more instruments joined in, a whistle or two, a harmonica, a voice. Some songs were sung with fantastic stories and immense animation, and a puppeteer sat motionless at the far side of the room with a web of strings in his hands. He controlled the fiddler’s bow, the whistler’s blow and the melodion on my lap. And it was he who raised the arms of the dancers, and he who pulled their legs.
Maybe you too have been to this house, and if you have you’ll surely know it by my story. If you haven’t you may find yourself there some fine night, just don’t ask me for directions. Even if I could remember the way, I’d never say. It’s a secret.
Somewhere else I had never been until lately was Ballyin Gardens in Lismore. There was an open day there last Sunday, raising money for Lismore Mochuda Primary School with all sorts of tea and cakes to keep us happy, and some fine music by my friends, the Watercats. A little later, the Midleton Brass band served us up a medley of mellifluous melodies. The Gardens are splendid, with wonderful views of the Blackwater river. The place is well worth a visit the next time the opportunity arises for you.
Later this week, get yourself off to Clonmel and check out Caroline Moreau & The Café Chantant Choir on Friday at 8pm at Old St. Mary’s Church (€12), or maybe Mick Flannery at 8.30pm in O’Keefe’s. There’s lots going on for the Junction Festival all this week, check it out at www.junctionfestival.com.
If you have an event which you would like to have mentioned or reviewed for this column, please contact Ormy on 086 3634005 or info@sounds.ie.
Ormy is a musician who plays regularly all around the country, both as a solo performer and as part of the popular Cork-based band “The Darktown Strutters”. By day he teaches guitar, runs a busy guitar repair business in Lismore, and actively promotes live music all around the South East. See www.sounds.ie for more information.
