FURTHERMORE
By Gerry Moran
The pubs of Kilkenny are alive with the sound of music this May Bank Holiday weekend. It’s Roots Festival (one of our most popular festivals) time. Time, folks, for some country and bluegrass, rockabilly, swing and more. And I have to confess that it’s all above me. Or beyond me. Whichever. Indeed of the 40 or so musicians performing in around 30 venues I only recognise four names! FOUR!
What does that say about me? You’re getting old, Ger. Getting old? I am old. As for the four names, first off there’s Rodney Crowell. Rodney is famous and was inducted into the Nashville Hall of Fame in 2003. Rodney worked with Hal Ketchum who had a big hit in the US with Mick Hanly’s poignant love song ‘Past The Point Of Rescue’, the royalties from which paid Mick’s mortgage for a while, a good while.
Then there’s our own The Barflies who have been performing in The Pumphouse for years – and I have yet to go hear you, lads. Mea culpa, mea culpa. All ahead of me perhaps. Seamus Fogarty I am aware of but once again never got to see him. Sorry Seamus. Finally there’s Loudest Whisper. Loudest Whisper I love because they’re my vintage or perhaps I’m their vintage – either way I love them.
I have been to their gigs in The Kilford, the Ormonde Hotel and Paris Texas where I got to know Brian O’Reilly, their main man and songwriter, after one of their performances there. Several of us chatted late into the night, and early morning, thanks to Vincent Quan (co-owner of Paris Texas at the time) who, because of his appreciation of good conversation and good company, allowed us to linger! I hope to take in one of Loudest Whisper’s gigs in either The Kilford, Friday, 1; O’Gorman’s, Saturday, 2.; Syd Harkin’s, Sunday, 3. or The Ormonde Hotel, Monday, 4. And all free!
As for the rest of the musicians – who I’ve never heard of – I am intrigued and amused, in equal measure, by their names: Bench Warrant! Horsebath! Styrofoam Winos! Deep Down Detox! (sounds challenging) and who the hell is Savage Jim Breen?
To be honest when I hear the word Roots I can think of only one name, Kunta Kinte. Remember Kunta Kinta? Kunta [pictured] was one of the main characters in one of America’s (and Ireland’s) most popular ever TV series, ‘Roots’ based on Alex Haley’s novel of the same name. Kunta was a Mandinka warrior in the Gambia in West Africa who was captured, brought to America, and sold into slavery.
Aired in 1977, ‘Roots’ is the saga of an American family set during, and after, the era of enslavement in the US. My mother and myself (I lived at home at the time before getting married) watched it religiously. My mother cried viewing it – I just stopped short. Tom Riordan and Kunta Kinte were two of mother’s all-time favourite TV characters.
I’ll end with what I started with – music. Following are two tidbits that fairly surprised me. Paul McCartney’s song ‘Let It Be’ which I love (but then I love the Beatles, my vintage for sure) includes the following lyrics: “When I find myself in times of trouble/Mother Mary comes to me/Speaking words of wisdom – Let It be.” Now, I always assumed that McCartney, who was baptised a Catholic, was referring to Mary, the Mother of God, in that song. Not so. The Mary in question was his mother, a Catholic of Irish descent.
And then there’s one of my all-time favourite love songs – Van Morrison’s ‘Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?’ a beautiful song but not quite as romantic (even though it is played at weddings) that I assumed. Van actually wrote it as a prayer expressing love and gratitude to God! And so, what I thought was religious was not while what I thought was romantic was religious!
I guess Paul and Van were just going back to their roots!
