FURTHERMORE
By Gerry Moran
“Hi, dad.” “Hi, Rich” – my son Richard phoning me from Berlin where he lives. “Dad, did you know you’re on YouTube?” “What?” “You’re on YouTube, dad.”
“Doing what – sharing my unique recipe for melt-in-your-mouth meringues?” Rich laughs. He know, as his three siblings do, only too well that my culinary skills extend no further than frying a sausage. And maybe a rasher. “Explain, Rich.” “Dad, you’re on YouTube singing in Cleere’s Bar.”
Now, I’ve been part and parcel of the Monday night session in Cleere’s for more than 25 years. But not as a singer. I am sometimes introduced as the ‘resident poet’. I’m not. I’m the resident versifier – I recite some humorous verse of mine. As to the song I’m singing – The Parting Glass – I sing it on rare occasions when a staff member is leaving or, as was unprecedented in 2025, when three of our Monday night performers – Joe Butler, Johnny Rhatigan and Kevin Barry – departed Cleere’s, and this earthly realm, in the space of six weeks!
How I came to be singing The Parting Glass on YouTube is another story entirely and has to do with two American tourists – Matt and Tammy, a former body builder (with photos to prove it) and now in the beauty business. Matt and Tammy’s flight to Ireland was diverted to Newfoundland due to a passenger taking seriously ill (they recovered). Stranded in Newfoundland they made friends with His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy Dolan (former Archbishop of New York 2009-2025) a passenger also on the plane and were delighted to receive his blessing. To cut a long story short they eventually made it to Kilkenny. I’ll let Matt take it from here – an edited version of a long email he sent to his future mother-in-law (they were getting married the following July, second time round for both) about their adventures in Newfoundland and Kilkenny. Here’s the Kilkenny episode:
“In Kilkenny, we found the most wonderful bed-and-breakfast, the Zuni Restaurant and Townhouse. Later we walked to Cleere’s pub which was filled with incredible music and beautiful people. This was a traditional session where it wasn’t just music. There was poetry. There was storytelling. There were instrumentals and there was much beautiful singing.
Then we met the most remarkable man, Gerry Moran, (and don’t you just love the Americans – well some of them) a retired headmaster. During a break in the music Tammy told Gerry about our Newfoundland adventure and made a request for the musicians to play The Parting Glass, my favourite song.
“So for the last song of the evening, Gerry stood up and spoke a little about Tammy and me. Even though Gerry was not one of the singers, he sang one of the most beautiful, heartfelt renditions of The Parting Glass ever in the universe’s history (I really do love the Americans). I’m generally not emotional, but tears streamed down my face – the gloam of the fireplace, and the unbelievable warmth of the people in Cleere’s pub were extraordinary.
“Later, Gerry insisted that Tammy and I come to his home for a nightcap. The liquid was flowing liberally and Gerry wanted to know all about us, as we wanted to know about him. It couldn’t have been a more perfect evening. We stayed at Gerry’s until almost 4 o’clock in the morning, enjoying each other’s company before returning to Zunis.
“So now as I write this, I sit with a gorgeous full Irish breakfast in front of me and wonder, was this all a dream?”
No dream Matt, but sleep was eagerly embracing us as we parted. One month later a beautiful invitation to Matt and Tammy’s wedding arrived in the post, an invite my wife and I had to decline. We did, however, send them our best wishes including my favourite Irish wedding wish: “As you slide down the bannister of Life together, may the splinters always face the right way.”
And so I made my debut on Youtube thanks to Tammy and Matt, two of the most likeable, and positive, people I have ever met.
