Hello Lovely Friends,
I made many attempts to write as we went along; the end of Aug. came upon us with Ireland breathing down our “necks” but not before our trip to Florida. It is always hard to go back and write about passed moments, thus the carousel ride we are on, we do the best we can right? No complaints here, our lives are stuffed with everything that is good…and now, finally, a smidge of a breather…maybe! ;-)
This months mp3 addition is “sponsored by the letter P” as in PINK…as in Floyd. First of all, how many remember the kid show called the “Electric Company”? If you don’t, you won’t get the “sponsored by…” joke and Pink as in “Flyod” was out long before our girl Pink!
“Comfortably Numb” is a cover Mp3 for you to give a listen (or download) and since I was so far behind we posted Mo’s awesome rendition of the fabulous Lady GaGa song “Shallow”. Both songs were recorded live at our last Sapphire Show. Rochelle Smith is on harmony vocals, Earl Huges is on Pedal Steel. I have been working on the mixes all Summer. There is ALWAYS more tweaking to do, but I hope you like.
Mo is going to fill you in about Ireland, with all the details and LINKS to the places we went if you would like to dig more. I will just add this…Ireland was an epic trip that changed my life on a deep level. Yes, there is a LOT more I can expound on. I know I’ve left you in the “dark”. Perhaps I am “Comfortably Numb” in my own inner reflections of this trip. Yet, I DO FEEL that those inner workings will breach the waves at some point within a song or musing that you may catch a glimpse.
We of course came home into a slew of shows, a lot of catching up and a visit with Mo’s dear Mom who struggled with some traumatic health issues which extended her visit with us for another 2 weeks. She is managing now back in SF and we miss her.
In the picture section you will see new shots from some of our travels. I had to “re-learn” how to add pictures and now that I know, I hope to swap them out more often. It’s always something keeping up with all this technology.
As far as Florida goes…that was a quick fry in a very hot pan! We ducked the hurricane (“Chantel”, which happens to be the name of one of Mo’s former girl friends. I thought that was very funny!) We met the sweetest folks and I felt like I was 8 again, swimming in a pool almost all day! I LOVED it! The gals we stayed with were wonderful and really rolled out the red carpet! They thought of everything! Even an air-conditioning unit that blew on us when we played! That was a first! The humidity was so high we had to rub the necks of our guitars down after each song to cut through the water as we played. It was the wildest thing! It made my playing slower…as if playing under water, so strange and a first for us. Meanwhile, one sip of air could allow me to hold a note for what felt like 3 minutes! Just so different than playing in this dry desert climate.
Onward with Mo’s details of Ireland. We are hopeful to get to LEAD a trip to Ireland some day with the same outfit that took us !!! More to come about that later! For now…read on, click away and enjoy!
************************************************Mo’s Journal**********************************************
John Smith Ireland Tour Sept 13 - 22, 2019 Cork-Kerry-Clare:
Friday Sept 13
After breakfast at the B&Bs, we headed to the airport to pick up Johnny Luv and Dana Paige (who missed their flight the night before), and to pick up Mo and Niccole’s suitcase (unsuccessful on that account). Our first stop was Grange Stone Circle. https://loughgur.com/destination/the-stone-circle/ We wandered a bit and then gathered for a brief “go around” so everyone had a chance to introduce themselves to the group of 28 friendly faces. We then drove south to Charleville https://www.ireland.com/destinations/republic-of-ireland/cork/charleville/
for lunch and a little shopping. From there, we drove to our first hotel, Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery, County Cork http://www.celticrosshotel.com/ where we stayed for three lovely nights. Due to the late start, we barely had time to get into our rooms, freshen up, and head to the round tower for dinner. We enjoyed a group dinner with an amazing view of the inlet. Following dinner we had a fantastic private concert by John Spillane. http://www.johnspillane.com/artist/bio. He was hilarious!
Saturday Sept 14
We started this beautiful, sunny day off with a visit to Abbeystrowry https://historicgraves.com/graveyard/abbeystrowry/co-absy where there is a mass grave of Ireland famine victims. 9,000+ victims of the famine were buried in what would be about 50 feet in length, and maybe 40 feet in width, with one single cross/gravestone marking the head of it. After many sobering moments of walking through the graveyard, John Smith, our tour leader/songwriter sang “Kilkelly,Ireland” for all of us in the abbey. Here’s a video of the song performed by Peter Jones, who wrote the song. https://sherlockshome.ie/kilkelly-ireland-sung-by-its-composer-peter-jones/ From there, we went to the Skibbereen Heritage Center http://www.skibbheritage.com/famine.htm where Terri Kearney gave us a sobering talk about the famine. Her depth of knowledge and passion about the Famine was obvious and touched all of us. Then we drove west along scenic roads to Glandore for lunch. It was a gorgeous day to sit and gaze at Glandore Bay while eating lunch. We actually got sunburst that day! Most of us walked up the hill to the Drombeg Stone circle http://www.megalithicireland.com/Drombeg.htm. But the boisterous traffic along what appeared to be a one land road baffled us! We tried to not get hit! We all entered the stone circle, and experienced its reverence, and John sang ‘Rooks in the Castle’ and Lance sang one of his songs. We peered across the ocean wide, complete awe struck by the incredible beauty all around us!
All of us wandered around the beautiful spot enjoying the stone circle as well as the remains of two stone huts and the cooking pits. For the faint of heart, including Nicc and I, we took the bus back to the Celtic Ross (in the safety of a large vehicle) while others, who wanted to get another 6 miles in, joined Paddy and walked back into town. In the early evening, some folks stayed at the hotel to eat and watch the Gaelic football match while others walked up into town to eat. We were tired and took a nap, but then we gathered at Nolan’s pub later that night for a sing-song with Tommy Madden (http://debarra.ie/listings/1147/traditional-irish-session/ ) and Mattie. Most of us got a chance to sing that night! What a blast!
Sunday Sept 15 After a free morning, we went on a scenic drive to Mizen Head, Ireland's most southwesterly point! We spent a couple of hours there, and the fog ebbed and flowed. Due to popular demand, we stopped at Barley Cove Beach http://www.myguideireland.com/barley-cove-beach and enjoyed a walk along the water. Then we headed to the fishing village of Crookhaven http://www.crookhaven.ie/ for lunch. We sang a few songs there at Tom O’Sullivan’s Pub. Then we drove to Levi’s Pub (owned by Joe) in BallydeHob for a sing-song that evening. There were many wonderful songs sang that night, by all, and to tell in truth, we all got a bit rowdy, which was super fun!
It was absolutely fantastic hanging out with strangers, who suddenly felt like your friends….okay, maybe that was the alcohol talking…but seriously, everyone was so awesome, and truly enjoyed hearing everyone else’s Art, and form of expression. And there was absolutely no judgment, just total acceptance. It was a gift! Heart nourishment; kind of like how you all feed our Souls with your enthusiasm and incredible support! We take you in our travels wherever we go!
We ended that night with “Safe Home,” by John Smith, and we still cry every time we hear this song because it holds authentically true and loving, so many memories that will make us smile for years to come every time we remember them. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRlK9vWZyKU
Monday Sept 16 Today we drove to County Kerry to spend three days on the Dingle peninsula. OMG! What an incredible peninsula! We drove into the mountains, went through a few brief tunnels, and stopped off at Molly Gallivan’s cottage and farm museum http://www.mollygallivans.com/ for a short tour and pioneer demonstration with Steven, our tour guide. Afterwards, we had an opportunity to do some shopping of lovely wool crafted merchandise. Let’s just say we spent a good bit of Euros there!
We drove through Killarney National Park, the town of Killarney, and stopped for lunch in the town of Kenmare. We continued onto the Dingle Peninsula, stopping off at Inch Beach http://www.myguideireland.com/inch-beach for a short walk on the beach. We arrived at the Skellig Hotel http://www.dingleskellig.com/ in Dingle. After a little time to rest up and grab dinner at the hotel restaurant or in town, we were entertained by Donogh Hennessey https://irishtunecomposers.weebly.com/donogh-hennessy.html and Seamus Begley https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/seamus-begley-the-bold-kerryman-album-review-1.2338859. Farrell and Julie Droke, on our tour from Oklahoma, both sang songs plus lots of us got up to dance throughout the night. Seamus was impressed! Some of the group, but not us (we opted for a hot tub instead) stopped at Nelligans and saw Niamh on fiddle and Matt on the guitar.
Tuesday Sept 17 Today Kevin O’Shea, our driver, and also a native of Ireland who has a lovely voice, and would occasionally sing a traditional Irish songs, drove us to a few ancient sites. We first went to Reask https://www.dingle-peninsula.ie/home/archaeological-sites/item/reask-monastic-site-an-riasc.html and continued on to Kilmakedar http://www.megalithicireland.com/Kilmalkedar.htm
We then proceeded to Gallarus Oratory http://www.sacred-destinations.com/ireland/gallarus-oratory and were able to all gather inside. The group sang ‘Amazing Grace’ in this ancient place of prayer – and what a sound! It was definitely a religious experience!! Afterwards, we drove along the gorgeous Slea Head Drive along the Blasket Islands and stopped at the Blasket Island Heritage Center http://blasket.ie/ We then drove to Ballyferriter where most of us went to Kane’s pub for a sing-song while others walked out to Smerwick Harbor https://www.thewildatlanticway.com/smerwick-harbour.html
We headed back to the hotel and gathered for a group dinner overlooking Dingle Harbor. Following dinner, most people walked into Dingle town for music. Some stopped in at the Courthouse Pub and listened to a harp player and uileann pipe player. Then most ended up at the Small Bridge where Jeremy Spencer played the fiddle with Gerry O’Brien on the bouzouki.
Wednesday Sept 18
Today was a 'free day. Which meant Nicci and I could play a little on our own. We tooled around the quaint little ocean side town shopping, then signed up for a 2pm kayaking tour with “Irish Adventures” where we got to float the Atlantic Ocean, and got to go into two caves. It was incredible! Highly recommend it if you’re ever on the Dingle Peninsula. An amazing seafood dinner, then we all met in Nellie Fred’s pub that night and had a concert with Teresa Horgan and Donogh. https://tradconnect.com/profiles/blogs/album-launch-teresa-horgan-matt-griffin-brightest-sky-blue
Thursday Sept 19 Today we packed up and headed to Doolin in County Clare for our last three days of the tour. After a brief stop in Listowel, we crossed the River Shannon on the Tarbert Car Ferry https://www.shannonferries.com/page/our-location/18
We stopped for lunch in Lehinch where there were some surfers out in the water. It was a perfect day for walking on the beach. We drove on to Doolin, splitting up between Dunroman House and O’Connor’s Guesthouse where we all stayed the last 3 nights. We met up at above Fitz’s Bar and did some sets of traditional Irish dancing. Afterwards, we walked down to road, in the complete pitch dark, to McGann’s for supper and music. Kevin Griffin on banjo, Geraldine McGowan on the boudhran, and Eddie on the guitar. Nicc and I sang a couple of songs on their mics during break. “Turn Around” and “Open Heart.” We sang our harmonies from the heart, just like we do to all of you! Again, you were with us every step of the way!
Peeking down the Cliff’s of Moher with our new buddies!
Friday Sept 20 We headed to the Cliffs of Moher https://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/ looking over the Atlantic Ocean. After spending some time inside the Visitor Center, most of us went hiking. Some of us hiked with Jo along the cliffs toward Hags Head and then down the road to the pitch, about a 2 hour hike right along the cliff’s edge. Others hiked along the cliffs with Paddy towards the town, Doolin. We had a beautiful sunny day and the winds were exhilarating! We then headed to McDermott’s Pub in Doolin for lunch and a few songs. We then drove north along the coast road into the Burren http://www.burrengeopark.ie/learn-engage/geology-of-the-burren/ We stopped at Caherconnell for a sheepdog demonstration. https://caherconnell.com/sheepdog/
Incredible views! Looking back at the Castle from where we started the hike!
We ended the evening at Cassidy’s pub in Carron where Eugene Lambe explained the uileann pipes to us and played some songs for us. His passion for the pipes was evident. https://www.enjoy-irish-culture.com/Uilleann-Pipes.html
To top off the night, we stopped off at the booming town of Lisdoonvarna to get a peek at the Matchmaker’s Festival. https://www.matchmakerireland.com/programme/ Paddy and JoAn did some dancing at the Rathhaus. After a long day, we were “home” in Doolin at 9:30pm.
Saturday Sept 22 On this gray day with some sprinkles, we took a ferry ride over to Inisheer (Inis Oírr), the smallest and closest of the Aran Islands (http://www.inisoirr-island.com/), a 20-minute ferry ride from the Doolin pier. People scattered off and wandered around the island. Some walked, we took a horse cart, and explored some of the castles on the hill, a mere 8 minute walk away, but we all enjoyed wandering the stone-lined narrow roads on the island. Eventually most of us (except Joan) gathered for lunch and songs at Tigh Ned pub https://tighned.com/index.html All too soon, it was time to get back onto the ferry back to Doolin. John had mistakenly given people the summer schedule for departure when we got off the ferry. So Joan did not know the earlier return time and was still exploring the island when the rest of us left. The ferry took us over to view the Cliffs of Moher from the sea before returning to Doolin pier. It was fun to look up at where we had walked the day before. We spent a little time in Doolin on Fisher Street. Many of us stopped in the Chocolate Shop owned by Noreen. John always stops in during every tour and Noreen always gets him to sing a song for her. Quite a few of us sang songs for Noreen and the crowd that was squeezed into the shop, like sardines. Then that evening, we had our last group dinner. It was a relief to see Joan had made it back on the next ferry! After dinner, we had the final “go around” with the group. How could so many of us have been strangers to each other just 10 days ago? We ended the night (and tour) with the group singing “Safe Home” one more time with lots of gratitude and a few tears. Many hugs and laughter were spread around! It was truly a trip of a lifetime, never to be repeated.
We hope that you enjoyed hearing about our travels, and we are so grateful you were along with us in heart and spirit! Thanks for your continued support and inspiration. Namaste to every one of you, and as we enter into the winter season, may you know you’ve had another incredible and fantastic year to leave your amazing footprint in the sand, leaves, snow, grass or otherwise.
Blessings and Slainte’ (which means “Cheers and good health to you and yours”)
Love Mo and Niccole
