Places of Waiting: 2 Nights in Kilkenny

Live Recordings from the Irish Tour

Maximus & me, waiting for the Dublin taxi

Greetings friends, this week there’s live audio from my Irish tour to share with you, and a little extra recording on the Irish Bardic & Story Tradition. First, some reflections from time on the road and a brief glimpse back at the year.

Early morning in Dublin and the Ukrainian refugee benefit tour is almost done – in fact as you read this God willing I will have dumped my suitcase in the hall, fed the cats, stuck a chicken to roast in the oven and lit a fire – oh the perennial rituals of home coming. It’s been a roughy-tufty kind of experience – lugging our own gear, freezing dressing rooms, all night drives across country – but also immensely warming in terms of reception and contact with the people and places we met. A lot of love in the room.

I first set out on the touring life back in the summer of 1988 so this kind of thing would not be entirely new to me. You need a good coat, the kind that can double up as a bed if needs be. Don’t take too many books – you won’t have time – and avail every single opportunity to nap that you can. Look after yourself especially in the hours between 4pm to 8pm. Temperature drops and spirits can droop. The flood of arriving folk and the giddy wheeze of their anticipation will help. The stories – once in the jaw – will do the same. Birds released from their cages as Bly once said (about the need to translate Rumi).

It was a grand night in the legendary Cleere’s bar.