June 28
We spent the morning slowly getting it together, we’re living the lives of traveling musicians and sessions go late. Bed time is closer to 2:00am and sleep lasts until 10:00am. I never sleep like this at home. Bridget decided to spend the morning walking about the hill that our rental home is on. A stone circle is shown on the map so she thought it would nice to check it out. The three of us drove into Bantry and stopped at the exhibition to see how things were going. There were a number of young orchestra players trying out bows and instruments. These players were/are at a very high level and the snippets of music coming from the instruments was remarkable. Niall sold a bow while we were there and another of his was out with a performer who was quite certain they were going to purchase it. Three bows were sold from the stock in the hall.
Morgan, James and I went for a break and wanted to find some coffee. We walked up the high street and found a shop that we visited the day before that has an espresso bar. The coffee was good and the atmosphere restful. The weather is back to alternating between sun and clouds, wind and rain, warm and chill. It doesn’t matter, we’re here for more than the weather. Morgan needs to be at the exhibition for a meet and greet with visitors, so Bridget drives him back after we’ve had a quick meal.
Noel Burke has secured the small room at Ma Murphy’s for a 9:00 O’Clock session. Back we go to Bantry to meet the crew. We see Richie Tisdall in his car outside Ma Murphy’s. We met him at a house session ten years ago at Hugh Quinn’s in Skibereen. He’s considered one of Cork’s treasured musicians. Paul and Karen are already there so we put our instruments in the room and visit. Mary, the daughter of the owner greets us warmly and treats us like treasured guests. Gives us a tour of the pub front to back, explaining how it originally was the combination general store and pub. The snug where the women were relegated to visiting while the men folk drank in the pub proper. Mary and her siblings grew up in the rooms above the pub. The room were playing in used to be the family kitchen. Mary said there wasn’t a door at the bottom of the stairs that led to their living space above, so people would drift up uninvited and often the women whose husbands were in the pub would use the family toilet upstairs. The town was the extended family!
Everyone starts drifting in and the session is underway. We’re happy as can be, the room is quiet except for the music. We can all hear one another and play with nuance. It’s the exact opposite of the night before. Mary comes in with desserts, a minute later she’s offering a large plate of sandwiches to everyone in the room. Irish hospitality at its best! Tyler that American from Boston we met the night before joins us. At one point he wants to sing and asks if he can play my bouzouki. I hand it over and he plays it. It’s nice to be on this side of it listening. The peace lasts for all of an hour and soon people are drifting in to listen, but their conversations get louder and louder and a young man wanders in, three sheets to the wind. We find out later that he’s just returned from Australia and has been on a two day bender. He’s loud, he’s obnoxious. Taking video with his bright flash on, whistling, yelling “I love you Richie, I love you guys”. Taking a players stool when they get up for a break. Uninvited he squeezes in, between Noemie and Richie and mumbles his monologue. Disgusted Noemie steps out for a few minutes and when she returns he puts his hand on her. Morgan comes unglued and lays into him. “Stop shining that light in our faces, keep your hands to yourself, don’t you ever touch her like that.” The offender was led out of the room by friends only to return. We’ve been here before, this isn’t rare. Noel looks uncomfortably to me, Kees, sitting next to Noemie trades perplexed looks with me, we’re all squirming. Despite all that it’s a mighty session. Tyler says to me as he’s leaving, “love your instrument man, it sounds great and plays well”. Icing on the cake.