Author: Rick Rubin

July 10

James and Bridget are busy with family coming in from the UK and USA. We’re having a big party and ceili dance near Mulranny Saturday evening. Dan and Dearbhla are going to join us in providing the music, we’re excited about playing with them again.

In the meantime Morgan and I have a day to ourselves and since we’re close to Newport Morgan asks if I’d like to visit his bow making colleague and a friend to all of us, Gary Leahy. I like the idea and we figure we’ll stop at the chippy in Newport and have lunch before going to Gary’s. We pull ourselves together, and with Morgan driving we’re off to Newport. We’re in Newport in a few minutes, park and walk across the road only to discover that Fish and Chips aren’t available until 4:30. We’re in luck though, Grainne Uaile Pub is a few doors down and they have fabulous fish and chips. We find a table and order. The food is delicious, we take our time savoring the meal and drinking tea. When we get up to leave the couple at the table next to us enquire as to what brings us to Ireland. They’re from Chicago, she sounds Irish and they tell us they’d owned a home in the area for 20 years and recently sold it. They were looking for a place to rent. I resonated with their story, I’d estimate their ages to be in the early 80’s, and like Ally and I sharing ownership in a place in Mexico and selling to our partners, the complications of ownership at a distance and realizing it’s time to downsize catch up with you. They were a nice couple and we wished them well.

Out the north side of Newport, down some small roads and we’re out to Gary’s, sheep grazing in his front yard. No need for a lawn mower with them. Gary’s in his workshop and he comes out to greet us. We notice him limping a little and he tells us he’d had some surgery on his ankle and had gotten a secondary infection. He’d seen the doctor but he was sore and wasn’t getting a lot of work done as he was needing to keep his leg elevated. These fragile bodies of ours! It didn’t take long for discussions of bow making to come up. I’m not a bow maker but I do build instruments, so much of what’s being discussed is very interesting to me. In a nut shell, a violin bow is in itself a musical instrument. It vibrates and communicates with the instrument and the person using it. It has an optimal balance point and that is influenced by weight and the placement of where that weight is. I find it fascinating and grasp some of the basic principles. Bow makers like Morgan and Gary are artists in their own right. I view musical instruments as functional art and for me, what they do fulfills that definition. 

After a pleasant couple of hours we bid Gary goodbye, invite hime to join us tomorrow if his ankle will allow, Gary’s a fine fiddle player himself, and head back to our house.

We’re meeting everyone at the rental home that the Hunter-Green offspring have rented. Fionn’s wife Adan has family arriving and we’re having a communal dinner. A large part of extended family are there. Fionn, Adan, Zeke, Amy, Ceilan and Harry, James’s sisters Euphon and Alison, James, Bridget and arriving as we sit some of Adan’s large family from New Orleans and other parts of the USA. Soon the home is full of conversation and children. Soon it’s close to 9:00 and we’re on the hunt for a session. Morgan, James and I head into town and scout the session possibilities. Paddy from Wednesday night told us he’d be at Matt Molloy’s but we wanted to see what other possibilities were available. After checking out The Clock Tower, which had a nice session going, but it was a small space and it didn’t seem like crashing it would be a good idea, then Hoban’s, McCarthy’s and An File we decided Matt Molloy’s looked like the only possibility. Paddy very graciously told us they’d make room and soon we were seated in a very loud room with Peter Molloy, Matt’s son, Aidan, whom we played with Wednesday, Paddy, Padraig McKenna and a fiddler and whistle player whose names I didn’t get. The first set we estimate had 12 tunes. Most sets contain 3 or 4 tunes and then a short break and on to the next set. I’d never played a marathon set like that in any session. It was exhilarating. The crowd of listeners were a raucous group but thankfully we could hear Peter and Aidan almost all the time.

I looked over to my left and saw the man himself, Matt Molloy, the owner of the pub, Peter’s father and one of the most famous flute players in Ireland and the world. Member of The Chieftains, The Bothy Band and on hundreds of recordings with other artists and ensembles. We had the good fortune and pleasure of meeting and playing with Matt in 2014. Matt is instantly recognized and he graciously stands for some photos and then walks back to the bar area. A few minutes later Matt returns, flute in hand and sits next to Peter. OMG, we’re going to play with Matt, AGAIN! We played quite a few sets, Matt played a beautiful slow air, despite the racket from the back room, and James, Morgan and I pinched ourselves, for our good fortune and the pure enjoyment of sharing tunes with such great musicians. Fionn sang Arthur McBride, and I sang an uptempo Alan Tyne. We ended near 12:00, Peter told us we could continue if we wished, but we were as tired as he was, thanked he and Aidan and Paddy for letting us sit in and bid everyone a good night.

July 11-12

Just what have we been doing the last couple of days? Good question. It sort of blurs together when we’re having this much fun. Saturday was taken up with James and Bridget helping with celebration plans for Fionn and Adan’s last wedding celebration before they go on their official honeymoon. They were doing family activities, driving up to Connemara to plunge into the chilly ocean and then sit in a portable sauna. Fionn and Adan were doing a photo shoot. Morgan and I took a walk down the lane, followed another and found ourselves walking along a small bay in Kilmeena, a very picturesque scattered village. We met an older gentleman walking along ahead of us and when we caught up with him he filled us in on where we were and what we were seeing. James and Bridget came by late afternoon and the four of us head to an old hall out in the countryside where we were going to play for a Ceili, in the states they’re called Contra Dances. The hall looked and felt like the Grange Halls we have at home. Dan Delaney and his lovely partner Dearbhla, pronounced Darvla chose to join us so we had a nice 5 piece ensemble. A woman named Caroline was the caller. A large part of Adan’s family had arrived from Louisiana. We had a catered dinner and after clearing the tables we set up for the Ceili. Everyone had a great time, the enthusiasm was quite high, the caller was impressed the way non dancers launched in and grasped the basics. Dan and Dearbhla told us they enjoyed themselves and for us their participation made all the difference.

Sunday is session day in Westport. There are numerous sessions in multiple pubs but we chose the Cobbler Session in the Wyatt Hotel. Paddy had told us he’d be there and Dan Delaney, Johnny Fadgin and Tony Reidy were to be there as well, we’ve played with them nearly every time we’ve visited. We’ve been with all of these individuals enough that they’re not just acquaintances but closer to friends. The session proved to be a good one, all the people we wanted to play with were there including Magg’s a very able fiddler and Johnny Curtis on bodhran. Johnny told us, “I came to visit Westport 38 years ago and never left”.

The listeners who stuck around enjoyed the music, a number of people wanted to know where the three of us came from and how was it that we found ourselves devoted to playing Irish music. Tony Reidy writes songs that I can only describe as humorous short stories, vignettes of life viewed from a private, quirky point of view. They are profound and at the same time humorous, even silly. I love his ability to do what he does. Johnny Fadgin and Dan will pull out a Hank Williams song as readily as an Irish traditional song. Their playing is instinctual, flows deceptively easily. We wrapped things up around 12:00, the drinking continued in the hotel but we went home to unwind and get some sleep.

July 13-15

It’s been a blur the last few days. Monday evening we went to An File, a pub in Westport, and met our friends Jackie Small and Brian Duffy. We expected to have some other musicians show but it turned out to be an intimate session with the five of us. We love Jackie and Brian has become a good friend as well. I had been sending Jackie pictures of my instruments as the builds progressed and he was pleased to see the one I brought with me. Brian mentioned that his daughter Ishka was going to be singing Tuesday down at The Tower on the Westport quay. There’s a music camp, Scoil Cheoil for children all week. They’d been in classes all day and were playing for friends and parents outside under a large sheltered tent. They’d were just getting started when we arrived and were slowly warming up. As they played the tempo got a bit quicker and the playing more sure. What became apparent to us was that the music and the playing of it was a community event. What I mean by that was that the sense of community permeated the event and soon small groups of kids were playing tunes or singing songs, much like being in a pub. What the children are learning is the shared culture expressed through the music which binds the community together. It’s a powerful thing and you can feel it. 

We sat with Brian, his ex Patty and their daughter Ishka. He and Patty are on good terms and both are justifiably proud of Ishka. We wanted to hear Ishka sing and finally we were rewarded with her singing one of Jackie Small’s brother Tony’s songs. Brian had sung it the night before and Ishka sang it beautifully. She has a sweet soprano and likes to sing in the Sean Nos style of unaccompanied singing. We didn’t hear her sing that style but we weren’t disappointed. We checked out a pub that was close to home, Fitzgerald’s hoping we could play there but when we arrived the Spain vs France game was on, and you don’t get between soccer fans and their game. We went home and played.

We needed to vacate our rental and we wanted to meet with our friend Julie Langan on Wednesday. We rented rooms at The Hotel Newport. The hotel is nice, but the rooms were hot, there was no way to cool them off because air conditioning is pretty much a no go in Ireland. They don’t need it, it’s rarely what we’d call hot. With climate change though it’s not the same, the old ways of doing things are not meeting the new circumstances. Since we’ve arrived, except for our time in Bantry and Kerry it’s been hot. Temperatures in the mid 30’s Centigrade, that’s 80’s Fahrenheit. Nobody here’s used to that. James, Morgan and I drove out to Achill Island. We’d been listening to a podcast about the famine years and a strange story about a protestant missionary named Nangle who was in battle with the Catholic bishop of that area. There are the remains of an abandoned community at Slievemore that we visited and walked through. These were built by very poor and starving Irish families and they’re tiny. We couldn’t imagine how they coped.

Julie has been on the run the entire time we’ve been here. Willy Clancy week in Miltown Malbay, then teaching at the Scoil Cheoil, she said she hardly has been home. We were going to play a session Wednesday evening but the manager of the establishment begged off saying that the requests for having the World Cup game on the big screen were overwhelming. Session cancelled! Julie met us down at The Tower, played a couple of tunes in the session led by Jackie and Brian and had to run off to an event associated with the Scoil Cheoil. She thinks she might be able to meet us at a session in Kinvara on Sunday. She’ll let us know.

We’ve all been desirous of some fish and chips. Last week we went to the chippy in Westport only to be told they’d run out of fish. A real let down that! So, we figured the chippy in Newport should have fish, it’s not nearly as busy. Off to Newport, to the chippy and as we approach the counter the proprietor says, “now before ye order I’ve got ta tell ye that we’re outa fish”. We nearly cried.  

July 16

We drove into Westport for breakfast, to do a bit of shopping. As I was walking up a street there was Tony Reidy. I was so pleased to see him and told him we were leaving for Clare and wished him well. He said in his thick Irish accent, “you know Johnny Mulhearn?, I had to ask for clarification and got the name the second time, he’s the man who wrote the song Matty, that I sang at the Cobbler on Sunday night. I said “yes Johnny Mulhearn”, and Tony said “I used to live with him”. I said “when was that?” And Tony replied, “back in 1974”. He hasn’t heard much from him, he’s a great song writer but Tony thinks he’s still somewhere in Dublin.

I caught up with James, Bridget and Morgan at Christy’s Cafe where we had some good coffee and a light breakfast. We drove up the hill to say goodbye to Maggie McGing and Tom then headed down to Clare for our last week. I slept a good part of the drive down, unable to keep my eyes open. None of us slept well last night because of the heat.

July 16-17

July 16

We arrived in Clare to familiar places. We drove through Ennistymon to arrive at our rental. Ennistymon has been the location of many great sessions for us at Cooley House as well as Eugene’s Whiskey Bar. It was in nearby Lisdoonvarna at Roadside Tavern that we’ve met Christy Barry, Terry Bingham, Paul Dooley and Seamus Hynes. In Ennistymon we’d met Adam Shapiro and Christy McNamara, whom we’ve stayed in touch with. So , for us this has been a very productive and pleasant area.

Once we got the car unpacked and everything into the home we went down to Doolin looking for the illusive fish and chips. We headed to Russell’s and nearly wincing asked if they had any fish. The clouds parted, heraldic trumpets played a voluntary and we were told……….. yes! 

After our fish and chips we cased out the local scene but it didn’t look very good. Morgan ducked in to O’Connor’s to see what was happening and he ran into Terry Bingham who told him that Christy Barry was playing at the Roadside Tavern the next evening. We looked in on a session at Fitz’s but there were at least six fiddle players. It wasn’t the right night so we went home and played tunes.

July 17

Easy day, no particular plans. We practiced some tunes that we recorded during the last trip in 2024. They are two polka’s that Christy McNamara played on his concertina, catchy tunes in G and Am. We thought it would be fun to pull them out and surprise Christy. We’re invited to his session in Lahinch, Hotel Cliffs of Moher. We played there the last trip and I had good memories of it. When we arrived around 6:30 I recognized the man standing inside as Adam Shapiro, a fine fiddler whom we first met in a session at Cooley’s in Ennistymon back in 2016. Christy didn’t quite recognize us from two years ago, I reminded him it was I who’d been corresponding with him, then he remembered. Another man named Christy, had an amazing brace of harmonicas and played really well. A few minutes in a woman named Clara came in. At first I thought she might be French but she’s from Argentina. She’s a blood relative of Christy’s whose family put down roots in Argentina at some point. She’s a good flute and whistle player and she and Christy and Adam mesh well. Clara also sang and played guitar. Once we got to playing in earnest Christy finally remembered our meeting in Eugene’s Whiskey Bar in Ennistymon and said he was first intrigued with us because of the tunes we were playing that he didn’t know. Those two Polka’s that Christy played, darned if he didn’t start them and we played right along!

Playing with the four of them felt very comfortable, nothing hurried, everyone tasting the tunes and savoring them. These are the sessions that feel so good. Mighty sessions like we had in Matt Molly’s are great in a very different way. A friend of theirs dropped in, his name is Rupert and sounds British. He played a very clever blues based tune about a man playing on his front porch with his dog. He’s tied a tambourine to the dogs tail to help keep time. We played until 9:00 and were asked to join them at the Corner Stone in Lahinch and we thought we might but by the time we got home to make dinner we realized we’d be looking at a very late night. Christy has asked us to meet he and Clara at Fitz’s Pub in Doolin, Monday evening .

July 18

We managed to spend the morning playing tunes and doing very little. We’ve been hard at it since arriving June 25, so having some free time is an occasional necessity. Christy  replied to an email that The Cornerstone was loud and mobbed and we didn’t miss a thing. We’ll be seeing he and Clara Monday evening.  We thought we’d walk the trail along the Cliffs of Moher but found out that having the car was a detriment. We couldn’t find a place to park it. The locals, quite understandably, are tired of having roads they can’t use because of tourists parking inappropriately. We had no desire to join the mob at the official Cliffs of Moher park. It’s a zoo and all we wanted was a quiet walk along the trail which we’ve done several times. We found no place for the car so gave up. James took us down an increasingly narrow boreen, along farms and open land until we bottomed out not far from the ocean, or so it seemed. We were actually close to a kilometer from the ocean. The wild plants, with all the recent sun have been growing vigorously. We could see a clear trail that others before us had blazed through the fields. Nothing was posted private, keep out, so we followed the path through the burren. Rather than explain the burren I’m including a Wikipedia link. I’ll ask you to donate to Wikipedia if you use the link and find it useful. It relies almost solely on small individual donations to stay online.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burren

Here’s what we found as we walked towards the sea.

It’s surreal country and not one you walk through inattentively. The limestone fractures easily and even though it is millions of years old the fractures expose sharp surfaces. You can catch a toe if you drag a foot and stumble over rough surfaces. There are potholes and loose blocks of stone as well. Moving through the landscape requires all of your attention.

After dinner we went to all of our favorite spots looking for a session. No luck. Summer in Doolin, Ennistymon and Lisdoonvarna seems to be mostly the domain of solo singers and performers with the occasional session. Back home for tunes.

July 19

The Roadside Tavern, Lisdoonvarna Billy Baldwin 2026

Another lazy day in Doolin. We got up slowly, drank coffee slowly, ate slowly, practiced some tunes……….not so slowly. Late morning Bridget got a message from her cousin Ronan. He lives not far from here in Ennis but messaged from out on Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands. He suggested getting together for dinner in Ennistymon or Lisdoonvarna. We could think of places in Ennistymon but not  Lisdoonvarna. We got ourselves together and headed for Pot Duggans, which we remembered had some outdoor seating near the river Cullenagh that runs through town. We got there before Ronan, ordered our plates and drinks and waited under the partial shade of a tree for him to arrive.

James, Morgan and I were looking forward to hearing Tara Breen at Fitz’s, it was the only plan we’d made for the day. Tara is a renowned fiddler from County Clare. We spotted Ronan walking towards us and greeted him. He’s a second cousin to Bridget on her Mom’s side of the family. The last time we’d seen Ronan was 2018 in Ennis, so it was good to see him and catch up. We had a pleasant dinner and chat and found out that Eugene’s Whiskey Bar is in flux. Apparently Eugene would like to sell and retire but there’s some details that are complicating it. On our last trip we learned from Eugene that he owns the building, which he told us dates from the 1700’s. It’s been in his family for generations and because of that Eugene was exempt from changes in code that effect licensing an establishment such as his. If he sells though, the buyer will have to invest significant funds to bring it up to code and retain the operating license. We’ve gone by The Bar three times and it’s been closed. We were hoping to play there again but that’s now looking unlikely.

We bid Ronan farewell and headed back to Doolin. Made a quick stop by our rental, grabbed some necessities and headed down to Fitz’s to hear Tara Breen. Well…..somebody that manages their website screwed up because we were informed that Tara was on vacation and wouldn’t be playing. There was a session going on, but there were three fiddlers, we recognized Seamus Hynes, he plays flute left handed, and there was a keyboard as well but not a likely session for us. Sheeesh!!! So, we hit all the usual spots, nada! We thought, let’s check out the Roadside.

Billy Baldwin and James Hunter 2016. Mayuko, Roadside Tavern 2026

Down the road 15 minutes and we’re outside The Roadside Tavern. Morgan stepped inside and came out to say that a musician was packing up and the pub was quiet. People were watching the Spain vs. Argentina game under an enclosed outdoor area. We went inside and spoke to the young man tending bar, told him we’d played there many times, really loved it and that we had our instruments. He said, “it’s fine if you want to come in and play some tunes.” So we did just that. A few people drifted in to listen. A family that was having dinner seemed intrigued and stuck around. Andrew, the bartender, came with re-fills and the manager came to tell us how much they all enjoyed our playing. A young Japaneses woman named Mayuko was watching us. James and Morgan said to her “you look like a musician, you have that look about you.” She works at The Roadside and plays fiddle, loves Ireland and the music. James surprised her by speaking Japanese with her. She’s into the music and said she’d see us tonight at Fitz’s. Our old friend Billy Baldwin was sitting in an adjacent room close to the bar. He was the man behind the counter back in 2016. He retired just around Covid. He happened to be outside the pub when we visited in 2024. He’s a likable man and we’ve enjoyed seeing him each trip. The staff and manager told us to come anytime we were in the area. Kevin Griffin, a great banjo player, is going to be there Wednesday night, our last night here. We’re going to go hear him. We’re not sure if it’s an open session but if it’s not we’ll enjoy listening.. 

July 20-22

Christy McNamara asked us to join he and Clara at Fitz’s Bar, Monday night in Doolin. We weren’t going to miss it, were uncertain as to how large a session it was going to be. So decided to have dinner there so that we were in position. Does it sound like we take this seriously? We sure do! As Christy McNamara says, “well anyway”, we finished dinner and I spotted Adam Shapiro walking outside. Then Christy the harmonica player and musicians started trickling in. A young couple, who turned out to be from France came in. I look up and I see this very large man and OMG it’s Eoin O’Neill, he has a case in his hands which I know to be his bouzouki. I quietly remark to Morgan “ oh boy, Eoin O’Neill, and he’s got his bouzouki, two bouzouki’s, I wonder how this is going to go”. I don’t want to overstate this, but this for me is intimidating. If I was a jazz sax player, it would be like pulling out my sax in front of Wayne Shorter. Eoin has been part of the Clare scene since the 1970’s. He’s been featured on over 100 albums, has had a long standing show The West Wind on Clare FM. He’s a huge part of the Trad scene in Clare and Ireland in general. My impulse is to leave my instrument in its case, but I decide not to. The session starts, I mention to Christy the harmonica player that Christy McNamara isn’t here, he says “he’s usually late” and finally I see Christy McNamara looking rushed joining the circle. Eoin has big energy, he’s driving the tunes, pushing the tempo with his entire leg lifting and stomping the floor. He shouts, “come on, do it, do it.” He’s eyeing the three of us, the Americans, to see what we can do. Between tunes he says, “I heard about ye” eyeing Christy McNamara. Eoin lays out of a set and lets me accompany, I do the same and by the end of the evening he’s shaking our hands and inviting us to another session.

Well anyway, the session is great, there’s a young whistle player, whose playing is sweet and clean, the French couple consist of the man who plays Uillean Pipes, his set have that rare, sweet tone, more like North Umbrian small pipes (if you’re interested in these details you’re going to need to search Wikipedia) and she plays fiddle. They’re a lovely couple. Clara’s flute playing is very, very good, Adam is exceptional, Christy McNamara plays his tune The House Under The Hill which we recorded Friday night and learned over the weekend. He was pleased we’d learned it. We stood talking with Christy McNamara long after the session was over and we needed to vacate because a private party had booked the space. It feels like we’ve really made a solid connection with him this trip. Besides being a fine musician, a kind and gentle soul, he’s a gifted photographer.  

July 21

We’d been told that Eoin was leading an early session at 6:00pm, in Ennis at Cruises Bar in the Queens Hotel. We decide to go. We arrive in Ennis early to do some walking about, shopping, etc.The car park is a half of a block from Cruises, very convenient. We have coffee, these late nights take their toll, walk through the old part of Ennis, which brings back a lot of memories for Bridget. Her family moved to Ennis, she has cousins here, when she was 13. We walk over to Cruises with our instruments around 5:30, get some drinks, put our instruments in the session area and hang out. I walk through the session area and see all the young people who are clearly Down syndrome individuals. They’re sitting in the session area and I’m not sure what is happening. We come back a few minutes later and Eoin is sitting there with his friend David and another friend whose name I failed to get but I’ll call Mr. Harmonica. He tells us to grab some stools and sit inside the circle with him. We’re surrounded by a group of at least 15 with Down syndrome and some adults who are their care givers. A couple of them have guitars, one a ukulele, a couple with bodhran. This is going to be an interesting session. Eoin picks easy tunes, the kids add their efforts and it’s a fine cacophony. The joy on their faces is absolutely infectious. I can’t stop grinning. It becomes obvious that Eoin works with them regularly, knows many of them by name and invites two, Finn and Adam to sit between him and David. He asks some to sing songs. It’s wonderful. The look of pride and accomplishment in each of their faces is beautiful. Simple pleasures, simple joy. Life can be incredibly sweet when you see it mirrored in these precious kids. Finn keeps holding his uke like a machine gun, pointing the head of it at all of us. I mirror it back with my instrument and he laughs wildly. We high five at the end of the tune. One of the care givers sings Wild Mountain Thyme and we all join in, she’s touched as are we all. We end up with a few tunes and a song. Eoin thanks us for coming, we tell him we wouldn’t have missed it for the world. He invites us to meet them at 9:30 at The Cornerstone in Lahinch for a quieter session. We tell him we’ll be there. 

We have a quick dinner at an understated but good asian restaurant and head to Lahinch. We arrive a few minutes late and find Eoin, David and Mr. Harmonica sitting at a table inside the door. We find places to sit and join in. It’s a nice small session, just the 6 of us, Eoin is playing banjo. The rest of the evening slides by and soon it’s 11:30. We say goodnight, Eoin tells us he’s leading another session in Ennis tomorrow night and says we’re welcome. He says whether we see him tomorrow or not that it’s been a pleasure and hopes to see us again.

Our last full day in Ireland and we’re unsure what to do. We heard that Kevin Griffin is playing at the Roadside Tavern. We’ve also heard that it most likely will not be an open session. Kevin is one of Ireland’s premier banjo players and he has his preferred accompanists. The night before Eoin invited us to a session in Ennis, but Ennis is about a 40 min. drive and we have to get up early so we can get to Shannon to fly home. What to do? I’d been wanting to watch Eoin play his bouzouki, he uses the same tuning I do and watching his hands could give me some new ideas. We decide we will drive down to Doolin and have one last Fish and Chips and do a little last minute shopping. We go our separate ways to get ready and when I come down, Morgan, James and Bridget are waiting and say, “change of plans.” I wait to hear what they have in mind and they suggest we go to Ennis, they know how much I want to watch Eoin play. I have the best friends!

With that decided we go into the village of Doolin. First stop is Russell’s for Fish and Chips, which we relish. Then a nice walk from there into the village. I’m wanting to find some CD’s of local artists, of which there are many fine players. The problem turns out to be that the one and only music shop shut down three years back and no other shops have bothered to pick up the slack. Truth to tell, who the hell listens to CD’s anyway? Only us old timers I’m afraid. I did find one CD at a used book store. The owner told me it was all she had left from some of the stock that she inherited when the music store closed. So, not a total bust after all. Everyone found a little something to add to the gift pile for friends and family.

Back home to get ready for the session in Ennis. We drive up to Ennis and park in the lot that’s close to Cruises. We were just here the day before and we speculate on how much driving Clare musicians do to stay employed. Nothing’s that far apart but if you’re driving from Doolin, then uproad to Lisdoonvarna and another day to Ennistymon, then next night to Lahinch or Liscannor and then up to Ennis, that’s a lot of driving when you add it up. So, anyway we’re a bit early and nearly the first ones there except for Mr. Harmonica, of whom I finally enquire his name which is Adrian. We relax and slowly others show and it turns out to be a fine session. There’s a man named Paddy who’s lived in the USA for decades, but Eoin on listening to his accent assures he’s Belfast through and through, there’s no getting around that Northern drawl. It’s distinct, I like it. Anyway, Paddy has his wife, daughter and granddaughter with him. They sing some nice songs and Paddy lays into one that he tells us was written by a Yank who when walking in Clare years ago had a conversation with a man who turned out to be none other than Micho Russell. Micho was a great whistle player and composer and this Yank had a great relationship with Micho and wrote a song about the meeting and some of Micho’s more philosophical musings. It is a really fine song. Clara plays her flute and sings a lovely song in her wonderfully husky voice. There’s a young man, I guess his age around 13, sitting behind me playing banjo. He starts a few sets and he’s quite good. Eoin assures us his first instrument is the pipes and says he’s one of his favorite pipers. The session has a number of listeners but it’s a quiet one. Seems fitting with our leaving tomorrow. Eoin generously keeps passing the ball to us since we’re leaving tomorrow, I sing some songs, we start tune sets.

Eoin asks if he could play my instrument. He’s told me that he likes the sound of it, but this is the first time he’s asked to play it. I say of course, I’m honored, so he hands me his and we trade. I’ve seen his in numerous videos, on many CD album artwork. This instrument is iconic and I’m holding it! He and Clara begin to play a lovely tune named Coleman’s March. I think I must have been sitting looking stunned or gaping because Eoin leans over a little and says “Rick, F”. That breaks my paralysis and I capo at F and do my best to accompany. At the end Eoin looks at the instrument and says, “lovely it’s a beautiful instrument”. I’m speechless, grateful, gobsmacked! Unfortunately all things must end, well some things need ending but we’re in no hurry for this to end. But the session winds down. We linger, do our best to savor the moment, say our goodbyes and can’t wait to return.

Eoin O’Neill and Clara Butler, Cruises Pub, Ennis

So, that’s the entirety of the journey, the highs and lows. So much rich experience in just under one month. I’m grateful for our friends in Ireland, they’re becoming family. The kindness and generosity of spirit, the laughter and banter (craic), the moments of comfortable silence, the joy of sharing the music with such fine players and being enfolded into the circle thus formed. I’ve not experienced this in any other place, except with my brothers from other mothers, James and Morgan and Don. Musicians love sharing and growing through playing, of making connection, in sharing that AH HA! moment. This journey has had moments like that, where the common language of music, cuts right through the confusion, straight to the heart in the deeper moments. The heart connection is what it’s all about and part of my heart resides in Ireland. I’ll return as long as I have breath.