Rockaway Park, September 15th, 2020 I am thinking of my friends out West and of all those who have lost their lives, homes, livelihoods this week. I toured in the Pacific North West in the winter of 2015. Never before or since have I been so consistently bowled over by the kindness of strangers. Below […]
Rockaway Park, July 10th, 2020 Last Saturday, July 4th, was the first livestream that I have missed since the lockdown began in mid March. A sideways summer rain taps gently on my window. The bedroom curtains dance to the sirens. I am back in Rockaway this weekend. My father in law turns 83 today. […]
East Durham, May Something-th, 2020 I promised her frogs. ”If you’re very quiet we might see frogs.” I’ve been promising this for weeks. Clearly having forgotten the precise timing of the life cycle of frogs, a life cycle that was so thoroughly imparted to me at St. Jospeh’s National School circa 1982. I have […]
East Durham, NY, Friday May 1st, 2020 I grew up in Meadowbrook, Riverstown, Glanmire, County Cork. Beside the Glashaboy river. We had two television channels. We spent a lot of time by the river. Skimming stones and building rope bridges as children. Drinking cans as teenagers. It comes back to me frequently as I sit […]
Rockaway Park, Saturday, March 21st, 2020 How are you? I hope you are finding ways to stay calm and sane and safe in this incredibly trying and strange time. Do tell. What books, podcasts, tv shows, poems, albums, recipes, mental health practices are you finding helpful right now? Until recently my favourite book was […]
Rockaway, March 15th, 2020 Since we’re going to have to dig deep to get through the next few months, this old Ewan MacColl mining song came to mind. This next week of gigs are cancelled, with further cancellations very likely. It’s the socially responsible course of action, but it’ll be hard to keep spirits nurtured […]
March 10th, 2020 Rockaway Park, NY I have a tiny human. I have friends and family that are more vulnerable than I am. I’ve washed my hands a bajillion times recently. I’m more hygienic than I’ve ever been. I’ve also touched my face a bajillion times. Have you ridden the subway in the last […]
Rockaway Beach, NY, February 27th, 2019 Rachel said this new place Rockwood Music Hall, was pretty small and an excellent listening room. Two things I desperately craved. I was still living in Ireland when my friend Rachel Loshak told me about Rockwood Music Hall. In those days I was touring Europe an awful lot. Scheming […]
Rockaway Beach, NY Feb 24th, 2020 It’s a quiet time. A strange time. I’m keeping my ears piqued and my antennae fine tuned to find new stories and songs and opportunities. It’s a strange time, an in between time, a quiet time, a divisive time, a February time, a rest stop off the highway time, […]
Rockaway Park, NY, December 7th, 2019 Though I did not get 50 million Spotify streams this past year, I did just receive this very inspiring note from a young man in Australia. Mark wandered randomly into one of my New York gigs 7 years ago and very deliberately came back a few months ago. It’s […]