Your Grandma Doesn’t Want You to be a Fascist

“Karma Police, Arret this man” – See what I did there?

 

Rockaway Park, Monday March 17th, 2025

 

A heavy fog hugs the peninsula this wet St. Patrick’s morning. Rainwater has blocked the passages to the ramps on and off the boardwalk. I carry Saoirse over these mini lakes and she tells me today is an obstacle course. Once again, there’s more truth in this than she knows. She scoots ahead of me and I urge her to slow down so she doesn’t disappear into the fog. I tell her incredulous six year old self, “You know people once thought the world was flat. That you could fall right off.”

Some still do. People believe all kinds of things.

 

 

Today is my grandmother Philomena’s anniversary. She had ten children who made good lives for themselves and those around them in Ireland, Australia, Zambia, England and the US. I have family all over the world and they have given me many things, including shelter, courage and pride. My father and my aunt Madeleine both died in the past year. I’m not sure what I believe but I like to imagine them together.

 

There are many in power here donning the shamrock and talking about the special bond at breakfast. Attacking the most vulnerable people in our society by lunchtime. I would urge all of them, all of us, not to forget where we come from, the struggles our people went through. Not to unleash the same cruelties on new immigrants that were unleashed on our ancestors. When I think of what makes me proud to be Irish, a number of things jump to mind. Our great writers, poets, musicians, our beautiful coastline, my family, our nation’s struggle, peace, but most of all, it is our kindness. Yes, Ireland is very green. Anyone who goes there will tell you that, and if f you stay away long enough you will agree, “You know what, it is actually very green”. But what truly puts us on a world stage in my opionon is our hospitality. Almost anyone I meet here who has been to Ireland will remark, “Everyone was so nice” and tell a story of someone going the extra mile with some random act of kindness. I have heard one hundred of these stories every year of my life. Be that person today. Commit a random act of kindness. Random acts of kindness can help us banish the snakes from the land.

 

If you are out and about celebrating be extra nice to the people who are working today, it can be a really tough day for them.

 

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Montreal – Brooklyn 

I pointed the Honda Civic towards Canada and drove to Montreal last week. With all the stupidity out of the White House regarding Canada lately, I was of course inspired to go up there and play.  I had been to Montreal in the past but this was my first time playing there. I. played at Casa Del Popolo. I loved it. My friend Speedy Johnson opened with a great set. May Cheung ( Big City Folk songwriter, recently returned to Montreal) joined me for ‘May 12th, 1916 – A Song for James Connolly’. My brother in law Greg was randomly in town for work and it was brilliant to have him in the room too. Local promoter extraordinaire Matt Large helped with the gig and I was glad to get to meet him and his son, Henry, who worked the door. Being a Monday and somewhat last minute, it was on the quiet side but I do hope to get back there soon.

 

 

I stayed with my friend Mervyn’s friends John and Zelda and they were sensational hosts. Their apartment was a twenty min walk from the venue and they shared some of the neighborhood’s rich history with me. I indicated that I was a huge Leonard Cohen fan and John brought me to Cohen’s old home between the soundcheck and the gig. It was all very moving. My father, was both and English and a French teacher and hearing and reading French for the first time since he passed sort of snuck up on me. Grief has sometimes been surprising the ways and places it has presented itself. Before I left on Tuesday morning John played me some beautiful songs on an mandolin he bought from a Syrian Monsignor. I bought some books and flowers at a nearby bookshop before pointing the car back towards ‘Merika.

 

I broke the journeys and up and down with an overnight stay at our home in East Durham in the Catskills. The drive from East Durham to Montreal is really beautiful and pretty straight forward. I hope to do it again with my family sometime. My car CD player has been broken for years. A massive shout out to E.W. Harris who recently, in another random act of kindness, sent me a device that allows me to tune my phone into the radio dial via bluetooth. This is a life changing improvement for long solo drives.

 

I played a gig with the Frank and Walters in Brooklyn on Saturday night. I’ve loved the Frank and Walters since I was about 14. I’ve seen them play probably a dozen times but this was my first time seeing them do an acoustic set. I loved it. Great arrangements with original frontman Paul Linehan on guitar and vocals and Dylan Howe ( Rowan) accompanying him on guitar and keyboards.  My own set went down well, their audience were very generous. I showed them a Frank and Walters T- shirt I bought in 1993.

 

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The Bitter End This Friday

Paul Simon was there two weeks ago, I’ll be there Friday. Come see me at the Bitter End. Please and thank you.

This is an early gig. Doors 6.30pm, I’ll 7pm -7.45pm. Tickets.

 

Other gigs this month:

Hastings on Hudson, Bread and Brine, today, 5pm

Rockaway, Sayra’s Wine Bar, Wednesdays 7pm

Floral Park, Swing the Teapot, Thur 27th 7.30pm