Easter in Ireland

So maybe I’m not the most prolific of bloggers, but every once in awhile, I have a story to tell. Michael John McCarthy, my current musical co-conspirator, invited me over to his native Ireland for Easter weekend 2006 to play a gig at a cricket club in Cork City. How could I refuse? My friend Caitriona picked me up at Shannon airport, and after tea at Bunrattty Castle she dropped me off at the bus station so I could head down to Cork quick-sharp and start rehearsing. The bus stops were plastered with ads for “Brennan’s Bread,” so I soon felt at home. Once in Cork, I met up with Michael John, and after a marathon rehearsal in a living room we bolted to the cricket club the next day to set up. The band was hastily christened “Johnny Perseus and the Algorhythms,” (I was appointed Perseus), and we continued to rehearse our material outside before heading in for the gig. The club was full of fading photographs of Cork cricket champions over the ages, and before we knew it the band had scored a parallel kind of victory, rocking the cricket club to great whooping, singing, dancing, and merriment.

On Sunday we headed to West Cork and the tiny village of Ballydehob, home to Danno (heavyweight wrestling champion of the world, 1935-1936) and some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. After making friends with the four McCarthy Jack Russell dogs, we all sat down to a mouthwatering Easter feast prepared by Michael John’s mother. After dinner, Michael John’s father, himself a farmer and excellent stonemason, took us on a tour through West Cork and down to Mizen Head, the most southwesterly point in all of Europe. Looking out into the horizon, it was neat realize the only thing between me and my native Canada was a daunting expanse of ocean, and to think of all my ancestors who made the journey six generations ago.

After West Cork, it was up to Dublin on Monday to meet my mate Ciaran and his girlfriend Niamh. Ciaran works at The Village, one of the bigger rock venues in the city, and put me on the guest list for a concert featuring the Californian popsters, We Are Scientists; also hanging out in the balcony area were current Dublin musical sensations The Chalets. On my last day in Ireland, Ciaran took me on a whirlwind tour of the sights of Dublin, where we hung out at the canal with a statue of poet Patrick Kavanaugh, stopped by Trinity College, saw the Book of Kells, and took the requisite visit to the Guinness storehouse. Thanks to all the good friends over the weekend who provided me with bed, food, and more entertainment than was probably safe. You can check out some photos of my trip here.