We recently had a break in the gorgeous County Mayo, travelling via family and friends in the west of Scotland and then on to a rather wet and dreich ferry crossing. However, the weather brightened and we were blessed with sunshine and warmth all week long, which was very welcome!
As well as recharging the batteries we really wanted to find some time to focus on songs and our music and join in some famous Irish pub sessions.
It was heartening to see these sessions returning after the pandemic and many pubs told us they have enjoyed a good summer. We were made very welcome at The Dapper Duck in Gurteen who have a regular Monday night session and who invited us to give them a song and join in. Later in the week, we headed to Kiltimagh to Teach O'Hora who also have a long-established session night - they too were very welcoming and we gave them a few songs, shared a few tunes, and generally chatted to locals, heard some fantastic Irish music and enjoyed the craic! Of course, we also had a few glasses of Guinness, it always tastes amazing over there! Here is a wee taste of the music and atmosphere -with Syd heading to the bar near the end!
Walking, lots of history, and taking time out every day to play and sing was a real break and we are back with tunes and ideas for taking forward. It has put us in the mood for this coming weekend where we will be playing at Crieff Folk Club as part of their Doors Open Day event on Saturday and also at the Black Bitch Tavern sessions on Sunday as part of the Linlithgow Folk Festival.
Syd could not resist playing a few tunes to our neighbours - two lovely, friendly, apple-eating donkeys! They loved to be serenaded!
(Please see the final video for the truth!)
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