IrishMJ

I've been trying to see Swimmers Jackson live since 2020...  The first time I bought a ticket, the gig was rescheduled due to COVID.  That rescheduled gig was then cancelled, due to COVID.  The third time I tried to see him live, the gig was cancelled.  No, not due to COVID, but a drummer broke their arm and, well, unless you're Rick Allen, a one armed drummer is not really ideal.  The fourth time?  Well, that was my fault, I was ill. So, here we are, on a Sunday night, in the Workman's Cellar in Dublin.  There's a good crowd in the venue.  It seems intimate, but there's plenty of seating at the back and a really nice, long bar.   Anyway, on to the gig.  Was it worth the wait?  Most definitely.  Playing tunes from  Murmuration  (released a few weeks before the pandemic), the new album,  Now Is All , and with the odd cover song thrown in for good luck, we were treated to great night of music. I'm terrible at gig reviews, so that's all you're getting... 

I headed along to the Moat Theatre in Naas last night to catch Willie Headon , Pete Kavanagh and Pat Silke , otherwise known as the Muddy River Band, play a selection of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Van Morrison. Now, I'm not a big fan of Dylan .  Yes, he is, without doubt, one of the finest songwriters ever, but his nasal drone just turns me off his singing.  As for Van ?  No, nope, never.  Went to see him once, he looked like he didn't enjoy it and I most certainly didn't either.  Still though, an incredible songwriter. Neil Young ...  What can I say about Neil Young...  As good a songwriter as the two above, but along with that, he rocks, I mean he really, really rocks.  I got to see him many years ago when he played Slane Castle in Meath.  What? Neil Young played Slane?  He most certainly did, and Pearl Jam were also on the lineup.  If you weren't there, you missed out! You're probably thinking to yourself, why did you even bother going MJ?  Well, the truth is, I

I missed the inaugural Naas Bealtaine Festival last year, and, as luck would have it, as I was busy trying to get a suntan on the south coast of Spain.  Don't judge me, it was my first chance to travel since the pandemic hit, and I was not going to miss it! However, after hearing who was headlining this years festival, I made sure to not miss out this year!  Who was headlining? Oh only one of my favourite bands ever, King Kong Company ! The Naas Bealtaine Festival is a free festival, no tickets required, all you have to do is turn up.  To make sure it all ran smoothly and to fit the largest crowd in, the Main Street of Naas was closed off to traffic, this doesn't happen all that often!  Up and down the Main Street was littered with food stalls, musicians and other street vendors and artists. Poplar Square, at the Dublin end of the town, was the home for the Main Stage. I'll be honest, I didn't venture up the town to the other stages, my back was in tatters, I was tired

It started off innocently enough... I was trying to get tickets to go see Bono play the Olympia Theatre in Dublin. With 3 different early access codes and trying Ticketmaster from my work and home PCs and also my phone, I thought 'this'll be easy'. I was wrong.  No tickets did I get. Roll on a few weeks, and some gigs were announced for New York.  For the craic, I tried for tickets.  Unbelievably, I had two in my basket within seconds.  After some quick words in the office, the purchase was made and plans were afoot. But, like life, not everything goes to plan and I was left with a spare ticket.  Now the decision was 'should I stay or should I go...'. If I go, it'll be a hefty hunk of change, but if I stay... Nah, I was never going to stay! Over the coming weeks, flights and accommodation were booked, as were tickets for other shows to go see whilst in NYC, and the countdown was truly on.  And before you say it, yes I know a 10,000km roundtrip is a crazy distan