St Patrick Day Celebration 2021

Watching the Late Late Show (in parts, over two nights because we missed the live and it wasn't available until a few hours later) 

Oh boy the heart strings are being tugged something fierce!! 

The 'House Band'

All female clarinet, fiddle, uilean pipes, bodran and squeezebox and dressed beautifully in shades green that included Moya Brennan, Andrea Corr, . . . . . wow, what a seisún. But they all look like they have aged more years than I care to admit I have.

The Guests 

Mario Rosentstock . . . hilarious. From his impersonation of Michael Flatley to the (Irish) President Michael and Christy Moore. He's a funny fella and I am definitely looking up his podcast. He says the first episode is with Ian Dempsey (I was a huge fan of Dempsey back in the day, when he was on 2FM and he kept me company on many early morning train rides to Carlow).   

Paddy Maloney - looks old but he has performing longer that I have been on this earth. When he pulled the tin whistle out of his jacket pocket I bawled (again).    

Brendan Gleeson with his green ears-warmers. Hahaha, the man is quite a character, a brilliant actor and quite the comedian! But on a serious note, he was suggesting that teachers and people who serve supermarkets at the tills (essential workers) should get the vaccine (vac-sin as BG pronounces it). Yes! 

How did I never notice that BG has such big ears? ;) 

And then he got to talking about grief/bereavement - plugging the great work at St Francis Hospice - and taking about allowing people to be contented. Cue the tears again.   

The audience

 - I did 'apply' but never got the call. Or did I? Maybe I should have answered those calls with odd numbers. Maybe it wasn't weirdos trying to clean out my bank accounts, it might have been the LLS team and I missed out. Or maybe they didn't want any Canadians on . . . *

The Music

The Irish are musical in a way that no others are. To be able to hold the audiences attention with just a mandolin, and a voice. Wow! The only other person I have seen do that is Scott Durbin (aka @AllAboutBurrows). 

The Accents 

But the accents are what really got me . . . 15 years away from Ireland and although it's not my first home, it will always be my other home. Always in my heart and always a part of me. Hoping we get to back someday.  

*Much later into the show they did have Canadians in the audience!