Nothing Doing here in West Clare...

Well, folks. There's not much to tell.

We're in Ireland. It's raining. What can we say? It is January, isn't it?

There was a day full of sunshine last week when we went down to visit the Rock of Cashel. You'd believe if I told you that most people in Cashel don't even bother going up the hill to see the place. You do the same damn thing with your tourist attractions, don't you? It's a shame though. There are some pretty incredible stone carvings and the view is 360 degrees of absolute beauty. The Galtee range is just to the south, and even on a hazy day, it's pretty impressive.

So far, we've been there, and down to our favorite haunt -- Loop Head in the farthest west in Clare. Otherwise, we've had loads of time to read and walk and visit with friends. Our first day trip last week was a bit of a false start, with a trip up to Birr (yes, "Cat Who" fans, there is, in fact, a Birr) in County Offaly (hold the dead meat comments, please.) to see the Birr Castle. Well, my reading skills being what they are, I missed the fact that it was actually the Birr Castle Demesne, and those of you who speak French can just hold your laughter thank you very much. There was nothing to see but the grounds and gardens and the big-ass moat they dug around all of it.

Well, my trusty travel companions were having none of that. We wanted Castle or nothing. So, instead we wandered the sweet and winding streets of the town of Birr. Only in Ireland do you find Georgian mansions just up the street from a tumble of brightly painted shop fronts and ancient stone buildings. The castle itself, at least what we could see from outside the walls, was pretty nifty, and when I get to a spot where I can upload photos, I'll do so.

We also had our first grocery trip to a local Lidl, and picked up some really nice veg. Meat's a bit dear here, and kind of sparse at that grocery, so we took a trip to Ennis the next day. Mainly we went to Ennis to visit Custy's and spend €€€€ on music.

Here's what we can tell ye: Concertina player Martin O'Brien has his first CD out. It's a must have, but not for this trip. Our purchase was Tola Custy and Mirella Murray -- fiddle and piano accordion. Just lovely, and totally worth buying even if it's not entirely Irish. There are some seriously beautiful Breton tracks on here, and ye'd better buy it if you know what's good fer ye. The Junior Crehan book and CD aren't as dear as folks are making it out to be. They're worth getting, and at €25 each, they're worth it. Our trusty travel companion bought out the shop, though, so there's no getting it for a few days. According to trusty shop clark Paddy O'C, the stockers don't rush to get items out to the shops right away after Christmas, so.

We've been well met everywhere we've gone! Nice sessions just about every night, and some nice visits with musician friends. We've so far had the privilege of crowding into tiny, sweaty rooms with the likes of Jackie Daly, Josephine Marsh, Susie Cox, Vincent Griffin, Seamus Bugler, Martin O'Brien, Cyril O'Donohue, Mark Donellan (Francie's kin he is), Andrew McNamara, Mary McNamara and her daughter, and some pretty hilarious storytellers, up close and personal. (There are actually more fiddle players that we've met, but we seem to be on an accordion tour of Clare this year, but no fears, all is not lost. We have another week here and count on me to find the fiddlers!)

We'll bring you some new tunes when we come home, now. We hope you all go to the slow sessiun tomorrow night out at Old Songs, and play one for us!

Warmest Wishes for a Gloriously Happy (and musical) New Year to All!!!!

The Trad