 David and Jimmy Stafford with you and we're back again for the brand new series as they say the Monday night sessions live here from the mountaintop in Letter Canyon. It's good to have you with us my friends. Thank you very much indeed. So you're an ocean there for the DL debate and you know what's happening. We have two great studio guests in between now and 10 o'clock. We'll be joined very very shortly by our good friend Joe Gibson and then we will have George Houston coming along for a chat and a bit of music and whatever else. Quick look at Joe. Well I forecast for this Monday evening becoming windy tonight cold and dry with clear spells for a time but cloud will increase from the south bringing isolated patches of light rain before morning those temperatures of zero to three degrees and be prepared strong and gusty ones are making the way they sweat this making the way over this part of the country so one day in Tuesday with isolated outbreaks of rain so be careful if you are out and about all right. Anyway if you want to get in touch it's away at six sixty twenty five thousand that's our tax number as always. We are streaming the program and it's a first for us who's helping Jimmy so if it goes off you know you know that we haven't been pushing the buttons right but Kevin Furrier has given us a hand here tonight so to see how we get on but we'll just do our best that's all we can do. You can watch us on Facebook you can watch us on YouTube and Instagram and Twitter or wherever else you can get your streaming from so sit back relax and enjoy the next couple of hours with us here on the Monday night sessions. We're just thinking you know what song what song would we kick out the program with and my thoughts shall I not the boys are back in town. Very good evening Monday night and it is the Monday night sessions with myself and Jimmy Stafford and so we're looking forward. We've been building up this last since the ward was filtering out that we're coming back live on a Monday night we had we've been inundated with people and looking to get on the show which is brilliant and we're really looking forward you know to the next couple of months. Jimmy you're the man who's doing the bookings. Just fixing your camera here Paul. Don't worry about the camera. It looks better now and your makeup looks good too as well. Kevin Fury on makeup tonight and so on the technical. See the fake tan in there looking in my neck if you're watching on Facebook. Say thanks to Kevin he did a big training session with us tonight so. You earned your money on that Kevin I'll tell you. He's two boys here right. I mean he's going to be late home for the fish and chips anyway. Sure after he's staying with us but yeah it's good to be back Paul good to be back yeah I mean you know it's two years and we're back two years after not eating sweets but we're back eating sweets tonight. No these are we are appetizing aren't we. Yeah it was nice to be back and it's great it's just it's just have an hour of time of eight to ten every Monday night now as well. Because this last two years like it's I know it's been tight for a lot of people like there's no doubt about that yeah but the musicians you know and the artists and all like their tenors and whatever like they got a slap you know I mean everything just bonked up. Funny was the way at the weekend they're down in Bondone and it's great to see you know live music back again. I've chatted with Brian Kerrigan yesterday and he's flat out which is great to see you're really really delighted to see. It was just to Phil Coulter he was 80 this weekend and he was he was interviewed the weekend he was talking about the Allium Arms as well and that's where he kind of really started at 22 years of age 21. The show band was down where he went kicking with the show band one night down there 60 years ago and that's how we're all started from George. George is the one of George Hutton. That's right yeah and George is up in a few weeks as well. George is built with us and we're delighted for George because a fantastic singer is George Hutton but and saying that you're back on Thursday night between eight and ten. Yeah so but change in schedule which is great so eight to ten Paul and the Irish music centre stage it's called and it's coming back and really looking forward to because there's plenty of music as you know your email is hopping with new Irish acts and my own as well so like we've been just you know I was saying to you earlier on and we've been talking about this because obviously you and I have been talking for the last two years about about music. And about a lot of things by the way and Joe is going to talk about the price of diesel when he comes in later but I suppose you know when you meet a lot of acts it was really huge blow to them and we'll be talking a lot more about that as the weeks go by we're not going to focus in the past two years but what we're going to talk about is people have been writing songs writing albums I met Claire O'Reard and she was one of our first guests up here in the early days six years ago on Monday sessions herself and her husband came up she has three albums in the bag written right over the last two years ready to go ready to go so like exciting a beautiful Annie Lennox type singer as well as Claire. She has something else. So again you know she asked me I just met her on Princess Street in Cork just by chance and she noticed me and we had a chat so it was great you know and like the other thing Paul is was since we announced we're coming back you and I have been on data with requests to come on the show which is absolutely fantastic but I suppose we kind of talked about not rules if you like but we've changed one of two things and we have because as I said when I saw McGregor on Friday talking about it we we we didn't want to let anybody down before yeah and I felt we were I think both of us we just wanted to give the acts as much time and quality time as we possibly could there's one time there like with four maybe five artists it was it was just you know so if we've decided this time if anybody any artists like as fancy come up you're more than welcome but try and give us as much time because we're sort of setting the boundaries of two artists tonight yeah it's already gonna change this moment I know I think and like if you know you have something coming up in June or July or like talk to us now and maybe look at poking in that's what we'd like to hear and already we're getting requests like that so I was talking to Brendan for the four of us today and we'll talk more later on in the skiing trip but you know he's talking about it's probably April now which suits him because and again you know coming on the show to talk about something maybe talk about new album new singular new show what did you've come on that's what that's what it's about and and now we have the we have the technology which one of the positive things come out of this COVID was what we have now yes is the streaming service which is just fantastic absolutely if we could learn to work it now it'd be even better I mean but we have a man on the left here doing great work it is Kevin so yeah that's that's that's a beauty so already when Joe Anthony Joe Gibson I know he's a gig so he's be gone at nine oh is he yes we bring and then we have George Hutton and George Houston sorry you're okay it's okay we start again you just about nervous George is coming on and he was in the singing competition if you remember Paul back in October last year with Highland that we were doing with Greg and Linda and ourselves and for Nula so and so he he was one of the finalist that week so great voice again he's reminding me of that that I can't remember no some singing in the UK but he's George Ezra similar so yeah another thing just if you are watching this on the streaming system that we have here when we go to play a song if we play music from here it's just to give you a heads up but because of what he called royalties and legalities and that we can't play the unless it's only singing their original music yeah we can't play it so we have to fade into a banner thing that comes up you know so the acts that are playing live will be streaming life it's just it's just the like the boys are back in town which you played with you can't play that out on the streaming system so we're just not allowed to welcome back guys here Paul is a message just came in already just probably we can't look at the text well the text is live here as well be once we get ourselves used to technology we'll be able to but welcome back guys lovely to see you both your great supporters of wonderful Irish arts hope you enjoyed my chocolate gift I'm trying to be good during length so we're leaving chalk on Monday and Thursday nights Susan Crosby and Wexford oh very good Susan Susan did the four of us chocolate bars you know I gave you last week and calendar won't you give me that sorry what do you know I gave it to Owen who's sitting up the desk out there you get my chocolate he doesn't need that you know the gifts he's got so anyway that's Susan there's Susan great support of Irish music as well it's just messages in there's a Susan lovely having the board yeah so Paul looked as plenty plenty happening and you're on Saturday morning as well which is started Shuffle it's great and it's great because and I'll tell you just without before we go to a piece of music here it's great because I was trying to play Irish music on a Saturday wasn't working too well with the format of the program if you know to me I want to be respectful to the artists you know but I'm right anybody listening on our fault please get in touch Paul McDevitt at HighlandRadio.com and Jimmy Stafford at HighlandRadio.com and we will do our best because it's all about supporting music anyway these boys were to be with us tonight on our first night via zoom and you know he was there was brilliant videos in Facebook of Brennan Murphy fours and he's probably north of 50 right skiing down the slopes and he was absolutely brilliant I think this is his first time skiing but yeah so Susan really videos and great pictures and all and then the next picture I saw was coming to Dublin Airport in a wheelchair it broke his ankle broke his fib and his leg yeah and he was just very unlucky I was chatting to him today so he's hoping that he doesn't have to need surgery so Brennan was going to hear her talk some prayers which about our best wishes That's a prayer I wasn't to you, sorry, you know what I mean, but no we do we wish him well because there were very very good girls and I was really looking forward to talking to him because they have they embraced us zoom carry on didn't they? Well he has a story to tell which he will tell you in April about how it's changed their whole life and what but I knew that we'll leave that for April. Paul it's good to be back and thanks again to everyone and the best wishes thank you very much everybody and it has been messaged both privately and on the social media this is the four of us Kevin go home now can you? Kevin we'll just fill in your timesheet to everything we both saw you know this is four of us in Bodger's Eye View, Highland Radio, Monday Night's Science and we'll be back after this. Paul before you go Susan's going to send you a personal supply of chocolate that's lovely Susan you get my address because do not send it to the house of staffer because I'll never see it this is the four of us. Maria McCormick, Maria's working on the album Tim and Jimmy down with Billy Rowson and so we're looking forward to that, really looking forward to that so Maria McCormick is always doing great wishes off to Germany to cover St Patrick's Day no bother Maria have a good time that's the main thing anyway our very first guest was our very first guest when we launched way back 2015 was it? 2015, quarter past eight so what's wrong? You want a sweet? Jimmy wants a sweet? Oh yeah Jimmy it's alright, you don't give that man a sweet but come here listen Joe Gibson you're very welcome and we have been streamed out so if you want to catch the camera you're not one there and so how's things been? It's been it's been mad, it's fast and everything's just happened and all of a sudden you know but it's great it's just you're trying to catch up to yourself I think you know you know what I mean the lockdown and what way did it affect you you know was it was it pause everything stopped just and at first it was kind of like you know a lot of people I think shared the opinion of this welcome break and we had that magnificent what magnificent weather much like the weather we're having now it was unbelievable everybody just kind of went you know what we'll take this I remember us barbecue and I was going I sure will be back open in August you know a couple of weeks of this year be happy days so the form of everybody kind of I know myself anyway I definitely took the break so there was that kind of you know remember that feeling but after eight months nine months still no especially not your livelihood Joe you know what I mean I was very fortunate because this is like a hobby I do other things and I kept me going but I genuinely like I felt for every artist and I could sense and a lot of people a lot of singers and you could sense the depression kicking in I you know I was concerned I want to say concerned I don't mean to be part of anything but I was very concerned for people's well-being and there was people you would be messing and saying you know you're getting on and stuff like that you know it was it was strange right enough because as I said it was a phase of no all we break happy days because we were quite busy and a lot of musicians out working every night of the week and then all of a sudden you have your nights but eight months in you'd been saying you'd be saying I'll be open in a couple of weeks we open a couple of weeks we'll be back at it and then it just was getting further and further away and the whatever savings whatever people like my heart would have went out to a band for example like I remember I remember feeling particularly down one day because there was no work as such but I heard on the radio that there was a couple in Dublin who just got the mortgage to build a house and his livelihood was the music and he was he was starting to pay down the first payments of a mortgage no potential to build the house move into the new one still paying extortion and rents in Dublin and like I felt a reprieve but I felt for them like I was like I mean thank God I'm not in that situation because the support you know whatever support was there and with thank I thank the government for putting on the PUP and stuff but there were situations out there that you know that wouldn't have snuffed at it you know what I mean no exactly and there's people you know people making a good living and it's not you know people may think that it's a glamorous kind of a lifestyle but that's not you know there's two hours of a bit of glamour and about you know people like oh wow this is good crack and then there's ours or perhaps something and get to learn how to do all these things that you never thought you'd have to do marketing so anyway did you did you sit down do you write much or did you well like a lot of us I think we all we all had great notions of saying you know what this is the year now I'm gonna write that album and a guy must I started I don't know how many projects and I have a project going now with the with a day in we're gonna do a concept album on granuel the pirate queen you see this was to be done two years ago to start a lockdown we says oh we'll write an album in a month no bother it's all two years I think we're forced now I only wanted to write two or three songs he wants to write a concept album so he's writing away at the lyrics and stuff and then I'm kind of designing the songs and then we brought on another two writers because we realized that his projects taken a lot longer can you talk about that or is it an early stage just can you talk much about not a way lot it's just it was it was one of them projects that we started over lockdown and it's one of them ones like goes in the back burner and you revisit it like and so far there's three songs completed just ready for studio okay but we want to kind of go down the route of actually doing a concept and we kind of thought you know when in today's day and age with you know equal rights and like women looking for equal pay and then you know very much in the media for I kind of thought that granuel was such a formidable female character over history okay in a time when it wasn't really possible or conducive to such I thought it would be a good day you know and now so that's why myself and the other man that was writing the song just said it would be a good idea to bring in women how did you get involved with him and what made this come about is he someone you know here no he um he's a tour operator in Denmark and he brings uh you know tours over to Ireland and I had bumped into him through a friend in Galway as you do and he you know he told a band in Galway I won a fiddle player one night I was in Galway and I had me fiddle and happened to jam with the band they remembered went to Denmark we made a contact ever since he's been I told him you need to bring your tours to letter Kenny now he's bringing them to letter Kenny and then he's a historian you see so he we always after a few we pinched you know we'd we'd start talking about things and he would be talking with granuel I found the story of a very interesting you know so someone down over here tell us they don't point me to any of you granuel was a pirate queen and male daughter of what do you call a black oak man but she managed um ah well that's another story for another day hopefully we'll have a big album going right well so uh you've got to do a couple of songs because I know you're gigging the night and uh we appreciate you coming up really we really do so this uh you've got a an EP out at the moment you're well this is I mean we didn't like this came out in lockdown we uh got together with a few friends actually Stephen O'Carrollen uh box player is on that another friend Conor Darrell we got together we wrote a few songs and uh let's talk about an EP during lockdown try to make a better sense about that stuff going to this is actually a song I wrote in the early stages of lockdown that's called your guidance star right when you're ready where do you go when you're all alone drifting away in this world of our own you dream of a place down by the sea or long for a home in the heights of the city I tell of a man a man from my town he was often away he was seldom around to hear of the places and cities he go when he landed at Boston he was covered in snow tired of working in the blister and cold he took the train down to Texas I went mining for gold sure he never could settle so he crossed Mexico when I asked what he did said you don't want to know I sent something so sit down at your leisure and play what's your pleasure where can find your guidance star I was a grafter a dreamer of sorts he was a talented man but he was fond of the poor I asked if he ever would settle his around he said when that comes from me I'll be under the ground by a place where the hair is roman and free where my roots are on deep by the banks of the swallee bones turn to clay wherever they fall but my heart and my soul it will be done he gone this is the time I got up pray sat long enough if I don't come back won't you look after me stuff I know it's not much but it's all of my life it's all of my life won't you treat it as such there's a book full of tales of all the deeds that I have done amidst the mistakes and heartaches there was love and good fun as he walked away I sat on my own drifting away in this world of our own brilliant show brilliant well now the guidance star lovely and that's a track that's on the corn tp you've a brave lineup artist uh performing that with you don't you which is a lot of good friends that happen to be not busy during the lockdowns and uh I seized the opportunity like and uh it was delighted to because we don't you know we always talk to people like oh we must do we project we must do something so I at least we did that you know well listen it sounds great and it's great to hear you back again tell us um you're getting all over the place obviously um I tell you we were talking about how the lockdown we don't talk too much about it but I was getting to the phase and I had the cv in hand and I had a few places in mind you know I was thinking I might go down to emerald or something and ask them for a start you know as I was getting a wee bit fractious about there's no gigs there's no none and you know this is getting this is going on a bit long do you know a couple of weeks hi she know within a couple of weeks but and the day I was ready to kind of go out with them cvs the pubs opened and within a week their phone was ringing and bookings were coming in and it was just like you could breathe again and but see since that day it has been flat out and we had planned that we'd always we'd said right we're coming back we're going to play after the lockdown because you know that's what we do I got a lot of bands and they they they didn't hold out and they couldn't hold out like because the work was calling so he's away in my water now but um you're sweet but he took me sweets he took me water what's going on up here Paul you know you try to say you try to say something I was like a tear but um no like uh it was it's great to be back and we've kind of we've we've taken the opportunity to know start things afresh and break bad habits and try and really get on top of things so the brand the band's gone through a full rebrand re-launch and re-launch and set her bow you know after we're sending the boat out again after 10 years but uh we've actually delighted to welcome on board two new members we haven't really announced who they are but um I'll announce them today that uh we'd like to have on board Lisa McBertie Summer from Wincran and uh Maria Daherty piano player from Wincran as well oh I know Maria yeah she's uh she was up here as well and but we'll have to say we get well soon because like we're ready to do our first gigs and unfortunately uh she's just not well feeling well at the moment we wish you a speedy recovery so she's uh she's she's very upset that she couldn't join us in the first few gigs but I says look no we've waited the two years to rebrand we've waited and all I say we can wait another you know a couple of weeks so and what can what can people expect you'll from when you say you're revamping obviously your music going to stay the same is it it isn't it doesn't like I mean music changes and the environment changes everything changes around you and like a few kind of yeah they're changed with it or get left behind and uh we've been jamming for years and now with this with the fresh kind of input we've we've kind of hit on a kind of a groove of a kind of a style that's uh similar to what we've been doing but it's just a wee bit more thought out and we've more developed like so we really want to keep that trad power yes we want to marry it more with the rock and the and the even it's in a modern type of a trady as well as a trad going modern without taking away the the the full bottom of it like I mean I would have to say it is but what I'm trying to do is I'm taking the you know best bits of a reel and like if you listen to modern music now what's modern on the charts it's a reoccurring loops like a short catchy melody and within trad there's very well-defined uh riffs and catchy parts of the reel that stand out people remember the mason's apron because of the way it starts though they remember the titanic reel or polka from the titan you know the lion's polka that's a defined groove that repeats so we're in a trad session you're going to do that three four times in a row no no breaks but if you expand that over a continuous beat and bring in it more more power with the drums and the piano and synths and you're kind of moving the session in a different way I wouldn't say forward because it's a it's a sidestep in a way and brilliant it's good to do that and you know it gives you something another string to your bow as they say talking about bows you know a bad a bad luck with a no no sign yet Joe no sign yet um no uh it's unfortunate now to be to be fair now that the it was gone we were kind of celebrating after a really good weekend the lk fest went off last year and it was it was the only hitch libel being lifted so uh I know I know we listened to you I heard you on radio at different times and I knew you know it took a lot of revealing I it's it's it's just god love I mean it's such support for it and a lot of people ask the first thing they usually say is I didn't want to ask but I know but they're only asking because they're hoping that it's been returned and I see that but it's always like it still stings I mean at the end of the day as a physical thing it's not worth much no and it actually needed a bit of repair so if you have it out there look it's not worth much there is a reward of 1200 euro now I'm not saying it was lifted intensely maybe someone after a party happened upon it and they were drinking in their apartment and let's take this back to the apartment and forgot all about it since right there's a 1200 euro awarded for that final that is worth double what you would get for what's in that box at the minute so well your fingers crossed and hopefully we can hopefully I please god you know and tell me what we're going to take a notice on but uh St Patrick's Day you're heading up things now next Thursday I'm delighted to get the call there from the Leonard Kenny chamber and Tony Forrester and that producer back there Jimmy um they they're like like us all we were kind of wondering should we take the chance and go for St Patrick's Day yes and have a parade because everybody's still while everybody's happy to be out there's still a wee bit cautious there's awareness there right but I don't know if Jimmy remembers but when he called me I says sure it's your planet we can always cancel it ah you know if you don't plan it you don't have it so uh when they when they went for thank god they did and then they've asked us now to play on the stage down the market square so it's a it's a perfect opportunity because they'd actually asked us as well like we we were going to relaunch this band I'd say about three times because there was the august kind of reopening and we were getting ready to go and then closed and then christmas was reopening and we were asked to be part of the lot turning on of the lights so many highs and lows during the single like it was you know you were getting excited to this big gig and then straight away no uh that's that's not going to happen you know uh well sir you're you're back now and please god you're here to stay and uh jimmy's what are you saying jimmy a couple of requests on the facebook hang on jimmy just see if I get this microphone off here for you that's that's just a slug I don't know I'm not doing something wrong here can you hear me now is that too no I don't know we'll get them later on I'm sure they'll support us is that working there one two can you hear me yeah hey but it's not good we have requests on uh facebook we don't we don't thanks to everybody as I say it's our force needs sort of streaming it's uh Lynn Campbell good evening Lynn and uh thanks very much good evening jimmy and pa and uh Lynn Campbell by the way jimmy is doing a gig in the courthouse in Lifford along with uh Tommy Boner the straw man and I've got uh I've got myself a couple of tickets for it it's on the 1st of April April Fools day and it's a Friday and uh tickets are available through Eventbrite and go along and support local artists it's a beautiful wee venue that courthouse we've never known jimmy you've never encountered jimmy in your life you're a cork man but anyway if people want to go along I'm really looking forward I'm delighted to see that it was up there and I thought I'll definitely go along now. Campbell McMahan, Campbell thank you very much indeed. Darin Bork, great to see you back lads good morning Darin. Good morning. Hey you know Darin well good fellow. Well is he good for that? Ah he's all right he wouldn't buy the plane's link but he's all right you know. Lisa McBee howdy there from your drummer sounding grid Jill. How's it going Lisa? How's it going Lisa? And uh Paul McGuire, good evening Paul and Jimmy welcome back thanks very much indeed folks it's nice to be back and as I say right we get uh oh sounding good what's that mean? Good man Jill you're sounding good keep your lit sent in from Hugh P and Maria and great to hear Paul and Jimmy on especially Paul. No it's us I made that for myself. Back on the radio Joseph Gibson great to hear you on the radio hello from Marianne Gallagher and Glenn Funn. Hello Ryan how you doing? And Jerry McMorning on Bunkranna hello Jerry says good to have them two boys back thanks very much Jerry I appreciate it. Right Joe another track for uh because we know you have to go where are you on the night Jerry? I'm playing in Derry in Lizzie Fowles with Stephen and Carolyn the box player I saw on that EP there but it's a nice it's a lovely week gig I mean there's lots of different types of gigs and that's what I enjoy like I mean we've got the new band now we're launching that but uh I get to play we play Trad then we're talking about new stuff with the band but get to go back to the roots and play on the Trad and Folk with Stephen tonight so we're really looking forward to doing that with you gig. Um people are looking to get in touch with uh Joe what's the best way you know just search uh at Sailor Bull band on social media that's there are you on the whole you're on the video with Jimmy hello Jimmy I'll tell you Jimmy he caught me off guard you know because he got in the van and I know you I know the video you can see that I'm kind of coaching him but see before that he worked hand to God like he got in the van he was just yeah I'm not feeling you know I'm fed up with restrictions are going on but people are still and you know his voice and that feeling that people were having at the minute and that's where I was like hang on I'm just here to just say that again you know and then he just started to worry he says well he says things are looking up he says Gene Kern's on Sunday night and I was like what and he says Paul McDivitt and then he told me then I was on with you and he says and I'm releasing a new single I heard that after for me this is right a bit of a right but I can hear but Jimmy hello to you if you're listening on a good list of the Highland radio today he's letting me tell you every show that was on that week does he listen on Wednesdays there no I don't know the Thursday Jimmy's on the Thursday is he Thursday or do they get it wrong oh geez ah you got it wrong I was when he said he but Jimmy phoned me he says well I can't say over here what he said no because maybe she should be probably right then I was trying to but anyway this next song you're gonna do for me this next song is again born in the lockdown because during lockdown we took to streaming and we met up with people supported each other and watched us and then we like and we kind of made friends with new people so we used to play on an island called Isla which if you you'd know when you've heard of Isla because it's we Island off the coast of Scotland it sounds like a mythical place like you know and there's eight or nine or maybe ten whiskey distilleries on it you know and what they said what they said you see you asked them when I was over there it's like where's there's so many whiskey distilleries in this island and they says well if you lived in a place that only produced peaked and wheat and Barney what would you make you know very good that's fair enough so there's a man in habitants in it there's about I think it's about 3000 like it's quite a popular area it's a good size we island it's supposed to be island though Isla Isla isle away it's a common Irish girl's name now you don't have a granddaughter well there you are well I just put the y on it you'd have heard that anyway so this is a song then about our journeys and travels to I was reminiscing of when we used to go over there you see so I wrote this wee song uh the old tea I suppose it's the old tea I'd see far away far away from me cause there I'll go then you gotta be tough just being that wild western give me your smoke give me your place where I can dock my boat give me a glass of that pitted pure we're singing songs crying out for more hard to hold with the deal of Freud like a full of nard bagel is at the door singing songs crying out for more never find a place that easy as easy as your give me a place where I can dock my boat give me a glass of that pitted pure singing songs crying out for a li aila aila and that's Joe Gibson's if you've just tuned in this Monday night Joe Gibson our first guest back with us and sounding great as always the the the flower what's happening the flower flower again it was the same thing like back in December we were still in lockdown and when your people were trying to plan events and these events take time to plan and nobody knew if it was going to be an online event or not so I said look we like we had a bit of experience and like given being a musician out of work and we'd learned how to stream and you know get used to the technology I thought well nobody wants to take it we'll take it on and let it Kenny so so we've decided to take it on and fortunately it's looking like we're going to be able to have a the one like the first fly back for Donny Gaul after after the couple of years that we've had so it's uh it was a bit of an undertaking we've formed the committee and we've been running up and down the town getting to talk to the the movers and shakers there like mr. Jimmy there you know you don't bother no bother I don't bring envelope I'm only saying that I thought it was just a bag of harry you know not at all but uh no I'm delighted to to announce that the that the county flower will be held here and we're trying to really make an effort uh you know where we can to have as many you know aspects of the culture represented so like we're hoping to have a lovely fun day on the Sunday working backwards a fun day on the Sunday in the town park built around the marching band competitions now again we hope now this is if there are any marching bands that have and haven't practiced or haven't gotten back together we're hoping that you might be able to you know contact the branch and perhaps you know come and perform what and in whatever capacity because it is a it's a competition and it may you know you get get a chance then to go on forward to the austere so like we want to build around that so have a lovely kind of music day in the park and then have other events going around it so it should it's making use of the town park and and you know trying to give something back into the community so a real nice day for everyone to enjoy competitions around the saturday and we're asking anybody that's interesting what would be yourself paul you could answer you could you could enter the the senior uh sean os camp singing senior one well over a team no i love i love me music but i wouldn't be that confident now to be honest i think but that's good i think you could take it to the all islands you know what i could take it anywhere you know remain don't be worried about that but especially since there might not be anybody else in the company well you see that's a positive way of looking at it i never thought about that you could be the all island champ or the dunny gold champion county flag all right for a big good go for a troll man keep her lit joe from big a and a nausea land oh yes uh how you doing Ian and there you go you see good man joe sounding sounding good keep her lit all right there don't see who's from but uh what uh so the flat you're talking a weekend it's a full weekend it'll be kicking off we have a outshade broadcast with hayland radio we thank them very much we're having that on the thursday uh what what did that's oh but it's a fifth sixth and seventh or is the yeah i think you know the sixth seventh and eighth of of may may also so i saw the thursday's the fifth so sixth seventh and eighth so on the friday night there'll be a keely in the bonagie hall um so it's a fair keely and uh there should be a launch as well the session of course you should be invited to the launch you know help us kick off the celebrations on the friday will there be anything at this launch or there'll be music there'll be sessions and there'll be singing or like is there any you may a driver make this demand right okay well put it on a quest put it on a request in fairness stage oh you're a grit ambassador for the the trade scene and the and the music locally here you are and you have to take a bit of praise there because um you have and you know you you're um you've come at it you've been committed to this music business for a long long time and it's great and but people like you we need and and around these areas uh in the community to help you know help these events and and help bring them to the fore because if there wasn't people like yourself doing it these things just wouldn't happen they'd die away so well you know well done thanks very much paul but it's not i'm not on my own like there's a good branch and there's a good thank you but like as i say the what i found is when i go out people want to support and want to help where they can and everybody's eager to to get this going again and like between the chamber uh lunar litter cannon barbara down there and the cultists branch themselves the infrastructure that's there is there are you're saying these things wouldn't happen but those people are out there and they're waiting to be asked and and they want to get involved and it's like well well done to them but as i say everybody just wants to get back in now you have a you see a good you know a good session there's a real positive vibe and i've noticed it at the gigs like you know comparative team before we stopped everybody just seems to really just for a moment appreciate the being out you know they're appreciating it now more than ever listen we can chat all night but i know you have to go because you're busy but we do appreciate you coming up to us and the the e-p where can people get it i'll contact me directly at the mother's nor it's nor public it's such a who mothers selling it in the local butcher shops down in newtons where she does she's an ambassador thanks mama there you go but uh hi so can you just contact the facebook page and such martina said many nice greetings from austria and evan Mcroth said brilliant and uh so you know you're getting uh you're getting a good feedback there from the listeners but martin is the one when we met through the lockdown through streaming i know i mean like we don't know her through that and that's how like when you said martin from austria is like i know i know you're there you see isn't it great that that thing has built up too it's open doors for people it definitely has uh you know through through this streaming and people that just never would have heard music have seen music but uh your your lineup for this week you're enduring tonight you're i'm enduring tonight i'll be residency resident slot and sonny Mcswain's down macaft is there and every wednesday at nine um then i've seen that uh sedunas ball friday um or and uh where else wednesday but we have a gig on sypatic's day and the downings be able to tell so that's uh tickets are on the event right i'm really looking forward to that yes thank you very much indeed joe got the news the best music on your station with hall might debit yes it is at 10 minutes past nine o'clock on a monday night you're very welcome back uh part two of the program great reaction there to joe gibson and we're really looking forward to that that's a great buzz jimmy going to come around with the uh flair isn't it it's really going to be something else you know yeah either the way of crowd and the atmosphere and marching band fairness to joe paul he's building up for um he's building up for a lot of you know he's been talking to a lot of people and you know as he said and as people get out and start doing stuff and like if he brings the county flat which he is sorry to letter kenny there's bigger talk then of the national one but he's involved with that at another level that's massive i mean that's i'm fairly everybody involved i know it's not joe his own but like yeah yeah this is uh the great sea to flood the people look we were talking about it last week myself and yourself you know a lot of people haven't been practicing even in bands for two years marching bands they're slowly starting to come back it's you know so people are just slowly starting to get back in which we'd see a lot more um all right so well all being well well then as i say you're welcome back monday night sessions uh george um uh houston will be joining us very very shortly and uh billy meganiske kicked out of the dancing of the stars jimmy i nine nine nine weeks he lasted i couldn't believe it i thought he'd boot the first night you know i saw him on the late late and friday night very good very good yeah well they're kicking off this saturday they're aslan's 40 year tour we will have billy next week i think yeah next week yeah next monday yeah so they're down on uh the uh the devonish complex uh this this sat saturday and they will be playing in the millennium forum on the second of september in dairy and they are playing here in the clan re on the fourth of november i know we're looking for it but it's all part of aslan's 40 40 year celebration so i already believe they're going and by god they have some ups and downs in their times you know but uh doing great christy with sound and grit and uh looking well and we wish them continued good health so uh check them out aslan.ie as we track from there and uh coming up very shortly is uh george houston don't go away i can't wait i can't wait to see my slave again that's aslan of course and a track called weeded on a highland radio don't forget uh coming up after ourselves this evening between uh uh 10 o'clock and 12 is aiden morphey really looking forward to that so uh more grit music as always from aiden and a new time slot for him i'm sure he's delighted with that so aiden morphey between 10 p.m and 12 tonight and uh next we say hello and welcome to our second guest on our fourth show george houston george very welcome hello thank you how are you grand good how are you are you busy performing artist um well i'm busy i suppose you have to be busy before you do and all the performance stuff but i have some i have a few things lined up but it's more support acts so i suppose they're not really my things to announce unfortunately but all right okay some things some things are coming up and uh recording are you working on an album george are you um i will that's the idea uh i suppose get some singles out maybe work on an album um i i'm keeping busy anyway up full tilt over thomas oh that's good and uh do you play in round the town here where where are you from uh bonkranagh work oh board your board man and do you gig around these parts much i do the cottage bar now and again um with their mouth piece thing uh but no not like i'm open for business if anybody wants to get in touch with me they can and uh do you use the social media outlets um i do it beyond everything really instagram facebook twitter the the whole ten yards shit in japan that's very good well tell you what we're going to do we want to get a song from you first um so first song we're going to do for first george this evening is um it's a well we'll do the elder man why not why not indeed i did this with uh when we were over for that competition thing uh well chat about that no even it's sure yeah that was a competition i and this is your own obviously this is your own it is your own song crystal whenever whenever you're ready this is the other man would you tell the truth if you could lie would you tell the truth if you could lie because it's easy the truth is cursed i've already been lied to that's the part that hurts you want a clean slate i'd like it dirty i'm barely over age and behavior pushing 30 i'm not naive and no you're a cheater at least it isn't me who has to come out and leave her don't touch my head don't take my hand i can't believe you made mental cigarettes ask again the way but i don't still play not for you to tell me how i hesitate to that's the part that hurts you want a clean slate i'd like it dirty i'm barely don't touch my head because it's easy the truth is cursed i've already been lied to that's the part that hurts you want a clean slate i'd like it dirty my head that's George Houston if you've just tuned in and they're following us in the live stream George that's brilliant you've got such a unique style that stands out you know and we've seen we're just talking about the the song competition that the voice of Donnie Goll things that we had the local hero thing local hero that's what it was and i remember we had heard you a couple of times and your your song came out of myself and Jimmy and it was Greg and Finula and Linda and we had to go through the songs and i never ever went through a competition like i've never seen a standard it was just fantastic your song was your your uniqueness stood out now you know thank you you didn't want an assent but you were definitely everybody you were aiming me him was amazing it was great of course and unfortunately it didn't go further but you never know this year there could be something similar going on you never know but was that your first competition to enter George uh music i definitely i suppose i'm mad for a competition when i was in school i'd be i'd go in as many as i could i just loved doing all that kind of stuff but i'd never done a music one before so it was good fun do you um did you write that song especially for that or was your song a song you had um well i had that song was for an album i had out last summer uh cold toast and um i should remember that cold toast is right and it was a great tune i was good fun um but yeah i had it ready for the go and i suppose and i didn't i don't think they needed it to be written for the thing so when you do songwriting um do you sit down specifically to do it or do you know as you're going about you get wee ideas no i suppose over lockdown there's so much isolation and you're alone with your thoughts the whole time and then you're going kooky and just singing wee things in your head and then they just come out and then record them on your phone i think i think a lot of people were the same during during the the lockdown thing um what do we see here uh mary houston says love it oh well who's that same houston as me that's my aunt oh your aunt the good stuff mary and uh mary holmes says go george good stuff and who else georgina houston brilliant long line of george is in our family my grand is called george as well and he keeps threatening that he's gonna come into one of my gigs someday and say well i'm george houston i'm here so very good job and donna holmes mcdaeth said you're fantastic oh she are and uh tell us uh you obviously can tell us uh you can share your news about uh stand all i can yes it was announced last all right last week it was started the week it couldn't be this week um but yeah um i'm well excited i would be just excited to go and see like sister sledge is playing there sister sledge is playing on the second of july yeah i couldn't believe how to go sister sledge i can't wait to go see them i'll be in the crowd and uh when are you honored do you know yet um i don't know it's because they're just it's such a like a class lineup they keep adding and adding people so i suppose they're they're not too sure on what how the setup is going yet all right well i'll tell you what there's going to there's a brilliant lineup here because uh i've been looking at it straight and it's one of them first it's just a class i'd love to go to i've never been you know what it's just feel good kind of a one i want you can stay for days and just listen to music you know to mean like a like a glass and berry type thing but yeah we look forward to this right who else is playing on it there i think we're on your doffy lisa mcquee's actually playing a gentle country singer yeah yeah and who else did i hugo donkens play on it all right all right so it's a diverse lineup of music but that's great and we wish you well with that so tell us a bit about yourself uh you're a full-time musician i am yes and you also are an artist hi well i originally i was an artist and then i got into well i suppose both i did portrait painting for people and i do sculpture and just commissions for people i still do it but i suppose i've just it's taken a little bit of a backseat just because i've been going together with the music you'd say sculptures or of what what way um made of whatever multi multi media kind of oh very good very good and how long have you been doing that you say always oh i you're always an art lover is that in the family it is i we're fully encouraged to just do what we love and do what makes you happy that's absolutely 100 we agree with that we're going to take a quick outbreak here right and uh when we come back you're doing another song first why not what song are you going to do for us next um miss the eyes this is uh highly radio monday night sessions and we're with george huston and we'll be right back after this break most people say that donny gall is the coolest place 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april 3rd we'll all come together to fill out our census forms and the information you provide will help show where essential services are needed in every part of the country so on sunday april 3rd be a part of ireland's future be counted visit census.ie to find out more this is highland radio with paul mcdevott it certainly is and you're welcome back to 27 minutes past tonight that flew on this evening but we are in studio with our second guest this evening the brilliant george houston and george you're going to do another song first night yes when you're ready this is misty eyes here we go look at me in the eye alone again i can see them one more time always near never touch touch the hair on the head i love so much behind your ear to your shoulder darling your neck i want to hold you still your knee and i know that i could hold you but i'm scared to lose the things that we have when i ask you how you feel about what i told you i'll blame it on the drinks that we had misty eyes misty eyes misty eyes misty eyes watch your after misty eyes beautiful thank you really really love that have you many songs written uh in your catalogue have you many oh Jesus um i i i don't know i have not counted actually but i suppose last album there's 13 there's a good maybe 30 in the lineup to for the next few years do you go back to them and sort of jiggle about them oh yeah like it's while it's strange because the songs that i'm singing now are like me my teenage self winging and now it's me singing but yeah and i want to sing the songs that i just wrote yesterday kind of a thing so i do go back and forth from old ones to new ones but it's who's your inspiration musically wise oh i i very eclectic it would be i don't know Leonard Cohen bob dillon david bowie now delray first aid kit like i could just keep going i i love music and i wouldn't want to it's unusual to for somebody to your age to say Leonard Cohen i'm dull like i didn't get any dullness we raised i suppose i i what music was in the house was it i was wasn't ever wasn't turned off i think that's good all right well it's good that Leonard Cohen was something special and i can i can get that on your on your singing you know what i mean that's uh that's but we've got a lot of people to say hello to here hang on a wee second um great to hear back jimmy and paul class acts as always in let thank you and hello to john walis john good to have you with us my friend and uh let me see uh kitrin need tommy uh tomas and i saying that right i hope i'm saying that right fabulous george angela hoosen you go george from all your cousins in the hilly and funcran and edel corcoran so talented louise daugherty said you're brilliant george and cattling boner cattling sent up we clapping hands on that thank you for listening can we go back to that can we go back to your um paintings we're just talking off here about during the week it's uh it's what do you call them you do portraiture what portraiture i portraiture and you know you're doing the famous people and some famous people have seen them i will um shared them i'd put it i used to be mad about it i'd do maybe a painting a day and i'd just do celebrities and people i'd listen to you an artist i'd listen to you i i'd listen to first aid kit and sigrid and uh just a couple of the paintings like they noticed them and uh sigrid shared one on our facebook page which i was like ah but i suppose she has no idea of course that i'm a massive fan oh you should have massaged her instead oh well i i probably didn't it's nice that wasn't it uh what style you what do you use uh mixed media but it would be pencil watercolor ink acrylic i i don't like i don't like choosing one thing i'd like going all through different ones i suppose okay right very good and if people want to get your a painting charge are they available for sale they are um well i yes they are uh you can just go on my instagram and you can message me um i won't and i do commissions as well if you have family members or stuff that you want want a portrait of you know you should be putting that out there i i do i i do craft fairs every night again what do you it's good fun i i've just been a while busy with the music i suppose can be all consuming well at the same time i do what you know go with what you sort of get your best buzz out of hi and uh uh seeing george live at the bunkrana festival and he was absolutely amazing oh thank you and that's in your own you don't you don't play with a band or such not yet i would love to but um yes i think i think i think myself i think you're better on your own you know ed shearing type thing i don't mean you sound like him or anything but you have was the acoustic kind of a thing your voice carries well on your own you know what's high whatever way whatever way it goes for you so uh what's the plans for the future being that everything's working out okay for us here um just make music for a living that'd be pretty dead on if i could do that if people go reading a gig george uh to the to the here uh you know i know you have to play to the crowd uh so you do covers do you fire in your own music oh the shows i've been doing they've all been i've been very lucky i've got to do mostly singer songwriter kind of a shows where they want original music so it would be more like i throw in a couple of covers and i'd be mainly my own stuff which i'm very lucky to be able to do have you noticed a reaction from that you know just prior to lockdown and stuff to get you know you had that album out and all that was getting good airplay it was yeah um i it's i think it's i keep going into my wee spot if i think and it's at uh 29,950 and i'm just waiting for it to go to 30,000 and i always count these wee tiny milestone kind of things i think in a moment that's going to make you that's the worst of a Spotify in fairness like but it's it's a platform it's there for i'll buy me a vodka coke maybe you'd be doing well to do that well listen we'd love to get another song for you um well i'm going to go once again i'm going to have an ad break here but um what what song would you do for us next um we'll do class of 2020 and give us a wee background to that um well you know just i was in school when the lockdown happened and we were all in our maths class and the teacher put it up on the projector there was layover ad curtail on us go home and we never went back and i suppose the song came out of that experience of leaving school just so abruptly uh very good right that's on the way after spring don't go away a public interest message from dunny gall county council it's the time of year when poor driving conditions are causing accidents but did you know that a scratched wing or dint for a pier which needs a respray can only be done legally by a certified operator who holds a valid certificate of approval from dunny gall county council the body shop or garage must display a valid certificate proving they have been inspected and meet the requirements of the deco paints legislation best practice guidelines for vehicle refinishing and the air pollution act for an up-to-date list of certified operators check the council's website or phone us at 9153900 dunny gall county council protecting the environment with the onset of different variants of coronavirus it is vital that your business office or school has the most up-to-date air purification device mcdade's bathroom plumbing tiles introduce the daikon air purifier it eliminates 99.9 percent of coronaviruses in under three minutes ideal for residential settings offices classrooms and waiting rooms priced at 495 euros is a great investment for more details contact mcdade's bathroom plumbing tiles pankrana we're on your phone call or email away have you seen the crack that hylian radio we're having on instagram are you a follower if not this weekend is your chance we have a 50 inch lg smart tv to give away visit our instagram page for more details at hylian radio don't go i don't have to go to school tomorrow because the world's finally gonna end now that i don't have to go to school tomorrow it's a good thing i didn't learn my future tense in french yeah it's a good thing i didn't learn my future tense it's gonna go it's a good thing the bible i should have read the bible i'd have to go to school tomorrow because it's for more than summer what a bum i don't even know what i was learning all that stuff for because i might and i feel dumb dumb and dumb but it's a good thing i didn't learn my future tense it's a good thing i didn't learn my future tense it's a good well don't George Houston live in studio with us here and it could get away but if uh Leonard Cohen stroke Bob Dylan run through that song oh well that's quick the compliment thank you very very good very good excellent as i said the offer uh vocally you're just amazing and your songwriting so for such a young age this is George Houston who is a a a painter and an entertainer and a singer and he and we did the thumbs up Angela tourist is well done George that's my piano teacher that's that right yeah you play the piano as well i do yes good have you written songs on the piano on its own basically yeah i have a song out this week actually on friday and i wrote it with cairn lavery um i don't know if you're aware of him but he's an amazing artist from well not from belfast but he's belfast based and um yeah um very excited about and it's just really stuffed back how did that come about yourself and him hooking up again um i did eric galart's festival and i was supporting in their thousands um and they're they were just friends with them and happy happy coincidence happy for me anyway i was delighted to get a message from them that's brilliant well done so you're you're working with with cairn now that's great that'll be um that'll be something different it's nice uh when you do that collaborate and like you know it gives you it gives you sort of puts new ideas in your head too like you know but anyway listen um we'd love to get another song if you don't mind before we go and uh can we expect can we expect a sort of album launch or can we expect anything this year do you think or um i i've said basically this song you're releasing on friday where is it available if people want to stream it uh wherever you wanted it's there and everything on all platforms great stuff we wish you well with that will you do another song first if you don't mind i will no brother this song you're gonna do first is um i'll do boo who okay breathe in thank you and your own time george thank you i'd leave until i'm done this is crime this is treason sacred duty it ain't fun my best not leaving till i'm done my god i'm open can't be seen by anyone apologies for being the diner and boo i guess i'm gonna turn my front upside down telling me not to cry as i try to get over you running down my cheek know what people sign this and care for the cryfest not leaving till i'm done by god i'm open that can't be seen by i guess i'm gonna turn my front upside not to cry as i try to get apology not to cry as i try to get on over you excellent george absolutely brilliant it's such a mature sound it really really is man i'm not just saying i could just sit here after me it's a really really you've got a a great a great way of songwriting you've got a great way of delivering it and i'll just love that acoustic thank you the whole thing uh who else kitlin says that's my favorite oh there you go and Georgina Houston said um i love it and she said it's mine too so there you go wasn't that lovely so but listen come here if people want to get in touch with you you're on the social medias are you you're i all of them all of them for for both penton and i can get CDs i suppose on my etsy as well on lindstagram or anywhere well listen the pleasure's been ours thank you so much for coming up i've really really enjoyed it just do what you're doing okay and keep doing it because you seem to have it well such to the moment so continue success things are going to happen i have no doubt thank you and get the album and get it up to us and we'll we'll really look forward George Houston thank you very much thank you very much