Stories of Ireland.

This is a fun thread, for folk to tell us of some of their times In Ireland. Little stories Fun stories, you know the thing. Especially folk who live there , Whats it like at your local session? What tunes do you play , Is it a big place or a small den with a sloping floor, What dance activity goes on in your area? i dunno Anything that takes your fancy. Spread a little part of the Land, People and Music you love to everyone here.
l will start;
Tunes and Poteen. So after the first bottle had been consumed and the Tunes were mighty. The rain was actually coming in through the un-rendered block wall but we were oblivious, The Turf piled high and the Kettle on, Hot Whisky, Stone floor. The Music, The craic, Friends.

This is a story I heard in Ireland Last year.

Dear Derdre,
I have never written to you before,but I really need you advice. I suspected for some time now that my wife has been cheating.The usual signs; phone rings If I answer the caller hangs up, going out with the girls a lot and when I ask the names “You dont know them”. I try to stay awake to to look out for her when she comes home but I usually fall asleep.
Anyway last night I decided to check on her. Around midnight I hid in the shed behind my tractor to get agood view of the whole yard, when she came home from her nightout with the girls, when she got out of the car she was buttening her blouse which was open,and she took her panties out of her purse and slipped them on.

It was at that moment I crouched behind the tractor I noticed it. A hairline crack in the manifold right where it meets the exhaust. Is this something I can fix myself or should I take it to a main dealer?

I was in Ireland last for the music festival in Ennis. On the way we stopped in the town of Birr and were invited to play at a local session at the Market House Pub which was up the road from the hotel where we spending the night.

So a group of fifteen of us, mostly Punters, headed to the pub for an evening of craic. I had brought a three string instrument called a “Strumstick” with me on the plane to play while I was in Ireland.

Play it I did! But not as much as the local musicians who wanted to give this strange 3 string Strumstick tuned to GAG a try. The instrument went around the circle several times.

It was an evening of music, pints and new found friendship I will never forget. God bless Ireland and its people.

Correction; I was in Ireland last year ………

the poteen and the turf piled high?????

Slow moving today. Heres another, We were playing in a pub at a big Annual Horse fair, Site was packed with Wagons, Mares, Foals, Stallions, Travelers etc.
All was going well till all of a sudden someone said something to the Banjo Player, who proceeded to lep up ant bate the poor fellow with the banjo. I managed to drag him off and outside before we were lynched. Young Corkonian, bit Highly strung! You can really see it in their eyes. Dealing with Stallions there is a look that you realy know they are going to go off, rearing and kicking, one of those feet hit ya, yer meat. All you can do is stand back and Hold on tight.
One Time, I was moving a Horse to water and in the distance I heard the clack of hooves, just at the same time the Horse did, jeez If a lucky old piece of farm machinery hadn’t been there The rider of that Mare which came round the bend would have been gone, His mare and probably my pocket book for the next 10 yrs, ruined. Luckily I whipped the chain round the metal as quick as a flash I think I got dragged 5 meters before the ‘Anchor ’appeared,Lost a good chunk of the skin on my knees. . Luckily It Held and one shaky looking posh fellah in helmet and chaps rode past, to live another day! Dont mess with Wild Stallions is the moral of this story, and dont mess with Travellers is the other. 😉

There are fewer “wild stallions” out there than there are people who have no clue how to train and handle horses.

Absolutely. Its very rare to travel the roads with three Stallions. Very rare. As far as handling Horses goes, well Im a novice although I did learn to ride when I was very young. The man who’s Stallions they were however had been doing for 35 yrs at least. His Philosophy is to be friends with his Animals, I have never seen anyone who can whisper to his Horses the way Gordy can. He midwifed them and raised them. A gentleman and a close friend.

His Horses sleep lying down.

I don’t like the term “horse whisperer.” It’s not any kind of magic or a black art but rather understanding how horses think and communicate and then learning to communicate with them in (as much we can approximate it) their own “language” and relating to them on their terms. Speaking of things which take years to learn (oh wait, wrong thread), as doing so requires precision and timing with body language and observation and of course knowledge of horse psychology.

Absolutely, I know you are a skilled ‘player’ and I certainly bow to your wisdom on this matter. I on the other hand apart from my first riding lessons picked up what little I know from all the different folk I have gone Horse drawn with over the years. I was traveling with friends, horse drawn round ireland in the late 80’ and early/mid90s. The roads were much safer then its too dangerous IMO now. the old ways of the traveller really are dying. I did learn how to control a Stallion using my voice, and that certainly helped in other aspects of my life.

As you say its about treating the Horse with respect and friendship , understanding and empathy. Not Beating Brutalisation and Bullying of which I have absolutely no tolerance whatsoever.

Come on now Silver Spear, lets hear a little story from your recent trip to Miltown!
Remember this is a fun thread of little stories.

All this talk of stallions reminds me of the first time I went to Ireland, on my motorbike. Riding to Lady’s Island campsite down a lane I met a small girl driving a bull down the road. I stopped my engine to let them pass and they went merrily on their way and I thought, “this is a fine country!”

gooseinthenettles, before you go back to the dealer try a high temp epoxy;
http://epoxyputty.com/thermosteel.htm

>>All was going well till all of a sudden someone said something to the Banjo Player, who proceeded to lep up ant bate the poor fellow with the banjo. I managed to drag him off and outside before we were lynched. Young Corkonian, bit Highly strung!<<

Are you referring to the banjo player or the horse?

Banjo player, A great Gas but forever getting into fights. I used to have another friend like that, they are lovely guys but you disrespect them and they would flip, Id be forever dragging them off. Jeez.
The Horse was amazingly placid He wasnt really wild at all, unless a Mare approached or he decided he didn’t want you on his back, I bit the dust [ figuratively ] more than once with old Max. Bareback you dont have the same power and control as you would tackled up. And Im not a good enough Rider.

My son and his lovely bride went to Ireland for their honeymoon in May. They loved it! He sent me a whistle; granted, it was from the Guiness gift shop…

The Ghost Piper of Loch Derg.
Late at night they swear the Pipes can be heard echoing over the Lake, through the Wild wind and rain, the faint Strains of the Piob Mhor are heard again. Is it Holy Island , Iniscealtre The Ghost Piper plays? No one can tell where the pipes ring out from. The Strains Of Ireland’s Ancient Airs, drift with the Wind , Siubhan Ni Dhuibir, Ar Eirinn ninos he ce hi.,Thugamar Fein an Samhradh Linn.

Surreal…..

Surreal is bloody right…