Ireland 2001Back to the green land once again. Summers actually a more favorable time but there's just too many tourists about then and it really does make travel in Ireland difficult. This April tour was 7 shows in 10 days although one show in Arklow canceled at the last moment always an occupational hazard. I thought about keeping a tour diary for these dates like in the past but for something different I kept a food diary just to let you see perhaps a different side of this "romantic" lifestyle of mine. I didn't make it until the end as the Irish meals were pretty much all the same and I got tired of keeping the same notes day after day. The gigs themselves all went very well I think and I was playing pretty good if I do say so myself. It felt great to be back on stage again after the long winter break and I really enjoyed myself.
I had shows in Dublin, Myrtleville,, Tramore, Middleton, Cork and Clones. There were long waits to get into Clones as the authorities were trying to control an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease that had happened near there. It's the first time I was ever disinfected before getting to play a show! I sold a box of Cd's and folks were very responsive and friendly as always. The Irish are always ready for a good song or story and I was only too happy to oblige. Thanks again to Larry Roddy for booking the thing.
One note: Coming from America big breakfasts are nothing new and the Irish unfailingly oblige. Every morning it was the same thing with very little variation : cold cereal and milk, bacon, ham, sausages, and eggs everything fried crisp, white toast, butter and marmalade, orange juice and tea or coffee. I drank the tea. By the end of the tour I usually just had an egg and some toast with the tea. Too much meat in the morning and too greasy and heavy on the stomach. Ok so here's a sample:
6th Lunch: roast beef, carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy, and Guiness
Dinner- cod and chips, Guiness
7th- Lunch: chicken sandwhic
Dinner: roast stuffed duckling, steamed vegies, baked potato, Chateauneuf
8th Lunch: tuna sand., Guiness
Dinner: lamb kebab, chips, Guiness
9th Lunch: tuna melt sand., chips, coke
Dinner: salmon, baked potato, carrots, mineral water
10th Lunch: chicken pie, Yoplait
Dinner: seafood soup, liver pate, Cote du Ventoux
11th Lunch: fried chicken, chips, Orangina
Dinner: none
12th Lunch: fish sand., coke
Dinner: pork chops, baked potato, carrots, red wine I guess you get the picture.
Food is expensive in Ireland too unless you eat fast food. You might have noticed the Guiness was included in many meals as indeed it was consumed on most nights. I quit drinking this wonderful brew except in Ireland and so I quite naturally take advantage. It just tastes so much better here than anywhere else. I noticed with concern that there is talk of moving the brewing operations of this Irish drink over to England in the future! I can't believe this will be allowed to happen as I'm sure that the owners of Guiness know that by doing such a stupid thing they would lose all sales in Ireland. God forbid!!
