Singing Along at the Cobblestone Pub

The Cobblestone musicians corner on Friday night.

Patty sang us Annie’s Song!

I swear I have more fun each time I visit the Cobblestone. I’ve developed such respect for the people there. And, honestly, they make me feel like a rock star. They are so complimentary of my Fulbright blog. It feels like “everybody knows my name.”

There’s far more of significance to the world more going on at the Cobblestone than at Cheers. As case in point, I got to catch up with Fergus Whelan on this particular evening. He had left a copy of his book Dissent into Treason for me to pick up last week (click here for more about the book). I let Tom Mulligan know Kitty and I were mailing a CD of his music to Kevin Donleavy as well; perhaps it will be “on air” in Charlottesville soon. These folks are dedicated to preserving cultural traditions and recounting history.

Being at the Cobblestone really makes me wish I was musically talented!

Fortunately, my friend Patty is. The musicians at the Cobblestone got her to sing a song. And of course, we all followed along with “Country Roads,” a sure-fire selection when the mention of Virginia arises. Never mind that it’s about West Virginia and the three of us hail from Virginia! In any case, you can practically see W.Va. from where Kitty and Patty live (Harrisonburg) and where I was born (the New River Valley). And you can certainly see the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River from Kitty’s place.

Patty was ready for the event. She and I had practiced singing the night before, actually. On our last evening in Cork, Tony, Kitty, and Patty cooked dinner to avoid Valentine’s Day crowds in the restaurants. Then Patty and I had a festive sing-along around the dinner table and the peat fire Tony had built.

We drew from the Catholic folks songs of our childhoods, favorite camp songs, and music popular in the ’70s. It all worked out fine when I set the key and Patty followed along. (It’s a disaster for me trying the other way around… I just can’t get up that high! Even one octave lower is too high for me.)

When we needed help with the lyrics, Tony pulled up the text on line so we could sing karaoke-style.

Ah, the cider….

You’ll find me at the Cobblestone with a glass of Bulmer’s in my hand again “real soon”….