Tag / Pat Goode

by shannonchance

Sister Sister

My sister, Heather, is visiting.  She’s come to take acting classes.

Last night, we took in a play… Major Barbara, written by Shaw, performed at the Abbey Theater in Dublin.  I discovered that I’ve really got to concentrate to keep up with Shaw, but it’s worth the effort.  His work is packed with meaning….

Heather has been spending quite  a bit of time down at the Cobblestone. She goes in much later in the evening than I do. Evidentially late hours are the best for finding Tom, the owner, who is a night owl.

On Friday evening, I’d gone into the Cobblestone to hear some singing and I left at 9.  Heather stopped in later and met even more of Tom’s family.  She’d gone to thank Tom because he had taken her to see construction of a new theater that he serves as a member of the board.

I really enjoyed Friday evening there.  Some of the songs transported me back to my first trip to Ireland in 2003.  The country was quite a bit different at that time: songs were full of political strife and pubs were full of families, chatter, and smokey haze. The ban on smoking in pubs, apparent tightening of age limits in pubs, and the economic boom / Celtic Tiger all took their toll on Ireland’s pub culture.  The country’s newfound peace also shifted the tone, and for the peace I’m grateful.

The Cobblestone, however, has managed to retain its charm. And it continues to do that despite being listed in every tourist guide. A lot of that, I believe, has to do with Tom’s warm and generous spirit. He makes every person feel special and welcome.

Heather left town today, but sent me over to hear Tom and his friends from the Cobblestone play at the Northside Music Festival in Wolftone ‘Park’.

Shannon and Heather see Shaw
Heather and Shannon share pizza
Nortside Music Festival
Nortside Music Festival
Nortside Music Festival
Tom Mulligan at Nortside Music Festival
Cobblestone Pub
Fridays are rockin at Cobblestone Pub
Pat Goode and friends at Cobblestone Pub
by shannonchance

Eating in Church with Pam

Pam and I are managing to have some fun and also get some things accomplished. She’s going to try to write a book chapter or two while she’s here… after she finish grading papers and reviewing dissertation chapters. Whew!

I’m loving my break from grading.  I don’t have to grade papers until May!  This Fulbright scholarship is such an incredible blessing.

Don’t I have the cutest professor? Dr. Eddy knows her way around this town. Here she’s setting out for a quick errand without me.
After my meetings yesterday (morning and lunch), I attended a school faculty meeting…
…and then grabbed coffee (i.e., OJ for me) with some colleagues.
Pam and I headed to the Church restaurant/bar for dinner…
…we’d both had it on our list of places to eventually eat.
The food was delicious. Unfortunately, they seated us in a very busy corner… practically in the kitchen.
After dinner, we headed to the Cobblestone…
…we got to hear Pat Goode, Mick O’Grady, and crew (including Fergus Wheelan who sings from time to time). When we got home, Pam curled up with his fascinating book “Dissent into Treason.”
Fergus’ wife joined us at the pub last night, too.
And a musician Kitty Lee, Patty, and I heard play at Palace Bar joined in the merrymaking at the Cobblestone last night.
by shannonchance

Singing Along at the Cobblestone Pub

The musicians corner on Friday night.

The Cobblestone musicians corner on Friday night.

Patty sang us Annie's Song!

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”….

Shannon Chance, Tom Mulligan, and Patty Asplund.
Pat Goode and Friends play Fridays at the Cobblestone… singing included… 7:30-9:30 pm.
I always love hearing the stories.
Fergus tells a story…
…bringing history to life!
At the Cobblestone with Patty and Kitty Lee.
by shannonchance

Peace in Ireland

Musicians Jerry Crilly, Frank Cullen, and Pat Goode playing in the back room of the Cobblestone.

Musicians Jerry Crilly, Frank Cullen, and Pat Goode playing in the back room of the Cobblestone.

Tom Mulligan said I was witnessing history last night.

I’m not aware of all the subtleties of the situation but, essentially, a group of folks from Northern Ireland was in Dublin for the unveiling of a monument.  A friend of the group — a regular at the Cobblestone who hails from Dublin — invited the group over to Tom’s pub after the formal event to hear traditional Irish music.  [Note:  I’ve posted more on this topic since.  See Making History with Fergus and Francis.]

Quite by chance, Jerry Crilly, Frank Cullen, and I happened to be there.  We were celebrating Kevin Donleavy’s radio program that happened earlier in the day.  It had featured quite a few songs from Jerry’s CD.  Jerry rang us up  (as in, called us on the phone) because he wanted to give us copies of the CD.

And while we were at the Cobblestone my musical friends / drinking buddies got invited to the back to sing.

Because I was there with these musical stars, I got to enjoy an evening full of song!  I actually had a seat front and center and felt completely, 100% included.

As much as I love instrumentals, it’s the singing that moves me most.  So this was an incredible find for me — I really lucked out last night!

I sat cozily in a room full of people who, not so long ago, took up arms against each other.

Here, in the shelter of a unified Ireland and the warm embrace of the Mulligans’ pub, men from north and south sang together and reveled in the island’s newly found peace.

When Dave and I visited Ireland in 2003, the tone was much different from today.  Political tensions still ran deep and pub songs recounted strife.

I feel honored to have been part of this event that helped promote peace among nations.  I am proud that an American president helped negotiate the peace accord that paved the way for this evening’s events. (In The Journal of Conflict Studies, Rodger MacGinty noted “that the American influence on the peace process, both from influential Irish-Americans and the Clinton administration, has been profound.”)

I will remain eternally grateful that our nation supports Fulbright programs designed to promote cultural understanding and celebrate — and grow — human knowledge.  We do many things that don’t make sense.  And we fight all too often.  But in the name of Senator Fulbright, we do have programs designed to help us do better.

I take the cultural understanding part of my Fulbright very seriously.  I thank you for sharing in the effort by reading along.

It was amazing to be part of a cultural healing process last night and watch stale old tensions dissolve into the night air.  As an added bonus, I also got to meet Jerry’s and Tom’s significant others for the first time.  This place feels more and more like home every day.

Incidentally, Tom has taken to introducing me as a long-lost cousin, and that term’s growing on me.  It’s much nicer than wee-distant relation, or third cousin twice removed….

Men from Belfast and Dublin playing side by side.
Susan and Pat sharing a tune.
There’s always a warm welcome from the Mulligans!