Truth, wit and ruses...

Dear Reader –

Many of you commented in my recent survey that you wanted more podcast, book and music recommendations - so that’s exactly what I have given you today!

Last week’s answers:

Answer to the questions in last week’s letter:

1 - See pic below

2 - C, B, E. A. D. G, G, C, G, C.

**All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

“I wish I cared about anything else in life as much as I care about musical theatre:”.

An insight into the mind of producer, director and all-round brains behind Pop-Up Theatre - Karen Gordon. Karen was our guest on the latest episode of In The Lamplight and if you want to know what it takes (and what it can take out of you) to put on a show to the standard that Karen does, have a listen.

We also discuss Luke’s national award for Best Supporting Actor, how we got on with our kindness challenge, and finish the episode with a gorgeous double vocal from Luke and Rory on Tomorrow (Annie).

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Where else but Sligo?

Francie Lenehan.

King of the strings.

Guitar stalwarts of our town such as Gerry Grennan and Seamie O’Dowd would have looked up to him growing up. I remember Georgie Gorman telling a story on his very first Theme Night about Francie and his brother John and how much he worshipped them as a young lad..

And now many of us look up to these great musicians. But it all goes back to Francie.

It’s not just his playing though. His legendary wit came to the surface in our trip to Vicar St a few years ago. And his signature shirts and shorts have inspired many a young musician’s dress sense over the years.

He played on a few Theme Nights over the years and I was always struck by his professionalism. You don’t last this long in our business without it - and he has it in spades.

He is revered by many. And we have our opportunity to pay our respects to him (and see a fantastic concert) on June 24. Nights like this don’t come around too often. I have booked my tickets and hope to see you there.

What’s New?

1. KENDY AND RAYBO 200: More podcast news today - a big congrats to Mark and Ray (aka Kendy and Raybo) on reaching this podcast milestone. They are experts at knocking craic out of anything at all - listen here (at 7:26) to hear them discussing the time we surprised audience member Mark at a Theme Night and got him up on stage!

2. MAURA GILLIGAN has produced a truly beautiful book about Coney Island. I don’t use those words lightly. Find out more here.

3. KINGS OF COOL: This great Donegal-based band will launch their first album this coming Thursday 4th May in the Abbey Arts Centre in Ballyshannon. They have kindly asked me to play a few songs with them and there are still a small number of tickets available here.

Finally…

As mentioned above…

Questions:

Difficulty Level 1 - How many times had Mark rehearsed this with us prior to this performance?

Difficulty Level 5 - How many lyrics of the song did Mark actually get right?!

Till next time - Kieran.

Crying like f***in babies!

Dear Reader –

Love, tears and Oscar Peterson today - what more could you ask for?!

Last week’s answers:

Answer to the questions in last week’s letter:

1 - C major

2 - Because the first chord is C minor (not a chord you would usually associate with the key of C major).

**All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

Theme Night #32 - The Power of Love - coming this October.

3 nights SOLD OUT (thanks to you guys)!

But if some of you haven’t got tickets yet, a fourth show (Wed 4 Oct) will go on sale here from 11am TOMORROW (Wed 26th April).

Where else but Sligo?

“Crying like f***in babies”.

I didn’t go to school in Summerhill. Yet every time I drive around a certain roundabout in Sligo now I am brought back to last February and listening in tears to Austin O’Callaghan’s commentary on Summerhill’s All-Ireland semi-final win.

My son was playing his first U-9 game of the season last Wednesday evening so I didn’t get to see more young Sligo heroes beat Galway to win a Connacht Championship for the ages. I did get to hear this description of the end of the match afterwards though. And I know that some of you asked for fewer sporting references in my recent survey, but this is special!

Then I went to see Arsenal last Friday, and apart from spotting the banner pictured below behind me (!), my favourite moment came in the 88th minute. Arsenal equalised to make it 3-3, and the two hardened middle-aged Londoners beside me turned to each other and hugged and jumped and screamed.

And I thought about it on the Tube afterwards, and apart from music (and movie climaxes when hungover!), there’s very little else that has the power to bring me to tears.

As Tadhg Coakley says in his brilliant book The Game, sport grants us shared moments of intimacy, joy and heartbreak. According to Jurgen Klopp it’s the most important of the least important things. And as Michael Parkinson said famously on the Second Captains podcast, “sport is not war, or death, or famine – it’s not that at all. It’s the opposite of that. It’s to persuade us of a life outside of that… that’s why sport’s important.”

And it’s good to cry like a f***in baby every so often!

What’s New?

1. CONNACHT FINAL: More potential for tears (happy and sad)! Sligo play Galway in the Connacht Senior Football Final on Sunday 7th May in Castlebar. Throw-in 1.45pm.

2. TEENAGE THEME NIGHT #29: It’s the big one! We’ll be saying farewell to the class of 2023 in the Hawk’s Well Theatre on May 20 and 21. Tickets available here.

3. ADELE: Star quality. What a writer. What a voice. Guest appearances by Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder. And she hates musicals (but delivers an amazing version of Don’t Rain on My Parade)! Just watch it.

Finally…

Thanks to student Rory Conneally for reminding me about this beautiful piece this week. King Oscar!

Questions:

Difficulty Level 5 - Write a chord chart for the first 8 bars of the piece (up to 0:15).

Difficulty Level 3 - What are the ten bowed notes played by the bass? 0:17-0:38.

Till next time - Kieran.

And the theme is...

Dear Reader –

Thanks for all your theme suggestions last week! One of them has been picked as the theme for October’s show. It’s announced below, but first see can you guess it from this picture!

Last week’s answers:

Answer to the questions in last week’s letter:

1 - 4

2 - 3a, 4, 4+, 4a

**All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

Theme Night #32 - The Power of Love.

3 nights SOLD OUT.

Tickets for 4th show (Wed 4 Oct) on sale here from 11am next Tuesday April 25th.

And the last shout on this - if you haven’t filled out my short survey on how to improve these letters you can do so here - thanks!

Where else but Sligo?

Love takes many forms of course, and showcasing the variety of love (and sometimes lack of it) in our world through music is something that really excites me about the upcoming show.

My favourite love story of the last week happened on Saturday night - not in Sligo (!) so please forgive me for including it here. I was standing outside a Dublin pub in the evening sunshine, enjoying a quiet moment (and the fact that my brother had gone inside to buy me a pint). There were a few dogs around, and two of the smaller ones were having a go at each other.

They were both on leads and their owners were making small talk and doing a good job of ignoring them. Until a youngish man with dreadlocks came along and asked could he take them both for a short walk. The owners were delighted I think, and so off the three of them went to a nearby green, tails and dreadlocks wagging. I watched with interest to see how this would go, but the dogs immediately became the best of friends and returned a few minutes later to sit beside their owners (and each other) happily and peacefully!

You see if you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around!

What’s New?

1. PADDY KEYES: This young Sligo singer (and Teenage Theme Night graduate) has not only made the last six in the nationwide Local Hero contest, but also released his new single last week.

2. PETCU O’LEARY DUO: Check out this exciting gig - next Sat April 29 in The Dock, Carrick-On-Shannon.

3. RIP AHMAD JAMAL: Miles Davis once said: “All my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal.” Among other things, he was the king of space, and The Guardian wrote these words about this great American jazz pianist..

Finally…

Surely we’ll have to include this…???!!!

Questions:

Difficulty Level 1 - The first chorus starts at 0:57. In what key is it?

Difficulty Level 3 - The verse is in a different key however. How do we know this?

Till next time - Kieran.

When the little guy wins...

Dear Reader –

I’m looking for your ideas! Also - a book that kept me awake at night (is that a good thing?) plus a great underdog story.

Last week’s answers:

Answer to the questions in last week’s letter:

1 - 2 (Michigan, New Jersey).

2 - 1 3 4 3 1 5 (or doh mi fa mi doh soh).

**All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

I need a theme!

Theme Night #32 takes place in October and it’s time to start thinking about it.

There is no theme for the show as of yet but I’m hoping to have it picked by the end of the month. And given that the last three themes have all come from you guys, I’d love to hear your ideas again this time please!

One more (big) thing - a huge thanks to everyone who responded to my short survey last week. If you haven’t done so yet, I’d love it if you would. It will take less than 5 mins of your time and will help me write more interesting letters in the future!

Where else but Sligo?

We were at a family get-together yesterday. The guest of honour would be mortified if I mentioned her name, so I’ll just say that it was lovely to spend a few hours celebrating one of the most generous and thoughtful people I know.

Included on the guest list were 20-25 children - from teenagers all the way down to toddlers - but happily the day passed without major incident!

Until just before we left there was a huge commotion. One of the younger children (a four yr-old) was inside the function room and had locked a dozen or so of his older cousins out. The older children were banging on the door trying to get the attention of the adults while the four yr-old couldn’t contain his excitement at what he had managed to do, jumping around and waving his arms with the thrill of it.

Magic stuff.

And I was reminded of something I heard long ago in a damp dressing room somewhere in rural Co. Sligo…

If you’re the little guy, remember that by using your brain and playing to your strengths you can compete on your day with any of the big guys. And if you’re the big guy, never underestimate the little guy!

What’s New?

1. WHAT IS BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER? A wonderful article about Sligo Rovers, Sligo GAA and the importance they have in our communities. Written by Sligo man Arthur James O’Dea for the42.ie.

2. AMERICAN DIRT: The best thriller I have read in a long time! The writing drew me in immediately and was so good that there were nights where I woke up worrying about the central characters. Order it from your local bookshop (if you’re mentally ready).

3. CHERRY BLOSSOM TREE: I usually write this letter on the couch in the sitting room, looking out at the cherry blossom tree in the front garden. And since previous letters have shown it in various stages of its life cycle, it would be a shame not to show it off now that it’s displaying all it’s glory!

Finally…

The anthem of the little guy…

Questions:

Difficulty Level 1 - There is a short drum fill at 0:24 leading into the second verse. How many times does the drummer hit the snare drum in this fill.

Difficulty Level 4 - On what beats do these hits fall?

**Hint you’ll need to divide the beats of the bar like this: 1 i + a 2 i + a 3 i + a 4 i + a

Till next time - Kieran.

Letter 100!

Dear Reader –

I remember Roy Keane giving out about a former teammate of his - he reckoned that the main reason this footballer showed up to every Ireland match was because he wanted to reach the milestone of 100 caps. Whether this was true or not, I was reminded of it today as I put the finishing touches to my 100th letter…

Last week’s answers:

Answer to the questions in last week’s letter: 1 - D. 2 - Bb, F.

**All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

Keane’s jibe was important (and possibly more cutting) because it questioned the motivation of his colleague. Because while milestones are important, they shouldn’t be the reason we do the work.

However any milestone - be it a significant birthday or the end of a year - can give us an opportunity to reflect. And today If I’m honest, while it’s nice to look back on the fun I have had writing these letters and the consistency in putting them out, what I’d really like to do today are three things.

• Thank the people who made it possible.

• Explore what the next 100 letters might look like.

• Finally learn what a semi-colon is and try to include one!

So - firstly to the newly appointed MD of the Australian touring production of Moulin Rouge - Mr. Matthew Carey. Matthew inspired many of the thoughts behind this letter in an online workshop he ran in the Spring of 2021 - more power to you Matthew - and thanks!

And secondly - to you the reader - there would be no letter without you - so thanks for all your feedback and comments over the last 100 weeks, and please keep them coming!

In order to look ahead to the next 100 letters, I would love your help. I have put together this short online survey (anonymous) and would really appreciate it if you would take the time to fill it out.

Finally - see can you spot the semi-colon later in the letter and for the grammatically wise among you, please let me know if the context in which I used it was correct!

Where else but Sligo?

Speaking of doing the work, I got the chance to record something with vocalist Niamh Farrell recently.

We were asked by Mícheál O’Domhnaill (on behalf of Sligo County Council) to record a song for a video to showcase the newly launched Yeats Trail.

RTE’s Eileen Magnier explains the project below (using some of the beautiful footage used in Mícheál’s video).

And you can watch the video (and listen to our music) on Facebook here.

What’s New?

1. MILESTONES: It’s not that new (!), but I stole some of my above thoughts on milestones from this great (and short) podcast.

2. AN EVENING OF CHORAL MUSIC: The Theme Night Choir are flying the nest and doing their first non-Theme Night gig! Still under the steady baton of Dave Flynn however. As part of a brilliant line-up. Sun 16 April - details here.

3. IN THE LAMPLIGHT ROAD TRIP: Rory and I took a trip to Athenry last week to interview filmmaking brothers John and Paul Murphy for the podcast. John edited the recently Oscar-nominated An Cailín Ciúin; Rory was beyond himself with excitement. In all seriousness, it’s one of my favourite episodes, and features the return of the ITL House Band. Listen here.

Finally…

In my very first letter I told the story of another road trip - this time in Australia in 1998. I enjoyed reading it back today.

“Going back to that year in Australia, we spent a lot of time on buses. Especially that trip to Ayers Rock and beyond. 72 hours on a Greyhound bus to get back from Darwin to Sydney. A lot of time to think.

I had my walkman and cassette collection on the trip with me, and I listened to one song over and over again. It summed the whole thing up for me. Paul Simon’s America. The country may have been different, but the vastness of the land, the bus company (!) and the things you’d do to pass the time were the same.

“Laughing on the bus, playing games with the faces”. Counting kangaroos.

Because there was wonder to be found everywhere. If you looked for it.

Which was easy as a wide-eyed 18 year-old a long way from home. Not so easy when you get a bit older and a pandemic means you haven’t seen much new for over a year. But it’s still there, and hopefully we can help each other see it over the coming weeks and months”.

Thanks for reading today - and for the last 100 weeks!

Questions:

Difficulty Level 2 (non-musical) - How many of the 50 American States are mentioned in this song?

Difficulty Level 4 - At 1:49 there is a 6-note bass riff repeated twice. Using numbers (or solfa) describe these six notes. **Hint - it starts on 1 (doh).

Till next time - Kieran.

Music, sport and emotion...

Dear Reader –

I was lucky enough to attend last night’s game between Ireland and France in Dublin. There’s something special about international soccer - you can tell it means more to the players. There is a great video in the What’s New section below that demonstrates this. Plus some thoughts on sport for children.

Last week’s answers:

Answer to the questions in last week’s letter: Mi, and see chord chart below.

*Note that classical music isn’t designed to be notated in chord charts, but it is an interesting exercise to try and hear the chordal harmony behind the melody. Did any of you try it? Please get in touch if so - it was hard!

**All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

Letter reader Fintan Kennedy left a thoughtful comment at the bottom of last week’s letter. It’s there for you all to read, including a podcast recommendation on the point he addressed - the crossover between music and sport. Because there are many similarities.

They are both forms of human expression.

They both have the ability to bring us to places of emotion that we rarely otherwise reach.

They both require a high level of teamwork and collaboration.

But there are differences too…

In music there is no-one trying to purposefully stop what you are trying to do.

Sport at the highest level is inherently competitive, whereas music shouldn’t be.

As Michael Parkinson said on the Second Captains podcast a few years ago - “sport is not war, or death, or famine – it's not that at all. It's the opposite of that. It's to persuade us of a life outside of that…that's why sport's important”.

The same can be said of music.

Here’s to both.

Where else but Sligo?

You don’t need me to tell you that Jamie Callaghan has taken the Theme Nights by storm since Eddie Lee sent me a video of him busking a few short years ago and recommended I get him involved.

What you may not know is that he fronts a band called Túsk and they have just released their debut album.

Check it out here.

What’s New?

1. SPORT (AND MUSIC) FOR CHILDREN: This short blog sums these sometimes mad worlds up brilliantly.

2. DONNY: More new music from Sligo artists here - this one is from Donny Dunko - and if you’re into your dance music it’s a must-listen.

3. DON’T CRY FOR ME… The first three minutes of this video are incredible. The Argentina fans welcoming their world champions home for the first time. The players are visibly affected…

Finally…

This was fun - my 2017 ode to sport. Featuring Seamie O’Dowd, Steve Kohlmann and Tommy Moore.

Questions:

Difficulty Level 1 - In what key is this song?

Difficulty Level 3 - There are two notes in the opening 18 seconds of melody that aren’t part of this key. What are they?

Till next time - Kieran.

Unlikely partners...

Dear Reader –

This week’s features lots about classical music and the GAA - strange bedfellows but their worlds do collide sometimes…read on for more!

Last week’s answers:

Answer to the questions in last week’s letter: 6 beats in a bar. 9 bars in the Intro.

**All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

“They practise without being asked” - so went the title of an August 2022 edition of this letter.

And for parents of music students - that is the dream. But most of us know that it doesn’t always happen. I see it with my own children, and hear about it from talking to parents of students over the years. Indeed I have had a few of these conversations in recent weeks, so I thought I’d share the advice I gave in case it is relevant to anyone reading.

I will always ask first if the student is enjoying the lessons. If they aren’t, then it’s probably a sign that learning the piano isn’t for them right now.

If they are however, then even if they aren’t doing much practice at home, it’s worth considering keeping them at it. At a basic level, giving our children the chance to play music is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. Secondly however, attitudes to practice can change so quickly at a young age.

I have seen it happen countless times - a student is coasting along - doing fine but their rate of progress might not be setting the world alight. Then something clicks. It might be something they see on TV, an upcoming performance, something said to them by a peer or a new song choice. Whatever it is, motivation increases and hence so does the time the student spends at the piano. This happens regularly and it’s always lovely to see it.

The other angle I will always explore with parents relates to song choice. We work hard to give students as wide a choice as possible with their songs, but we can’t cover them all. So if a student is struggling with motivation, dig deep with them to find a song they would really like to play. Let us know and myself or one of my colleagues will write it out for the student at the relevant standard. It’s amazing how often that makes a difference.

Where else but Sligo?

I met a former Kerry footballer at the weekend. I never played against this man, but he was a serious footballer, with four All-Ireland medals and multiple All-Stars to his name. We got chatting, and he played for me a beautiful piece of music by Frederic Chopin and told me the story of how it played a big part in the history of one particular Kerry footballing great.

He then told me the tale of how previously he had a similar conversation with a friend in Kerry. He got to the point of playing him the piece of music when five seconds into it, his friend turned his ear away and said “Yes but what about the minors this year?”

So he was impressed with the fact that I actually listened to it, and remarked that we all must be cultured in Sligo given that our crest is the only one with a book on it. Never have I been prouder of our wonderful county!

What’s New?

1. LYRIC FM: Slag me all you want about getting older (!), but turning on this station always calms life down.

2. LEITRIM v SLIGO: Last game of the league. Local rivals. Their last game went to penalties. Only one can get promoted. It all comes down to this Sunday. 1pm in Carrick-On-Shannon.

3. THE RECOVERY TOUR: I was watching the St. Patrick’s Day Parade last Friday, and in the midst of all the sports clubs, trucks and marching bands were two lads relaxing and looking great in the back of a Bentley. More power to ye Joe Shannon and Georgie Gorman -find out more here.

Finally…

This wasn’t the piece of music played to me by my new Kerry friend, but once I heard the name Chopin I was immediately reminded of it. One of the most beautiful pieces ever composed for piano. Close your eyes and take 4 minutes for yourself in the company of this master.

Questions:

Difficulty Level 3 - If the first note of the melody is ‘sol’ (5th note of the scale), what is the second?

Difficulty Level 5 - Complete the chord chart (below) for the first 8 bars. *Note this piece is originally written in 12/8 time but I have written it in 3/4 time below for ease of answering.

Till next time - Kieran.

"That was posh at the time"...

Dear Reader –

Today - things you will only hear said in Sligo PLUS Hanson’s MMMBop as you have never heard it before, but first - news of a new weekly feature…

**All hyperlinks in bold.

The Big Thing

I’m going to try something new in today’s letter. It’s for anyone who’d like to test their musical ears and maybe even their knowledge about how music works. You might even learn something along the way too…

So - from now on there will be a question about the featured song at the bottom of the letter each week. It will have a difficulty rating of somewhere between 1 and 5 (1 being the easier end of the scale). Comments with the answers are welcome.

I’ll give the answer (and explanation if required) the following week.

Where else but Sligo?

A selection of comments I have heard about Sligo over the last week alone…

“It’s only since returning here as an adult that I realised how beautiful a place it is”.

“They lived in Rose Hill - and that was posh at the time”.

“We need a minister - we have nothing here”.

“It’s the hidden gem of Ireland, but we’re kind of happy with that”.

“It’s the people from Sligo who give out most about the place”.

“Sometimes you realise how small a place it is in the bigger scheme of things”.

“We have the best music scene in the country”.

“We don’t want to be a Galway”.

“Come on to f*** Rovers”!

Where else but Sligo indeed.

What’s New?

1. SUMMERHILL COLLEGE…are in the A Schools All-Ireland final this Friday. A huge achievement for any Sligo team. Well done on all you have achieved so far lads, and don’t stop now!

2. OFF TOPIC BUT GREAT: For anyone currently in the phone/social media battleground with their children - Margaret Lynch will give you a lot to think about in this brilliant column.

3. SCARY POCKETS…are a funk band who release weekly covers on YouTube. Core members are Ryan Lerman and Jack Conte, who enlist the help and support from a rotating roster of the best session musicians, singers and producers in the Los Angeles area. Check them out below…

Finally…

Sinéad and I were out over the weekend and heard one riff from the below song faintly in the background. Our thoughts immediately turned to trying to figure out what song it was. Both of us first thought of Declan O’Rourke but realised soon after that we were wrong. It was one of those that would have ruined our evening had we not got it. Finally, from this riff I managed to get the song’s melody into my head but my singing it did nothing for Sinéad! Eventually she said Hozier, the song immediately came to me and our night was saved!

Questions:

Difficulty Level 2 - How many beats in a bar?

Difficulty Level 3 -How many bars in the intro?

Till next time - Kieran.