Monday, May 30, 2011

Good trip to Killarney

From Galway, the bus to Killarney went smoothly, albeit rather a long time. Had to change in Limerick, which is a place that  seems to have one claim to fame. I asked some people about the place but the only reply I got was. 'There was a young man from Kent, whose.........'. If you still dont know what I'm getting at, try googling Limerick. 
At The Fiddler's Elbow
But last night in Galway I managed to find a good pub where there was some music. The Fiddler's Elbow is off the tourist track so not very crowded and some great music. It was just like I was back in Manchester where I spent many happy hours in such places. Not only that, the songs were the same ones. I was among the guest singers!!! Sang a song I hadn't sung for about 10 years. Playing a banjo is like riding a bike but remembering words is a completely different thing. It didn't matter, they were still appreciative. I went with a crowd from the hostel and one of them, a German girl, sang The Galway Shawl which she had never sung before with words downloaded from the internet. Of course, a few sips of Guinness were taken.
Singing the Galway Shawl
I played the 6 string guitar banjo in the picture above. No problem to play the guitar chords.
Paddy's Palace. Killarney
Now in Paddy's Palace which situated near the centre of town. Took about 4 hours by bus with an hour to wait for the connection in Limerick. Nice place.
New Street in Killarney
There are some fantastic hills surrounding this town, so hopefully there are some trips to be made.