Day 9 and the Dubliners

We were in Clifden during their annual Arts Festival Week.  The Dubliners were the headline act for the week and we were excited to get tickets to see them.  The concert was Friday evening and we still had the day to see more of the sights around Clifden. 


I forgot to add these in the proper order so we are starting at the end.  I wouldn't tell you that but I know Johnny and Hannah are reading this blog!

 We stopped at Coral Strand Beach where the sand is made of crushed coral.  We couldn't tell at first, just that it was very coarse.  When we picked it up and looked at it closely you could definitely tell it was coral.   This is a magnified look at the sand.



I like to hunt for seashells while I walk on the beach.  It wasn't much of a hunt here, the challenge here was to not crush them as you  walked.  We smuggled a few of the unusual ones home to put in my collection.

 



 This is where we started our day.  A drive along Bog Road on our way to the town of Roundstone.

 We made a stop at the Malachy Kearn's Bodhran's shop and gallery.  Doesn't every little boy of being a drummer some day?  I think these two must have had that dream.

 

 We also paid a visit to a pottery shop where I bought a necklace and a pair of earring.

 

 Roundstone is a pretty little village along a beautiful bay.

We spotted these men working along the bay and stopped to see what they were doing.  They were pulling in sea weed to be used for feed for cattle.  Sea weed has many uses that I didn't know about.  It is used in cosmetics, skin care, clothing and food (for humans and animals).

 



 

As we were making the loop from Roundstone to Clifden we spotted a sign saying there was a ring fort in the area.  We were fascinated with ring forts so we decided to hike up a very steep path to find it.  We hiked for quite a ways and never did come upon it, but we did enjoy some beautiful country and views of the bay and coastline.

Our hike down the trail was much easier than the one up.

 

 

We arrived back in Clifden in time for an early dinner.  The concert was scheduled for 8:00 p.m. and we wanted to get there early to get a good seat.  Ken and Johnny  are a lot alike and decided we should probably get there around 6 o'clock.  We were plenty early, in fact we arrived at the same time as some of the Dubliners.  It worked to our advantage though, we had front row, center seats and were lucky enough to meet three members of the group.  The Irish aren't known for their promptness and the concert didn't actually begin until 8:30 or as they say in Ireland "half eight".

 

 



 John Sheahan has been with the group the longest, joing them in 1964. 

 

 The Dubliners group was formed in 1962 and has been performing for 50 years.  There are no remaining original members of the group still performing.  They performed for over 2 hours, putting on a concert that was well worth more than the 25 euros we paid for each ticket.  The only thing bad about their music is that after you hear it, it stays in your head for a long time.  When I went to bed the songs ran through my head for hours. 

 Sean Cannon joined the group in 1982 replacing lead singer Luke Kelly who died at a young age. 

 

 Emmon Campbell has been with the Dubliners since 1987 and has produced all of their albums along with producing albums of many other Irish bands and performers.

 Patsy Watchorn is the newest member of the Dubliners.  He joined the group in 2005, but belonged to several other groups over the years. 

 





 In April 2012, the last remaining member of the original group, Barney McKenna passed away unexpectantly.  Rather than cancel their 50th anniversary tour they asked Gerry O'Conner to join them to play their remaining tour dates.  What a great time we head listening to one of Ireland's legendary top music groups- in the community center gymnasium of a small Irish town.