Once again I am writing my Blog from a Dublin Hotel. I finished my last tour of the year, with Johnsmith on Friday last, but I am doing an extra 4 days in Dublin with 2 old tour friends from North Carolina.
This has been a wonderful year. I do feel that we upped the standard of our tours, without changing the concept of what we are trying to achieve. I still believe that we do very unique tours. I love when our people interact with local people and musicians and we encourage everyone to mix with the local people. We have had some very special people tour with us this year. I have some wonderful memories and I will share some of them with you in future blogs. During the Fall and Winter I hope to write a Blog every 2 weeks.
Irish History and Culture have become a very important part of our tours and we are going to expand on these subjects next year. I will let you know soon, how we intend to do this. We will have 3 private gigs on each tour next year, with some of Ireland’s best singers and musicians performing for us. I will be working very hard over the Winter getting ready for next year.
On a personal level, I have just completed the recording of 6 songs, which will go on a promotional CD with music from Geraldine MacGowan, Cyril O’Donoghue, Don Stiffe, Johnsmith and Foolin in Doolin, all of whom perform for us as we tour around Ireland. Donogh Hennessy produced the music for me and I must say “THANKS A MILLION DONOGH FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR PLAYING” Donogh is an incredible guitarist, in my opinion, one of the best in Ireland, so I am honoured to have him play a part on the CD. Also I must thank all who allowed me put their music on the CD, especially Johnsmith. I now have to get it mastered in USA and then get the artwork completed before I can get the finished product. I hope to have it all done before Christmas. If anyone has any ideas about mastering, printing etc. in USA, please let me know.
I will be flying to Washington, DC on October 9 and will be singing a song in Olney, MD at the Vic Haymen Celebration. Some of America’s most famous Folk Singers will be performing at this event, so I am petrified, but I know I will be OK. I then fly down to Sarasota, Florida for some R & R. I cannot wait to get some heat on my back. I will then be going to NERFA in November and meeting Johnsmith in Colorado in December, before flying home for Christmas.
I am doing a tour with John Spillane in February/March and we are working on gigs in Chicago, Columbus OH, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and Texas. We hope to have all organised with the next 4 weeks, so I hope to meet many ex Enchanted Way Tourists along the way. I will let you all know when the schedule is complete.
My son Gary has got involved in my web site, so you can expect to see a lot of improvements here also. He has inserted a u tube piece of Johnsmith singing Kilkelly, so I am pleased with that.
Just to finish this blog, I want to thank all my tour leaders , it has been wonderful, despite the terrible economic situation worldwide. All my tours have been full this year, I just cannot thank you all, enough. I also want to thank all of our musicians. The music this year has been out of this world. Thanks a million to John Spillane, who did 4 lovely gigs for us. Our hotel stays were great this year, I don’t recall a serious problem.
I want to thank Paddy Downes for his fearless driving. He has become a great team member and is a very important part of our tours.
Last, but not least I have to say Thanks to Johnsmith. I would not be writing this but for John. He was here at the start and we grew together. We have come a long way, it has been an incredible journey and it is getting better. The sky is the limit, JOHN
My next blog will be written from USA and I will keep you up to date on all things enchanted and otherwise.
Just to let you all know that I will be posting my 2010 TOUR SCHEDULE tomorrow, so if anyone is interested in travelling, please let me know. I have scheduled a tour with Donogh Hennesssy, so it will be interesting to see how a tour with an Irish performer will work out.
SLAN
