Wanderlust: Ireland Swings
Wanderlust: Ireland Swings
Stepping onto the tarmac at Cork International Airport, after a flight on Ireland's national carrier Aer Lingus, the first thing we notice is the smell of fresh manure fresh as only an almost liquid waft of cattle manure can be fresh, and a funkyreminder of the Celtic Tiger's ancient agrarian roots. But the air has a fresh sea tang to it after a 20-minute drive south through the lush green countryside to postcard-perfect Kinsale. Here in this ancient fishing town our arrival is heralded by a magnificent full-arched Irish rainbow. We return the salute with celebratory pints of Guinness at the Trident Hotel's Wharf Tavern.
Elbow River Slim and I are here to take part in the annual Kinsale Fringe Jazz Festival, a three-day blowout featuring live music in virtually every local bar, pub and restaurant all day long and completely free of charge. The freewheeling affair was conceived by Kinsale boosters 15 years ago as an alternative side-show to the prestigious (and pricey) Guinness Jazz Festival, held in the nearby city of Cork. Initially, Corkfest officials were hostile. "We thought we could perhaps snatch a few crumbs off the rich man's table," says Kinsale pianoman Billy Crosbie, a driving force."But they saw it as us going after their their business." The twin events eventually developed a comfortable symbiosis
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Most of the year, Kinsale, County Cork, Republic of Ireland, is a quiet town whose roughly 2,000 souls work at fishing and some light manufacturing. But its location on the Bandon River estuary on Ireland's southeastern tip also gives it a place in history. Its St. Multose Church dates from the 12th century. Charles Fort, built by the English in 1677, was burned by Irish nationalists in 1922. Deposed James II, England's last Catholic king, landed at Kinsale in 1689 intent on regaining his crown. He never did.
In the last 30 years, entrepreneurial Kinsale has made itself into a resort town whose population swells in summer and for a year-round run of special events. Just weeks before our visit for the Fringe Jazz Fest the town overflowed with foodies at the Kinsale Gourmet Festival. Hotels and B&Bs in the old heart of Kinsale shrewdly raise their rates during the October long weekend, but are filled nevertheless. So Slim and I are staying out of town at the far end of 10 minutes of hair-raising, hedgerow-walled Irish backroads in a restful cluster of self-catered cottages on blustery Oysterhaven Bay. Our first night, we turn right around and drive into Cork for beers and blues at the The Corner House Pub in Cobourg Street. Tonight it's The Dizzy Blues Band, led by guitarist Pat Horgan, with tunes in the style of fellow Cork native Rory Gallagher.
The next morning offers a breathtaking ocean view of the Old Head of Kinsale, a fortified promontory off which, in May 1915, the American liner Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sank in just 18 minutes, killing 1,198 of the 1,959 aboard. This is our day to visit County Cork's most popular tourist attraction: Blarney Castle. But a blue sky in the morning is no promise for an Irish day, and soon the clouds roll in and then a driving rain. Forget kissing the Blarney Stone; instead we hunker down around a peat-burning fireplace at the Muskerry Arms on Blarney Square to enjoy a hearty pub lunch of roast lamb, mashed-potatoes and cabbage and the music of Irish-inflected talk at nearby tables.
Later, back in Kinsale, rain be damned, the party is starting without us. New York saxman Ron Gozzo began early at Muddy Maher's Bar, followed by Crazy Chester from Austin, Texas, and The Bad News Blues Band from Tucson, Arizona. Dalton's Bar around the corner has the Chili Knights from Boston while Urban Stew from Stoke City, UK are across the harbour at The Bulman. Soon music wafts from all directions. Loose Change, a local Commitments-type R&B outfit, rocks out at Hamlet's and The Blue Haven Hotel lounge next door is hosting Kinsale jazz maven Sharon Crosbie. At Muddy Maher's, Gentleman Tim and the Contenders, a blues band from London, set up to boogie into the wee hours.
But Slim and I are off to the Trident Hotel, where Vancouver musicians Doc Fingers, Kim Nishikawara and Tom Keenlyside are playing with UK bluesman Ian Briggs and his band The Supervampers. Nishikawara's and Keenlyside's saxophone pyrotechnics set the well-lubricated Irish crowd on fire, and Slim and I just barely manage to escape the "craigh" in responsible condition for the following day. I have an afternoon gig at The Whitehouse with piano-man Doc, and Slim is sitting in on "gob-iron" (harmonica). Vancouver's duelling saxes chip in, and the band kicks serious butt. The place is jammed, with satisfied customers overflowing through the wide-open front door, out onto the narrow sidewalk, and onto the roadway.
Then, unexpectedly, a funeral procession turns the corner and, coffin aloft, makes a steady, slow march down the centre of Pearse Street towards the nearby Methodist church. Whitehouse barman Steve, dutifully seeking to preserve the solemnity of the situation, stepsforward to close and bar the door not to be reopened until the sad parade is fully past."Play that song, Doc," the barman chirps with a grin, nonchalantly resuming his publican duties."You know the one."Doc turns and counts us all in: "Hey everybody, let's have some fun / You only live once, and when you're dead you're done / So let the good times roll ..." Travel First Aid Kits Five Unbeatable Reasons To Buy African Mango Plus Flexible Air Freight from the UK to Lagos, Abuja, NewYork, Washington, Ghana etc Comparison of Materials of Bags Tibetan Festival Guide Best News For Golfer About Discount Golf Clubs TaylorMade Tour Burner Driver Five Fab Salsa Shoes To Watch Out this Spring 2011 Rocket French Torrent-Rocket French Review Hoi An Danang BeachDuration: 5 days Follow these when you go to a strip club Necessary qualities to become a stripper Adventure Tourism on Manali Tours Memorable Trip To India and Sri Lanka