We left Muscatine around four and got to Pat McGuire's a little after five, after stopping at the Wonder Bread store to pick up cupcakes (will get into that a little later!). Mom had to go see my brother Dave about some stuff so she dropped Dad and me off and headed to Moline.
Usually, Andy and Martin come together but this time, for some reason they came separately. Martin had his daughter, Katie with him and she's a sweetheart. I was wearing my autographed Reunion t-shirt and I showed her where her dad had signed it on the back. And yes, I did wear the hair extension (actually put it in myself and pinned everything into place!).
A guy that my parents and I know, Joe, told Martin and me about Rick Sonneville being killed in an accident just the day before. Rick would come to Pat McGuire's with his young daughter, Anika. Anika was taking Irish dance lessons at the Mullane-Healy-O'Brien Dance Academy, and she's really good. I think I have a picture of her dancing on my Facebook, a couple of them if I remember correctly. Andy and Martin love this little girl to death, and actually so do we. My thoughts and prayers are with Anika during this difficult time.
Andy finally got there and I got my usual requests to the guys before they started. I included a new one: "A Rainy Night in Soho" from the Reunion CD. I fell in love with that one from the first time I heard it. :) Andy also saw the hair extension and was surprised that I was sporting long hair. Pretty much everyone was surprised that in the space of a month, I was sporting long hair. I explained that it was fake and that I was wearing it to see if it would stay in for long periods of time because I was going to use it for the play I'm in. And that led to me telling people about Lucky Stiff. I have to email some people about it, but hopefully some of my friends from Davenport will be able to come down.
First set was the usual stuff: "Whiskey in the Jar", "Danny Boy", "Dirty Old Town" and the like. Mom finally got there near the end of the set, but then they played my request "A Rainy Night in Soho". We finally ordered dinner during the first intermission.
Andy and Martin got to a couple more of my requests during the second set: "Wild Colonial Boy" and "German Clock Winder" (for some reason I LOVE that tune; don't know why!). And of course, they did "Finnegan's Wake" and we had tons of ammunition! I wasn't the only one to bring stuff. The "Cascade" corner all brought candies, cupcakes, and the like. During the third verse where it's sung, "The friends assembled at the wake, and Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch.", we chucked everything at the guys. Even young Katie Doyle had stuff and she joined in the fun. That's what happens when Martin sticks her with the "Cascade" crew. Anyway, Andy took a waiter's drink tray and held it against his head to ward off the projectile since he was in the line of fire. And he complained that we didn't have any good stuff. Come on, Andy! I'm on a very limited income, buddy! *lol* ;)
And we were in for a treat when young Katie danced for us. I got a few pics of her dancing and told her later that I'd send some to her dad, via email.
The second set would NOT be the second set without the usual rendition of "The Unicorn". And all the "Unicornettes" made their way up to the stage (myself included). It made for cramped quarters, but we made it work. :)
Third set was more pop tunes interspersed with the Irish tunes. They did "Brown Eyed Girl", "Sweet Caroline", "Alice" (a clean version since we had a child in our midst), "Margaritaville", and even Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire". Sadly, they weren't able to get to "Carrick Fergus", but it was okay. I have it on their concert CD so I can listen to it whenever I want. And they ended with the usual three Irish patriotic songs: "The One Road", "A Nation Once Again", and "Amhrain na bhFiann", the Ireland national anthem. A few months back, Martin sent me the Gaelic lyrics (and pronunciations) and I printed them off during a slow moment at work back in December so I'd have them. Once that was over, we said our goodbyes and headed home.
Check this space soon. I may have pics of last night's fun. :)
1 comment:
Theresa, it's Anika. I was googleing some info about my dad and found your blog. I remember you so well. It's kind of refreshing to hear someone let the sleepy little town know about what happened. It's been 5 years and I'm in high school now, a bit older than you recall. Please feel free to contact me.
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