That's what happens when the Olympics are going on at the same time as the monthly pilgrimage to Pat McGuire's. There was supposed to be a Cubs game last night as well; Cubs vs the Atlanta Braves, but the manager of Pat McGuire's came up to Mom and me before the band took the stage and let us know it had been rained out. It was okay; there was always the Olympics. =)
First set was without the distraction of the Olympics, at least for the most part. And for some reason, Andy and Martin played all our family's requests in the first set. I had requested "German Clock Winder", "Carrick Fergus", "Boston Rose", "A Rainy Night in Soho", "Danny Boy" (for my dad), and "Wild Colonial Boy" (for Mom).
Coverage for the Olympics started at seven p.m., near the end of Andy and Martin's first set. I soon found myself listening to the band with my ears and watching the Olympics at the same time. Yet another feeble attempt made by Yours Truly to multitask. Sadly, I can't do it very well. And when the coverage started, I moved over to the "Cascade" table so I could see better. Katie McGuire didn't mind.
Ann was there this time and she arrived sometime during the second set. Since she hadn't been there last month, I was very happy to see her! She's one of my best friends outside of the church, and she and I have had a few conversations about my faith. She understands my limitations and doesn't tease me about them.
During the second set, I was listening to the band again, watching the Olympics, and eating my dinner. They played the usual stuff during the second set, like "Finnegan's Wake", "Charlie and the MTA", and "The Unicorn". For "Finnegan's Wake", when we screamed "LUNCH" during the third verse Martin, anticipating some edible ammo, opened an umbrella! I regret not being able to get a picture of that to put up here because it was HILARIOUS! And I was able to tear my attention away from the Olympic coverage long enough to be a "Unicornette" and dance to "The Unicorn". It was Ann, me, Katie, Emily (from Clinton), Eve (her sister), Em's daughter, Megan (Barney Barnhill's granddaughter), and some of the other Cascade gals. The stage was packed, but it was fun!
During the third set was when I was the most distracted. And that was because that was when Michael Phelps was swimming in the 200m Butterfly to get his tenth gold medal in his entire career. So the race was going on, and I can't even remember what song was being played, but when he hit the wall first, everyone cheered in the middle of the song. Martin just looked at us, and at the end of the song, Andy asked, "Did Michael Phelps win the gold medal?" The answer was a resounding "YES!" accompanied by cheers. =)
Of course, they ended with their usual Irish patriotic songs "The One Road", "A Nation Once Again", and "Amhrain na bhFiann", the Ireland National Anthem (I think) and that is sung in Gaelic. Martin emailed me the Gaelic lyrics a long time ago and I use them on occasion, but the Gaelic is getting easier for me to pronounce. Now if I could just learn Spanish with the same greatest of ease, I'd be happy. =)
I'm really looking forward to next month once again. And maybe I'll have something to celebrate then too. =)
Slan go foill...
No comments:
Post a Comment