Lighten up: Rock and rolling in West Cork
I went to an outdoor rock concert over the weekend. The first I had attended since Wacko rocked SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh back in 1988.
This one was held in Bandon town, with local band Déjà Vu belting out the hits. And boy golly they did. No rolling stone was left unturned. They were brilliant.
The rain stayed away, Déjà Vu gave it welly. A great night was had by all. And better again, this time the concert was free!
The good people who run the Bandon Music Festival, and fair play to them, understand completely that local farmers like me have no money to be splashing out on fancy concert tickets.
With the high prices now needed to pay for store bullocks, we have no money for anything that costs more than a pot of jam
The days when hard-working farmers would queue for long hours for tickets to see the likes of Kylie Minogue are in the past.
The only "spinning around" most of us do nowadays is on the tractor with a fertiliser spinner attached to our rear.
With our input costs gone through the roof, Bucks Fizz and their ilk are in "the land of make-believe" if they think farmers like me will flock to their shows. No. In today's farming world, it's a case of the best things in life are free.
Anyhow, as I mentioned earlier, it was free, and so as Déjà Vu belted out one rock anthem after another, I soaked it all in like molasses on silage.
I thought I was 16 again, shaking my head that now has no hair on it, and shaking a leg that now shakes even when there is no music playing.
The hours might be on the clock, but the old throttle can still be opened fully. And better again, while I rocked and rolled in Bandon town, back home on the farm, the rolling also continued.
For unbeknownst to many who might presume that Auld Lehane was taking the night off, the reality was far from it.
My feet may have been in LA, but my mind was definitely back in Tennessee
The farm at home, at that very moment, was being rolled like crazy by my daughter Aisling, who had happily chosen rolling fields over the Rolling Stones.
While I moved like Jagger (literally), she was rolling the fields to perfection in preparation for the upcoming silage season.
And while many might wonder as to the late date to be rolling and indeed preparing for silage, I only have one answer. In the words of Phil Lynott: "Don't believe a word."
Don't believe what the experts tell you. It's never too late to roll or cut silage.
I rarely cut silage before September. For like Rod Stewart himself, I believe "the first cut is the deepest" and I am usually in no hurry to get it out of the ground.
"Let it grow", to quote Eric Clapton, has always been my motto with regards to silage.
For now, rolling is the priority. For me personally speaking, any opportunity to put the feet up — or indeed to shake them in all directions — will be welcomed with open arms. The silage can wait.
Summer in West Cork is unbeatable and you simply "gotta roll with it".
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Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Lighten up: Rock and rolling in West Cork
I went to an outdoor rock concert over the weekend. The first I had attended since Wacko rocked SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh back in 1988. This one was held in Bandon town, with local band Déjà Vu belting out the hits. And boy golly they did. No rolling stone was left unturned. They were brilliant. The rain stayed away, Déjà Vu gave it welly. A great night was had by all. And better again, this time the concert was free! The good people who run the Bandon Music Festival, and fair play to them, understand completely that local farmers like me have no money to be splashing out on fancy concert tickets. With the high prices now needed to pay for store bullocks, we have no money for anything that costs more than a pot of jam The days when hard-working farmers would queue for long hours for tickets to see the likes of Kylie Minogue are in the past. The only "spinning around" most of us do nowadays is on the tractor with a fertiliser spinner attached to our rear. With our input costs gone through the roof, Bucks Fizz and their ilk are in "the land of make-believe" if they think farmers like me will flock to their shows. No. In today's farming world, it's a case of the best things in life are free. Anyhow, as I mentioned earlier, it was free, and so as Déjà Vu belted out one rock anthem after another, I soaked it all in like molasses on silage. I thought I was 16 again, shaking my head that now has no hair on it, and shaking a leg that now shakes even when there is no music playing. The hours might be on the clock, but the old throttle can still be opened fully. And better again, while I rocked and rolled in Bandon town, back home on the farm, the rolling also continued. For unbeknownst to many who might presume that Auld Lehane was taking the night off, the reality was far from it. My feet may have been in LA, but my mind was definitely back in Tennessee The farm at home, at that very moment, was being rolled like crazy by my daughter Aisling, who had happily chosen rolling fields over the Rolling Stones. While I moved like Jagger (literally), she was rolling the fields to perfection in preparation for the upcoming silage season. And while many might wonder as to the late date to be rolling and indeed preparing for silage, I only have one answer. In the words of Phil Lynott: "Don't believe a word." Don't believe what the experts tell you. It's never too late to roll or cut silage. I rarely cut silage before September. For like Rod Stewart himself, I believe "the first cut is the deepest" and I am usually in no hurry to get it out of the ground. "Let it grow", to quote Eric Clapton, has always been my motto with regards to silage. For now, rolling is the priority. For me personally speaking, any opportunity to put the feet up — or indeed to shake them in all directions — will be welcomed with open arms. The silage can wait. Summer in West Cork is unbeatable and you simply "gotta roll with it". Read More Denis Lehane: Dreams of Tom Cruise at Cork Summer Show
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker shares 'tense moment' Mike Nolan quit the band
Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker has revealed the tense moment Irish man Mike Nolan quit the band. The 1981 Eurovision winner has spoken of the moment her former band member Mike Nolan quit spin-off band 'The Fizz' in a difficult exchange back in 2024. Speaking in a new interview with Slingo, Cheryl who was part of 1981 Eurovision-winning group 'Bucks Fizz', admits Mike 'had been talking about [quitting] since lockdown' but she managed to 'keep talking him out of it'. However, she said the final straw for Mike came during a 2024 photoshoot, when he revealed to Cheryl and fellow member Jay Aston he didn't want to do any of their upcoming gigs. She said: '[The Fizz] have just finished working on a ship, we did an 80s cruise and we had so much fun. 'We've got a festival in a couple of weeks up in Sunderland and I can't wait. We're rehearsing some songs they haven't learnt yet, for them, they're still learning stuff. 'We've got two guys now who are very happy to be there, whereas Mike didn't want to be there. He'd had enough. 'He'd been talking about it since lockdown. I kept talking him out of it but in the end, we did a photo session for a newspaper and it was a really good session, we did the photos, interviews etc. 'We then went to have some lunch, and me and Jay were chatting about gigs we had coming up, and Mike's face just went (sighs), he looked upset. I went, whatever's the matter.' Cheryl recalls giving him an ultimatum on his future in the band, which led to Mike leaving, but not before a 'very special' last gig in November last year. 'He said, 'I don't want to do them!' I slammed my fists down on the table and said,' you can't keep playing like this, you're either staying or you're going', so he said, 'I want to go'. We had to make a final date which was in November last year, we did it in a small theatre, a 500-seater, but it was a favourite in Kent, we all live there. 'It was a very special night with all our families and friends there, but I think he was relieved it was the last one. 'I miss Mike Nolan, because he's like a brother to me but he'd really had enough. Scott Mills kept playing, audio of Mike saying 'I've had enough', and he had. 'He was fed up with the journeys, with the driving and trains. I talk to him every couple of days, and we check in with each other. 'He's not envious in the slightest, he's very happy with us to carry on working.' But she said she still talks to Mike every few days. 'We have the best memories! And the most fun. Mike and I were like naughty children, going back to sneaking back in Dublin, we have a lot of fantastic memories, Mike and I. 'But we're making new memories with our new guys, they're so much fun, I love them.'
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Kylie and Jason unlikely to appear in Neighbours second finale
Neighbours' Executive Producer Jason Herbison has revealed that the soap's most famous stars, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, are unlikely to feature in the show's finale. In 2022, Channel 5 aired the last ever episode of Neighbours, featuring a host of familiar characters including Minogue and Donovan's Scott and Charlene. Months later, the soap was picked up by streaming platform Amazon Freevee, allowing it to return to screens. However, the beloved Australian soap is set to be taken off-air again in December after the closure of Amazon Freevee. Speaking to Australian soap news website the Neighbours producer said: 'I've already written it, and I would say that, I definitely am not going to try and compete with that finale." In the 2022 finale, Scott (Jason Donovan) and Charlene (Kylie Minogue) return to Erinsborough, while Guy Pearce reprised the role of Mike Young to reunite with childhood sweetheart Jane Harris (Annie Jones). Herbison continued: '"I haven't picked up the phone to Jason and Kylie and Guy again. I've left them alone, but it will be very similar in tone. I think it's a very warm, hopeful tone, but it's also a little bit different. There are things about it that I think might remind people of the previous finale, but it's also very different. "I think, as has been well documented, the show's not ending because people aren't still enjoying it. We still have an amazing following. "Unfortunately, the closure of Amazon Freevee did mean the end of the show. But having said that, at the end of this chapter of the show, they were terrific and gave us lots of notice on it as well, which is as much as you can possibly hope for. It wasn't something that took anyone by surprise." Warning: Spoiler Alert! Herbison teased of the soap's last storylines: "There's a big story for the Rodwells that will be a big challenge for the household, lots of twists and turns, lots of drama and lots of impact for everyone in the street. That will be a massive story right until the end. "The Varga-Murphys have some very big storylines coming up as well. "I'm often asked, are we ever going to meet the Linwells [the dangerous builders from whom the Varga-Murphys had to escape after Cara exposed their dodgy practices]? Yes, maybe we will, but it might not be exactly the story that people are expecting. "But there's definitely another chapter of the Linwells to be told, which also very neatly dovetails into some other stories."
