If you’ve never had the chance to visit the Emerald Isle, I would thoroughly recommend it. You won’t stop laughing for the whole visit. That’s Ireland. Everyone is
always up for the craic. I spent most of the time being seriously challenged in terms of understanding folks what with the different accents in the North and the South. It really gets confusing. But it was actually fine. I just smiled a lot. Pat and the guys, Paul, on drums and Gordon on bass, make a fine sound and Pat very nicely accompanied me on songs like Master of Disguise and Errors of My Way on fiddle, which was a real treat and then picked the guitar up for others like the King Will Come and Throw Down the Sword. I then returned the compliment on some heavier guitar - based rockers. Pat really is an exceptional musician with a great knowledge of both traditional Irish music as well as rock. There was a LOT of jamming out on our shows, which the crowd loved, and he pushed these old fingers to do some extraordinary things!
Pat and I first met back in the 1980’s when he and his two brothers, Tommy and John, opened for Wishbone Ash as Mama’s Boys during the Twin Barrels Burning tour. The Pat McManus Band now seem to be making something of an event of these guest sessions since Bernie Marsden from Whitesnake had visited earlier this year. It’s great for the musicians and the fans to have these musician organised events, and I for one, would be only too happy to do more things in this way. I believe it means more all round, when the musicians put their heads together like this.
I wish to thank Pat, Sallie, Gordon, Joe and all the gang - especially Paul and his family, Chris and all the folks at the Fort in Dungannon for looking after us and making the whole trip a perfect marriage of vacation and work.
~ A.P.
