St. PADDY’S DAY IN JULY

One of the Little Woman’s requests for her birthday was a couple of tickets to a Ronan Tynan Concert. It was held outdoors on the rainiest, most humid evening possible. When we got to the concert, I thought it was going to be rained out since there was a long line of older people with umbrellas standing and waiting to get in. We went to the end of the line and popped open our umbrella like everyone else. At first I thought that the people on line were from an old age home that just arrived, but soon it dawned on me that it was really what the audience would be. Mostly older people and mostly Irish!

Well bejesus tis was indeed a grand night for the old sod. As we moved into the theatre, the rain for the most part stopped. We found our seats and settled in after wiping them dry from the rain. Everyone had some kind of article in which to dry off the seats from towels to toilet paper! Mine was a clean handkerchief that got cleaner with each wipe.

John McDermott was the opening act, and I must say he was indeed grand! Sang like a bottle of stout as it pours into a frosty glass on a warm summer’s evening in Killarney. He sang one song about his “Old Man” that left me wishing I could see mine again.

Then the main attraction, Himself! Yes indeed, Ronan Tynan, more animated than I could ever remember him being. His voice booming out from the speakers, clear as a bell, unfortunately his band drowned him out at times.

The house was not full by any means, but what there was, was a sea of green, with Irish flags and Irish laughter. On the whole the concert was great, but the seats were torture to both the Little Woman and me. They were not very deep and cut into the underside of my legs as we both squirmed and wiggled to find a comfortable position.

Behind us sat the Irish Queen of Tynan Music, applauding loudly and screeching at every turn, giving body language to every song introduced by uttering little encouraging words such as “oh yeah” or “OOOH” or just screaming.

In the midst of all this Gaelic festivity in the sea of green among the Sons of Ireland sitting with his Irish wife and listening to Irish music - the Italian from Brooklyn.