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Commins Calling Two weeks ago, I headed north to visit Big Tom and his wife Rose in the family home.
Visiting Big Tom
Commins Calling Michael Commins
It now looks almost certain that country legend Big Tom will not undertake a series of shows in August but the good news for his legion of followers is that there is a very strong possibility that the man from Monaghan will do some dance dates around October. Two weeks ago, I headed north to visit Tom and his wife Rose in the family home in Oram, three miles outside Castleblayney. Tom was away fishing when I got there but, as night had just drawn in, it wasn’t long until the familiar figure arrived back from his evening on the shores of the lake. For close on three hours, we chatted away as Tom cast his mind back over those remarkable years when the Mainliners led the field by a country mile. During all the Troubles in the north, Big Tom and the lads continued to play dance dates for those on both sides of the divide. As Tom commented in relation to the end of the night shows: “In some places we played the anthem (‘Amhrán na bhFiann’), in some places we played ‘God Save The Queen’, and in some places, we played nothing!” Tom has been looking at some new songs with a view to recording a few tracks prior to any short tour. “I would like to do a lock of them and it would probably give me a fresh interest in doing a few shows later in the year,” he said. Hardly a day goes by but callers from various parts of Ireland and beyond still arrive at the family home at their farm in Oram. Rose said: “It’s been that way for years. We don’t take much notice anymore. People know Tom in every county and if they are up this way they call out for photos and love to meet him for a chat. I would love to see him go back on stage and do some shows this year. We are inundated with requests from the fans and I think he is ready for it again.”
Here comes Trouble - 41 years on
FORTY-ONE years after it became a chart-topping sensation, ‘Old Man Trouble’ has been revived and is the new summer single from Trevor Moyles and Johnny Carroll. Back in 1966, the Mayo-based Doc Carroll and the Royal Blues were one of the biggest names on the Irish showband circuit when they became the first band from the West of Ireland to reach the top spot in the Irish parade. It was a wonderful achievement at the time and the Royal Blues played to huge crowds all over the country. Their trips to England and America were massive as so many young people from the province had emigrated to those countries in that period. Some months ago, Johnny Carroll agreed to join the Trevor Moyles band for a series of dates during the summer months. And the first fruits of this union has manifested itself in the re-working of the old Doc Carroll classic. recorded in Headford, the song was issued last week and looks set to become a popular hit for the rest of the season. Both Trevor and his band and Johnny Carroll were among the performers at the Fleadh Ibiza back in April. The release of ‘Old Man Trouble’ and the series of dates with Trevor’s band is also a fresh challenge for Johnny Carroll who began his showband career at the age of 13 with the Premier Aces. The Castlerea native has lived in Galway for many years. Perhaps it is fitting that Trevor Moyles, another Mayo man, should take lead vocals on the song that was synonymous with Doc Carroll and the county of Mayo. Along with Brendan Bowyer’s ‘Hucklebuck’, ‘Old Man Trouble’ is one of the songs most associated with the showband era.
Nanci Griffith returns to Mayo for concert
AMERICIAN country folk singer Nanci Griffith returns to Mayo this week for her first show in the county since she played in the Beaten Path many moons ago. Numbers like ‘From a Distance’ and ‘Lone Star State of Mind’ established her as a top act this side of the Atlantic. Today, Nanci is still doing great music and will perform at the Royal Theatre in Castlebar tomorrow night, July 25. Nanci was born in 1953 in Seguin, near San Antonio and grew up in Austin. She recorded her first album in 1978, ‘There’s A Light Beyond These Woods’. Four years later, ‘Poet In My Window’ was released but she had to wait a few more years before fame came knocking on her door. In 1986, Nanci finally made the big time when her album ‘Last Of The True Believers’ received a Grammy nomination. ‘Love At The Five And Dime’ and ‘The Wing And The Wheel’ became two of her standard songs. Then with the re-release of her first two albums and songs like ‘There’s a Light Beyond These Woods’, Mary Margaret found a whole new and receptive audience. In 1987, she signed with MCA and ‘Lone Star State Of Mind’ became a huge hit for her. Four years ago and over 20 years after leaving Texas for Nashville, Nanci Griffith finally won the endorsement of real country enthusiasts when she made her first appearance on the famous Grand Ole Opry. Apart from writing many of her own songs, she has also recorded excellent versions of such numbers as the Gordon Lightfoot classic, ‘Ten Degrees and Getting Colder’ and the Woody Guthrie number, ‘If You Ain’t Got the Doh Reh Me’
Armagh man to perform in Balla
CROSSMAGLEN native John Glenn has always been regarded as a truly authentic country singer. And the man from Armagh will make a rare but very welcome appearance in Balla on next Sunday night when he and his band play for a special dance in support of Western Care. John first sprung to national prominence 30 years ago when he replaced Big Tom in the Mainliners after Tom went out to front his new band at the time. Sunnyside of the Mountain became an instant hit for John Glenn and he recorded a few hugely successful albums with the Mainliners before eventually going on to form The Wranglers. For a number of years, John had more or less drifted away from the business but fresh demand over the past three years has seen him back on stage doing a number of selected dance shows in various parts of the country. Johnny Groden of Western Care says they are delighted to have secured John and the band for a dance date in Balla. “John has always had a good and loyal following in this region and we are hoping that a lot of his supporters as well as the people from the area will come along to Balla Community and Resource Centre on Sunday night. Dancing is from 11pm to 1am and admission is just €10. There’s also a bar exemption for this special dance. Western Care plays a central role in the lives of many families in Mayo and we will very much appreciate all the support that comes our way in Balla.”
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Speaking on Newstalk, Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather cautioned that “warning fatigue” is taking place amongst the public due to the regular occurence of weather warnings
Kevin Johnson, won two Mayo GAA Senior Club Football Championships with Ballintibber helped Leitrim Gaels to glory in Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon. Pics: Sportsfile
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