In Reply to: For Ollie posted by Ya boy ya on September 07, 2008 at 18:36:16:

A cairde.....tonight as i was driving along the lakeshore boulevard the shades of evening were already settling over toronto....the blue sky had a skirt of blazen red draped to the horrizon....and lake ontario was resting in a gentle calm....mirroring the reflexions of the shore line towers.....there was a definite serenity in this setting as my car radio ....echoed its current play....matt munroe singing that beautiful ballad ...walk away....as i listened to the matt munro's rich voice ....my mind began to wander back to a time long ago in the town i love so well......incarcerated memories began to flow to the conscious......i remember many years ago roy croft bringing his popular radio show on the road and coming to caslebar for a few days....."who knows our beginners of tonight maybe our stars of tomorrow" was crofts mantra.....he went into his opening monologue on the stage of the county cinema.....then as the stage lights dimmed the first guest was introduced......tom lally.....tom with his broader than oconnell street smile....began to sing walk away......he sang it with lally authority......with a certain style of sincerity that was indeed tom's hallmark....the song ended ....and the applause ....the lally family had a unique loyalty to each other ....and in the front row mr and mrs lally and family applauded with desire ....for another song from one of the towns favourite sons.....and tom ....encouraged by his reception was not to disappoint his cheering fans....and as the applause settled...tom began to sing ....the gypsy rover....as he concluded he was again showered in thunderous applause....roy introduced the next act.....kevin mcginty....bonestick ....himself....kevin back then had a remarkable alto voice....he sang ....about the little dutch boy and the little dutch girl....his song ended and the cinema from the balcony to the pit shook with applause ....then he sang the old refrain......wow...this was castlebar in the early fifties...and these entertainers were our beloved neighbours and friends...they lived amongst us and we had to wait for such travelling shows...to unmask their hidden talents....next came jimmy murray ....pete gavin..and dan ohearn to entertain us on their harmonicas....next to an explosion of cheers and applause roy croft introduced ....our own ...our very own.....paddy kelly.....paddy swished out into centre stage .....complete in his trademark tweed jacket and cap....and his treasured mother o' pearl accordion.....the house froze in anticipation.....as paddy began to play and sing ....i'm nobodys child.....ooo...a your wonderful....now....somewhere later i came out decked in black face....compliments of a tin of black "science " polish.....i did a jolson number.....eventually the show concluded....the curtain came down the lights dimmed and the audience filed out....this was greatest.... next night another show .....and more local talent exposed their hidden genius......then the show moved onto another town....perhaps ballina...or swinford.....the lally talent moved their stage to john kennys pub.....saturday nights in kennys pub was a night never to miss.....the lally family were there in masse....davey brinklow.....myself...spidge armstrong....paddy fahey....pat ludden.....my old friend...the porter would be flowin' like buttermilk.....john and annie were behind the bar....mick mchugh...was in his usual position standing at the front door of his pub next door to kennys....eventually the time arrived.....shuz....silence ...please....shuz....mother is going to sing....mother being none other than mrs lally..... a pin could be heard as mrs lally began to sing....."i'd rather die young than grow old without you.....her face would go into its hallmarked pucker.....lips bulbous and well painted....john lally ....family patriarch...stood firmly and loyally at her side ....her family gazed in adoration of their mother.... tommy haugh would wanderf in with two or three crubeens from tom cullens.....the sing song was on ....and the night never ended.....we'd all retire to the back of the pub until 3 or 4 in the morning.....and then we'd take the show to mrs.lallys in moneen.....i remember when the lallys moved to st. amthonys out in blackfort....the proceedings never altered except the lallys would hire billy newells minibus and we'd all go out to st. anthonys....mrs lally would invariably pee on the seat of the bus and the aroma would waft...to billy's nose.....mrs llly you've done it again.....he'd call out but she and the entourage were oblivious to anything but the craic......la eile sceil eile....
tog go bog e......