Room For One More

Having been forced to sing solo in class on a daily basis from the age of 14 in school I had a strained relationship with a Gaelic traditional past I didn’t understand. As I grew older the beat of the bodhrán, the plaintive tones of the uileann pipes and the lilt of the fiddle drew me back….. It is something we Irish, in general, seemingly cannot resist…. Having just watched a Youtube video of Lurgan schoolchildren perform Amhrán na gCupán (When I’m Gone….originally performed as a pop tune by Anna Kendrick) I can see a bright future for music. As I sat tonight watching some friends perform I find it is something I will always love… The group called “Room For One More” is well named as always has room for one more musician, one more singer or one more dancer. Anything from six to fourteen musicans…Age is no barrier as the ages range from 12 to 75….. I can easily spot certian tourists in the audience…. they cannot seem to clap in time to the music…. They are missing the genes that give us freckles, red hair and oneness with rhythm….. I miss the shared playing now…. I stopped playing when my heart was irreparably broken and it could beat to the music no more…. Maybe some day I’ll play again…