Ian Duhig, Darach Ó Catháin

Though most were lost by ‘Róisín Bán’,
all knew his art was rich and strange
in the pub we drowned with our own black stuff
when we laid the Sheepscar Interchange.

Guardian reviewer develops stammer contemplating Ian Duhig: ‘the the ninth-century “Blackbird of Belfast Lough” is clearly audible...’ Perhaps it’s a side-effect of all the Darach Ó Catháin he was inspired to listen to again by Duhig’s new book and its meditations on that fine Irish singer, as excerpted above. Here’s a lovely clip of him singing that hardy perennial ‘Óró sé do bheatha ’bhaile’, done to death untold myriad times a year by surly pre-teens at Irish college...

Many apologies for the lack of more regular posts here. This I will amend.