Sean used to play Lisa Mitchell’s ‘Neapolitan Dreams’ a lot. He really liked it, and he put it on a compilation CD for us to play in the car. I really like it too – it’s fresh and catchy, with the wide-open feel of halcyon teenage days – and I associate it almost painfully with good times had with Sean. I used to associate it with Vanessa Carlton’s ‘White Houses’, and could never remember either singer’s name, to Sean’s amusement.
The All-Ireland Fleadh is on in Cavan at the moment, as it was this time last year, when Sean was working behind the bar in the Breffni Inn. Now the weather is colder, wetter and windier than it was then – unlike last year, when we went up there several times, we probably won’t make it to the Fleadh this year. Looking forward to seeing Dave and Dervla and perhaps going to a different music session tomorrow night, though.
The road to God knows where ... Brendan O'Brien 
I forgot that Sean liked this Lisa Mitchell track as well … it’s on a compilation CD he made that we found recently.
I like the slight hoarse catch to her voice.
Sean listened to an extraordinarily wide range of music.
Hello Cymbeline. Yes, he did. Luckily for Pauline and me, it was mostly stuff that we liked, or could grow to like, too. Sean always wanted to share his enthusiasms.
My elder daughter loves music. When she was a young teenager at home, she would put her music on in the morning before going to school. At that time, we lived in a very old 17th century French building. There were no corridors. The bedrooms and rooms all led into each other. I can’t stand music in the morning and I can’t stand music when I have other thoughts in my mind. I would pass through the chain of rooms and press ‘off’ buttons wherever I found them.
Can’t stand music when I’m driving either. The children have always put CDs and tapes into the car player, ready to be ‘on’ as soon as the ignition starts, in the hope that I may not notice the ensuing music.
I like it sometimes. But I have to be in the right mood. No American rap whilst trying to work out north from south for example.
I don’t listen to music in the morning. I never listen to the radio. I like to listen to music when I’m driving, but not in situations where I really have to concentrate on the driving, as I am always concentrating at least partly on the music. It’s never really ‘background’ … it’s always high up in my consciousness.
I have been listening to ‘Rainy Night in Soho’ a lot. When I do start listening, I do it obsessively and do only that.
It really is lovely, and so is the little film with it.
(when I say ‘old 17th century building’, I mean that some bits were pre-17th century)
Yes … I think it’s an almost perfect track … simple, beautiful, and performed just right.
The woman with Shane in the film is his girlfriend, Victoria Mary Clarke. Her book A Drink with Shane MacGowan is an interesting read (but I know you have reference-heavy tomes to get through :-)).
Hello Brendano. I like the way you often speak about singing and listening to music in the car. It seems to be an important part of your family life.
Singing and listening whilst on the road.
Yes, very important. In fact I am just writing about it again, in another post that I’ll put up shortly.