Tribute by Simon Oak to one of Ireland’s most famous singers, Christy Moore.
Simon: “I’ll never forget my first steps through the streets of Dublin. It was on 30 September 2013, after the Mountshannon Trad Festival with my fiddle friend and priceless Ireland guide, Jan van Leeuwen. The Frank Harte Festival was on during the same weekend and we had heard about the Traditional Singing Walk on the Sunday morning, so we hit the East Clare road early, had our breakfast in the car, and found a parking place near the Teacher’s Club, only to find out that the singers were gathering at Liberty Hall. We literally ran through the streets to get there in time.
My friend Martin Ryan from Kinvara was making some photos and a week later, he sent me this photo with Christy in one shot. At that time, I still had no clue who Christy Moore was. I only remembered that I had met him at the bar later that Sunday in the Teacher’s Club. It still took a while before I began to understand what he means to the Irish people. Also, and that’s in the song, I began to understand John O’Dreams, the Dutch artist performing Irish songs, successfully using the striking resemblance of his voice to Christy Moore’s.
Another thing I found out much later is that Luka Bloom, who is quite famous in Holland, is Christy’s younger brother. I had been at Luka’s concert in Leiden years before my first visit to Dublin. A few years later my path crossed with their nephew, the French Irishman, Davóg Rynne, who was so kind as to do a private concert in the old farmhouse where I used to live. The one man show was a huge success with a session afterwards. I also was at a concert in Ennis where Davóg’s mother did a few lovely songs, so it feels like I’ve met half of the Moore family.
Last but not least, and worth a song in itself, my fiddle friend Jan and I somehow found ourselves on board the RTÉ Music Train the Monday after the Singing Walk, with rising star Derek Ryan, Paul Brady and Luka Bloom and we witnessed the enormous crowds that welcomed them like rockstars when the train stopped in Newbridge, the hometown of the Moore’s.
RTÉ Music Train stops in Newbridge.
The idea to write a bit of this in a song only came in 2020, 7 years later.”
Lyrics
Oh who is that Irishman all the Irish know?
No I never knew him till a few years ago.
A-beating the drum with his hand fast and slow
Fighting injustice wherever he goes.
Like an ordinary fan of The Clancys and Tom
He got himself a white jumper, learned a few of their songs
Every man is unique but not always it seems
There’s a striking resemblance with my friend John O’Dreams
Singing songs of the world in a band or on his own
Gently touching the soul with his wonderful tone
In the backroom, the kitchen, on a stage big or small
Still answering the call of the National Concert Hall
With a deep friendly voice not a man can ignore
He brings comfort and joy all his life
The voice of a man, Christy Moore
At times with a message sharp as a knife
Of the Magdalene Laundries I would never have heard
To give Arthur his booze day surely sounded absurd
And there’s many a well in the valley below
He broke their taboos for all of us to know
On a journey to England he met Sweeny’s Men
If you ask him he’ll tell you of the magic back then
How he grew up with Andy and Dónal and Liam
Reinvented tradition with this legendary team
When returning to Nancy, a widow way too soon
He saved Barry with a brand new guitar
Oh this family in Newbridge, never short of a tune
Added new pride to Erin, coming from far
In the Teacher’s Club bar at the Frank Harte event
A friend whispered “that’s Christy”, didn’t know what he meant
But you’re never too old to discover new things
Like the fame of this singer, how he sang and still sings
So now every New Year I sing of a man
Boots of leather, forever, encore!
Sure it took me some serious time to understand
What he means to Ireland, Christy Moore! (x2)
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