2009 USA Tour : March 18th, Bryson City NC

I’ll have to write this fast as we have to shortly get ready to head over the Smoky Mountains to Nashville

Catch Up Morning

It was lovely to laze the sunny morning away at our campsite in Maggie Valley below the Smokys. I caught up with emails and we cleaned up the RV, and a bunch of grooming and fussing stuff, then it was lunch and off to Bryson City

Bryson City Theatre

It is lovely having the mix of house concerts and theatre on this tour. House concerts are wonderful for the intimacy and exchange plus getting to know some about the area we are in. Theatre concerts give us space to really move around and perhaps provide more performance and even better sound, maybe. Bryson City Theatre was a bit smaller than Saluda so did not need the PA but it was still the result of devoted love and dedication, this time by Rev David Russell.

David also happens to be a wonderful harp maker as well as pastor, more about that later.

After a very warm welcome by David and his wonderful wife Caroline who has helped to send folks from the USA to our vacations in Ireland, we explored and got the feel of the theatre.

After that, it was off to David’s church to share in a Fellowship pre-concert supper.

I should say that Bryson City as a very quaint, well preserved traditional town snugged below the Smoky Mountains. It reminded me of the small towns in the west of New Zealand South Island.

At the concert the audience were stunning, about 80 people of all ages, and nice to see some folks of disabilities making it and really enjoying it. The audience was with us from the start and that really drove Claire and myself on. Before Claire and I came on David also presented his other talent as a member of a multi instrumental group Bean Sidhe who gave us a couple of tunes and Wild Mountain Thyme, what a lovely start.

Bean Sidhe also opened the second set with a stunningly performed set too with harp, bouzouki, fiddle, recorder, guitar, bodhran.

Claire’s performance was tops which included performing with one of David’s beautifully sounding Celtic Harps as well as her rented antique Lyons harp. It seemed like Claire performed more with David’s harp this evening, as well as playing both together. Claire finished the evening with a very well deserved standing ovation.

Claire performed …

Sitting In A Green Field

Dedication

Fields Of Fasseroes

Brigit’s Song

Suil A Rhuin

Brian Boru’s March

Rose Of Tralee

Galway Bay

He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven

Star Of The County Down

Isle Of Inishfree (from Quiet Man)

Robin’s Jaunt

Bi, a Iosa, im Croise

Clergyman’s Lamentation

Danny Boy

Irish Blessing

Parting Glass

Now we have to leave over the Smoky Mountains to Nashville