St. Patrick's Festival: Clare Youth Trad Orchestra Online Performance

Today - Thumbs Up Theatre Toronto is watching a live stream from the Palace Theatre London! It's the swansong for The Shows Must Go On - a medley of songs from the famous musicals. Sadly, of course, I'll be stuck watching tv with my mother, as usual - enjoy, if you decide to watch! I'd love to join you, but there's no way, and I don't think it's being re-broadcast. As for me, having come across a gap in my tv-watching in the afternoon, I caught up with the ever-excellent St. Patrick's Day website, long may it last!

Well sure and begorrah, didn't I come across an online performance from the relatively recently formed Clare Youth Trad Orchestra (whom I'd never heard of)! The blurb to the side explains their history - but mainly, check out their terrific video! Rather short, but well worth watching, it shows three pieces, composed and performed online. Lovely to listen to - but also fascinating for someone who knows Co. Clare, as each little individual window displays the performer in a different location around Clare. Plonked in fields, on roadsides, in a church, in sundry living rooms.. one sits in a cowshed to play her pieces, the cows munching away contentedly behind her. It was interesting to try and spot locations - sometimes, they helpfully stand or sit beside signs: Lahinch, Ennistymon, Ennis Station, Barefield, Feakle - and Tulla, the closest to me. Sometimes, I had to guess - Bunratty Castle and the Old Ground Hotel (with the ivy) are obvious, someone sat in the statue of hands outside Ennis Cathedral, and Quin Abbey was the location for one or two, I think. And one lady sits plucking at her banjo in the Burren.Excellent stuff, cleverly edited - go see!

Excited for my tv-watching tomorrow - it's a bank holiday here, and as the bank holiday movie, they're showing Yesterday, a Danny Boyle comedy about a young musician and big Beatles fan. He's in an accident, and when he comes to, he finds himself in a world where nobody's heard of them! So, what's a lad to do, except.. pass all their hits off as his own.. Ed Sheeran also makes an appearance.

And they just advertised Crazy Rich Asians as the Saturday night movie. Awesome, another I hadn't seen.. being stuck in Ireland for the pandemic is really helping me get through my film list..