Hello,
I hope this finds you in a good frame of mind given the state of things. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the recent weather events, nobody has ever seen anything like this before. The ferocity of those tornadoes and storms was staggering. Hard to know what exactly is happening to our world but it is getting intense.

Add to that the chaos in the Middle East, the ever rising price of food, gas and everyday necessities, piracy on the high seas, traffic controllers falling asleep, record billion dollar profits for giant corporations, bits and pieces falling off planes and Donald Trump thinking of running for the highest office in the land…small wonder I feel like a spectator at the Greatest Show on Earth!
If it wasn’t so tragic it would be funny!

Lord only knows how we will resolve the myriad of issues confronting us but we will…after all we dug most of the holes ourselves. It will take time, wisdom and sacrifice but we’re up to the challenge…especially here in the United States where the spirit and the will are strong. We most certainly live in interesting times.

I’m continually befuddled and astounded by the latest technology and I have simply given up on my ability to keep pace. I’m one of the few I know who still talks into the cell phone. I can never get my kids to answer their phones until I text them and tell them to pick up when the bloody thing rings…it’s me on the other end, like they don’t know.

It takes me forever to text…I have to pull over, take out the glasses, and go at it, one letter at a time…and I have to be diligent so ‘where are you’ doesn’t come out like ‘wirf aqf  u’…God, but sometimes I loathe the thing. …And now we find out that there is a Big Brother aspect to the whole technology…my, my, my, we are but cogs in the wheel!

OK, here’s my stand on it, Big Brother new gadgets ‘n all…I don’t care.  All I want is to simplify my life…write a few more songs and poems, write a short story or two, try to be a better guitar player, try even harder to be a better person, spend time with those I love and care for, spend even more time with those who love and care for me, spend some time traveling in Ireland, in the Caribbean, in Europe, up North, down South…wherever the wind takes me…and try to be true to myself and to the God in which I believe.

Easy enough you might think, but I’m writing this on a computer…and earlier there was a virus issue and I spent time trying to fix the problem and I was looking at the screen and I might as well have been looking into a field, and on and on and on it goes…
Please excuse the random thoughts contained in the above.
            
Right so, we have but four seats left on our Enchanted Ireland Tour, meeting in Dublin on July 17 and heading to the far flung northern reaches of Ireland. It’s not too late to join us although the hotels are pushing us to release the rooms we won’t need. If you have any sort of hankering to come along please give me a call, email me or even…text me.
Information can be found on the O’Donoghue Tours page of the website.
 
I mention again that I will be performing onboard the beautiful Norwegian Jewel as she sails out of Manhattan on September 17 – September 24 – October 1 – October 8… four cruises in all, going to New England and Atlantic Canada. You can book online at ncl.com or  cruises.com or through your local travel agent. I have oodles of downtime so it’s lovely when friends come along.

I’m delighted also to be included in the Irish Music Cruises Concerts at Sea, on January 29, 2012. My fellow entertainers include Seamus Kennedy, The Wolfe Tones, The Makem and Spain Brothers, Archie Fisher, Mairtin De Cogain, Ciaran Sheehan and others. This one promises to be a blast. For information please call Debra at: 1 888-564-7474 or online at irishmusiccruises.com

On May 27 I will perform again at  Indigo Alley in Fernandina Beach, Florida. I enjoyed playing there a few weeks ago, it’s quite the bohemian venue and they have a nice wine and beer selection.

I have recently enjoyed performing at my long standing gigs in Kevin Barry’s, Savannah, Georgia and Katie O’Donald’s, Bluffton South Carolina. It’s always a pleasure and great fun entertaining at these venues…they bring out the nicest audiences.

I’ve had inquiries lately as to whether I do private events and the short answer is…yes. House concerts, private parties, community concerts, fund raising and local county events and on occasion library performances…kind of defeats the purpose doesn’t it?

It’s fun though…A man went into a public library and said to the librarian ‘I would like a book by Shakespeare please’.
The librarian replied ‘which one?’
‘William’

Anyway, if you are interested in having me perform at an aforementioned event please get in touch. My best wishes to out to Carroll Brown and his tour group as they head off to Scotland and Ireland next week…hope the weather obliges and a splendid time is had by all.

We are well stocked with CD’s here on the website and we have the technology (there’s that word again) to download single songs. My music is also available at cdBaby, iTunes, Amazon and most other online sites.

Please sign our Guestbook if you have time, or share a message with me on Facebook. Thanks for taking the time to read this edition of  Ramblings and your thoughts, comments and suggestions are most welcome…we’re all in this together.

All the best for now,