released November 13, 2018

EPO
I have a great love for hurling and work with Clare GAA. Unfortunately hurling is not played in many parts of the country or even the county and many believe that you cannot play it unless you’re from a certain area. I have often wondered how you could have a really successful team in the Burren and got the notion to write this song about a group of players using the banned substance Erythropoietin (EPO). Thankfully there are no shortcuts to having a good hurling team only good practice.

My name is Lionel Messi
I wrote this one day after talking to a parent who’s child couldn’t get a game in his club because he wasn’t deemed, good enough. Things have improved hugely in children’s sport in recent years but it can be very exclusive if those in charge are too concerned with winning. Saibh McDermott provides gorgeous vocal accompaniment.

Jimmy’s Discount Store
Around the time of the 2017 All-Ireland fleadh I compulsively visited Jimmy’s every day, sometimes three or four times. One day as I was going to Dublin I started singing a few lines and the song came together very quickly. My daughter Tess has even written the “Jimmys Rap”.

Dave Larkin Singers WhatsApp group.
Dave Larkin runs a great singers club in the Crane Bar in Galway. Early in 2017 he decided to put all the singers phone numbers together and set up a WhatsApp group to make life easier to communicate with people. However nobody could have predicted the “consternation” that unfolded. Many people got very upset with all these notifications they were receiving and worse still, Dave locked himself out of the group by accident and there was nothing he could do. Things settled down since but it gave me great material to write this song.

Ivan Linnane
Ivan is my neighbour in Fanore. One night in early 2009 he announced that he’d do the Burren Marathon the following May. Pat O’Donoghue the local publican had a bet of €50 with him and allegedly on the night before the race he loaded Ivan up with drink expecting it would put him out of the marathon. However when the race began Ivan was there and he walked the full 26 mile marathon in a pair of wellingtons and denim jeans. He even stopped for a couple of pints along the way.

The Great Big Roaming Ass
One of the great pleasures I get from singing sessions is how inclusive it is and how much children are welcomed. My children Bob, Tess and Úna are all able to sing. This song was sung by Robbie McMahon throughout his life and Bob has made it his own. We toured the UK in 2017 with Kay O’Leary and Joe Harrington’s Irish Rambling house tour and Bob sang out this song every night.

Beast from the East
One Wednesday towards the end of February 2018 I was in a supermarket in Ennis when all the warnings were taking place about the impending Beast from the East. People were racing around the shop with full trollies and there was “no bread to be had”. I ended up having great fun with this song for a while during and after the storm. It is written to the air “Kilkelly Ireland” which details life in Ireland during the late 1800’s.

Maggies Cousins Wedding
This is not in any way a true story but I observed a woman at a wedding a few years ago who went a bit crazy as the night progressed and I totally exaggerated her behaviour in this song.

Townie Goats
In May 2018 there was huge concern in Ennis down to a herd of wild goats who were roaming free and in the words of Councillor Mary Howard were “procreating like there’s no tomorrow”. A solution to the problem was found and they were transferred to the Cooley Peninsula in Co. Louth to the farm of Sean Finnegan who lost his herd during the foot and mouth crisis in 2001.

The Pairc Uí Chaoimh Steward.
In July 2018 Clare played Wexford in the All Ireland Quarter final. It wasn’t the best location for a match and the crowd was very small. After the match a few Clare supporters entered the pitch to congratulate their heroes without realising they weren’t allowed in there. The stewards got a lot of bad publicity when they were photographed pulling and dragging people from the field.


Dinny Jim’s
My parents have always held song and music nights for as long as I can remember and had great nights when local characters including Brud Petty, Jody Howard, Mickey McCormack, Tom “Ned” McMahon and Michilin Conlon visited Benrue Farmhouse. In recent years they have ran an annual St Brigids night session in Dinny Jim’s Cottage near St Brigids well. We’ve had magic nights in the company of people many who have sadly passed like Robbie McMahon, Ollie Conway, Paddy Queally, Kathleen Downes, Peader McNamara, Rocky (Brendan Leigh) who captured many of the nights on video and Frankie Mac. Dedicated to the memory of Eimear Noonan, Caher, Co. Clare. R.I.P. I have used the air and chorus from Barrowlands written by Christy Moore and Wally Page.


Hey Mr Chairman
In the GAA there are always different factions. Counties against counties, clubs against clubs and even within clubs there are often factions. Players, coaches, administrators, referees, supporters often fail to see eye to eye. This was written in 2006 from the perspective of a contrary hurler on the ditch but a man who isn’t afraid to tell a few home truths. Most GAA members can relate to the story. The much maligned club chairman doesn’t come out too well here. I’ve since come to appreciate club chairmen much more.

Special thanks
Thanks to all who have influenced me to sing especially my parents John and Brid Casey and to Eoin O’Neill for cajoling me into recording songs and making an album. To Brian O’Rourke for writing Chantal de Champignon because once I heard it I was away.
Martin O’Malley at Malbay studios for all his time and effort.
AnneMarie McCormack, Eoin O’Neill and Kieran McDermott for constant support, advice and encouragement.
Ger Hanrahan, John Whyte, Marcus Moloney and Kieran Kissane at Moroney’s Bar in Ennis for all their help with the live recording and to everyone who came in support that night. To all in the singing clubs for the opportunity to practice songs. To the many bar staff and publicans for your support of traditional music and singing.

To the great musicians on the album Sharon Howley, Sean Earnest, James Duddy, AnneMarie McCormack and Laura Delaney and to Saibh McDermott for singing with me.

Joan Hanrahan, Mary Howard, Paula Carroll, Joe Queally, Quentin Cowper and Barry Moore for gently steering me in different directions.

To Bob, Tess and Úna for listening to 100’s of samples of songs in the car and to Liam for giving me the run of his studio in London.

Bob Singer and Christy McNamara photographers and Vincent Casey graphic designer for providing all the artwork.

Contact peterwcasey@gmail.com