It’s 5.23 am as I write this after getting home from Charlies, where we had a fundraising night for our good friend Claudio.

Bluntly honest, I feel f*cked, but very very happy the way the night went. There are two main reasons why I’m happy, the first being that we all achieved our goal for the night, which was to take some of the pressure off Claudio and his family, and the second – which is nearly as important – being that it was fantastic to see everyone pulling together when the chips were down on this small volcanic rock that we inhabit collectively.

All I can say is that it reinforces my belief in humanity, which some times can be difficult for us all to see, but even when I’m kicked I have this knack of refusing to accept that people in general mean the best, or at least the most of them. Then you see a night like tonight and the support that was given by customers, staff and musicians from all the bars, all of whom were friends of Claudio´s, and not just financially, but also of their time and talents, and it confirms to me what I try so hard to believe about the human race, even in difficult times.

On behalf of Claudio I want to thank you all for making this the night that it was. All from the Craic n Ceol, Buddy´s Bar, the American Indian Café, The Dubliner, Mulligans and last, but by no means least, the staff and musicians from Charlies, and everybody else who attended to support this event.

On a final note, before I hit the hay, I thank God that we are closed tomorrow and that we all get some rest.

A night and time well spent. BED BED BED BED!!!