Howdy again,

As most of you know, we (Skin & Hide) are on holidays from the 10th May to the 24th. We would like to thank “Ignition” for covering at the bar the first week, and this week we have a bunch of talented f*ckers from Manchester covering. They are playing a lot of music similar to Skin & Hide, but with fiddle and banjo instead of electric guitars! They are a right sound bunch of lads that I have known for a couple of years from my trips to Manchester. Next Saturday night should be a great night with Skin & Hide sharing the stage with the lads from Manchester for some of the evening. It’s also the banjo player´s (John) birthday.

As for Skin & Hide in Ireland… most of us travelled to Galway for Leo’s funeral, which was a bad start to the holidays. If there is such a thing as a “nice funeral”, Leo’s was very special. It was the first time in my life that I saw people singing and playing music at a graveside, and it went on for what must have been an hour, while Sharon and Leo´s friends and relatives took turns at filling in the grave. It was an amazing natural feeling to have been there. As devastated and shocked as Sharon was, she still found the energy to organise such beautiful music in the church and sent Leo off better than anyone could have done. I would also just like to take this opportunity to thank Leo’s brother Kevin for his hospitality in the Roisin Dubh after the funeral.

As I write this, Massimo is in rome playing music with a few of his friends during his holidays, Widgeon is in Texas, Shane in Kilkenny, and Shaky on a plane back here to Lanzarote from Dublin. Jon Gold is chasing sheep around Connemara with a vicious look on his face, and Sergi is lost somewhere between Scotland and Ireland, looking for Barcelona with a compass in his hand!

We are all looking forward to a great summer in Charlies, and our next “siesta” will be the first two weeks in December.

Our thanks again to all the lads that filled in for the holidays at Charlies.

Cheers
Murphy