The Iconic Sir Henry’s
An iconic venue for live gigs, Cork’s cathedral of music,
Weekend nights checking out the latest local and Irish bands.
Rocking to an eclectic mix of sounds,
The sweet aroma of hash hung permanently in the air.
The eighties, post-Punk but pre-rave sweat house.
Moving Hearts fusing trad and contemporary vibrations,
Davy Spillane’s soaring Uilleann Pipes duelling with Keith Donald’s Sax.
Christy Moore’s intense vocals,
Mick Hanley dragging his “Rusty Ol’ Halo” when called upon.
Flo McSweeney was later added to replace both, no pressure.
Stockton’s Wing with Steve Cooney’s exotic Didgeridoo,
Mixed with Tommy Hayes magical bodhran and spoons,
Arranged with multi-layered harmonies from the Hanrahan brothers.
Their gigs were a “Wonderful Affair,” you’d never want to “Walk Away.”
Those Nervous Animals a Sligo band,
Short-lived, but a fresh sound.
Backing vocalists was Susanne Rhatigan on their tour.
Her super-sexy and sultry solo of “Pull up to the Bumper,”
Arousing reaction above and below the waistline.
Mary Coughlan, magic, even if she can’t pronounce her last name.
A Scot, John Martyn, with his “Sweet Little Mystery.”
De-pressed-the-shite-out-of-us-och, aye.
The only man that could sweat Moore than,
Christy singing “Hiroshima Nagasaki Russian Roulette,” protest, protest, protest.
Freddie White, mixing folk, jazz and rock.
His cover of Goodnight Saigon
complete with atmospheric chopper blade intro.
“We came in spastic, like tameless horses,” we left energised blown away by his serious talent.
No other music venue came close.
“Henry’s” had a mystic about it.
Nirvana, a support act, played with Cobain and Grohl in ‘91.
You didn’t go for the interior decor,
You went to for the love of great live music and most times…you got it.
The End
John Twohig
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