November 22, 2011

Tuesday November 22, 2011

Hello again,

It’s been quite a while since I updated Ramblings, my apologies. We had some technical difficulty with the website which took some time to resolve but we are now mostly up and running at full tilt…just a few more bugs to get rid of. Indeed, if it wasn’t for Facebook we would be completely out of the loop. This social and business networking can be time consuming but well worth it. I recently joined Linkedin but I’m still somewhat unfamiliar with the site, however I’ll get there eventually. Thanks for friending me on Facebook and if you haven’t done so yet please do.

Our summer trip to Ireland was fabulous, the weather was lovely and our group members were delightful. We traveled extensively in Northern Ireland and really enjoyed the beauty and hospitality in that region.

 Next summer we will take two tours to Ireland.

On July 10 we meet at Shannon for Fr. Liam and Mary Collins’ Celtic Spirituality Tour and our Enchanted Tour meets at Shannon on July 20. More details and the full itineraries may be found on our Tours Page here on the website.

Both Tours will visit the western counties of Ireland from County Clare to Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim and then down through the midlands to Blessington in County Wicklow.

As always we are here to assist in any way we can, offering guidance with domestic and international flights, pre or post Tour planning, accommodations, car rental if necessary and any other questions that may arise. Please get in touch if you have any questions.

My four sailings with Norwegian Cruise Line in September and October were amazing. I feel privileged to perform with NCL on a regular basis. The passengers, at least the ones I spent time with, were lovely and my performances were received with much enthusiasm. I have learned so much in the last seven years and I’ve met some outstanding and outlandish performers. What a joy. This year I hung out with Murray the Magician, comedians Rich Star and David Naster, guitarist Jim Capik, and of course the talented production cast and crew on board the Norwegian Jewel. I’ve been asked to set aside some time for the 2012 sailings up to Canada and New England.. yea!

We’ve added our Celtic Christmas dates to the calendar page and I look forward to working with Carroll Brown again this Season.

I will also perform as a guest at the Holiday Pops concert with the Savannah Philharmonic on December 16–17 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, GA.

Time and availability is getting short to sign on for our Irish Music Cruise on January 29. Debbie still has some specials on offer so it’s not too late. Call her at: 888-564-7474 for information. It will be interesting working with The Wolfe Tones again, I first opened for them back home in Drogheda in 1978. I also look forward to working with Seamus Kennedy and Mairtin De Cogain. It will be a lot of fun.

The Green Island Radio Show is going strong. In November 2012 we will have been on the air for 20 years. I believe we continue to bring a melodic and varied show to our listening audience and if you are one of them thank you for supporting us.

Several old venues will appear on my 2012 calendar and I’m pleased to once again to perform at Chateau Elan outside Atlanta and at The Shannon Pub in Buffalo, New York.  Included in the 2012 calendar will be performances in new venues: The Cask and Kilt, Albany GA, Nolan’s Irish Pub, Cocoa Beach Florida and Culhane’s, Jacksonville Florida. Next year looks like it’s going to be busy, something I’m excited about.

Should you want to book an O’Donoghue performance, plan a tour to Ireland or just chat please feel free to get in touch either here on our website or on my Facebook page.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful Christmas Season and I hope to see you somewhere out there.

All the best for now,