My life in 2004!
In January 2005, I finally got down to scanning some photos taken in 2004 (and there are some much earlier photos to be seen in this collection too!!). I found that some of them help to outline my life in 2004 (although there are many bits missing, like Irish Arts Week in the Catskills, which was undoubtedly a life-altering experience!!).
So to begin this journey, I take you back to June 2004, in the middle of my History of Irish Music in Canada course at Concordia, taught by none other than Desi Wilkinson, flute player of fame. We went on a field trip to Grosse Ile. Grosse Ile served as a quarantine station from 1832 to 1937. And you can imagine, thousands of Irish went through there during the famine of the mid 1800's. Here are some photos I took:
It's not the best picture, but it gives you an idea of the technology used to cure a patient of small pox! There are more and better photos of the quarantine station itself .
This was the third class accomodation for healthy passengers. Depending on what you could afford, you'd stay at the first, second or third class hotel while you waited for your sick relatives or friends to be cured.
The most telling sign that the Irish were present on this island is the cross that was erected in 1909 in their memory. Here is my own photo of the cross:
And the surest sign of the devastation of the famine of the mid-1800's is the Irish cemetary that still haunts me today...
Here, we stopped and had a moment of silence. Desi played a slow air on his flute and dedicated it to those Irish who were brave enough to make the journey from Ireland to escape the famine, and who perished and were buried on Grosse Ile.
On to lighter subjects :)
A little later on in the summer, Montreal is known for having a wonderful jazz festival. One of the first grand acts in 2004 was to have been Wynton Marsalis, and my father arranged for us to meet in Montreal and take in the great trumpeter. He came to Montreal with my mother, my brother and a family friend. Sadly, Wynton had hurt his lip a few days earlier and was having trouble playing at all, and the concert was cancelled... That didn't stop us from having a wonderful visit! Here are some photos of our trek to the coffee shop before the concert:
Somewhere in the midst of that were excellent photos of Ace and Murray!!
We had a "gala" for Montreal RBC employees in October. Here are some rare photos of me! And one of me and my manager, Lucie:
I miraculously found myself in Ireland in November. It was my second trip, and was to be quite different from the first. For one, I took less photos... But the biggest difference was that this time, I was in search of traditional music and any opportunity to play with the locals.
I started off in Ennis, Co. Clare. Every year in Ennis, there is a five-day trad festival that attracts people from all over. So what is usually a small enough town becomes quite packed with people who aren't even Irish! But there is certainly music everywhere. Here are some photos of some of my friends at a session at Brogan's pub on the last night of the festival:
After Ennis, I went on to Limerick where I met up with my friends, Desi Wilkinson and Mickey Dunn, and had an Eflat session in the pub. My second day in Limerick was also quite memorable - spent 12 hours in the same pub with my friend Joyce, and met Matt Cranitch, and took in loads of music, including Dervish's New Year's Eve show!
From Limerick, I went to one of my favorite places - Dingle. Here are a few shots:
From Dingle, I went up to Doolin where I managed to join in on a session at McDermott's pub. That was the highlight of Doolin for me - the rest of my time in Doolin was rather drab (that was of my own doing - I was knackered), although I did take a nice walk out to the ocean:
This one could be Doolin or Westport, I'm not sure...
After Doolin came Galway and Westport, and I finally made my way back to Ennis to come back home. It was a great trip, and I look forward to going back again very soon!!
During my last house session in 2004, my cat Ace made a rare appearance, even though the living room was filled with strangers!!
Not a month after returning from Ireland, I found myself in my sister's new home in Calgary! Dean and Jennifer are expecting a wee one in April 2005. Here are some photos of my visit with them:
I made it to North Bay for New Year's and got to see the rest of my family! My sister Margot had recently relocated to Redbridge, Ontario where she lives with her dog Brisa. Here are some photos taken in North Bay at New Year's 2004-2005:
On my way back to Montreal, I stopped in to Ottawa to visit Glenn and his family. Glenn picked me up at the bus station and we went directly to Rasputin's where they have a traditional Irish session every Monday night. I got to sit in and play a few tunes with the locals, and made a few new acquaintances there :)
And that was my 2004! More or less...
What did I leave out? Chris Langan weekend in Toronto in January 2004, Irish Arts Week in the Catskills in July 2004 where I met Paul, Dermot, Jimmy and Kevin (to mention only a few) as well as the wonderful Marie and Yank and the unforgettable Jeff, East Coast tionol (piper's gathering) in the Catskills in October 2004 where I met Joyce, weekend in Vermont and Boston in December 2004 where I met Johnny, Hilary, Benedict and Paddy, September long weekend in North Bay with the boys, changed jobs when I came back from Ireland in November...