The Long Goodbye: Part 14

It seems to have taken forever, but we are now halfway through the EU farewell tour. And where better to celebrate the achievement than in Ireland. 

The series has not been without its challenges. For some countries, the challenge has been to track down enough good stuff to make a full post. That is going be the issue next month when we do the three Ls and then Malta

With Ireland the problem is the exact opposite - what to leave out? I could have spent days agonising over my selection but decided against it. This is today's five; if I had done this tomorrow most if not all of them would have been different. 

It being Ireland we'll need some folk, some showbands and a bit of literary pretension (as opposed to the sort of pretension embodied by that gigantic arse B**o). We have ticked all those boxes, and taken the opportunity to pay tribute to Brendan Bowyer, one of the greats of the showband era who sadly left us a few weeks ago. Microdisney are in there because they are one of my favourite bands, while the "Munster Hop" must be one of the happiest sounds in the world.

"The Hucklebuck" - Brendan Bowyer & The Royal Showband

"Endless Art" - A House

"People Just Want To Dream" - Microdisney

"The Auld Triangle" - The Dubliners

"The Munster Hop" - Sharon Shannon