Autumn has come once again. Leaves to clear up and some summer madness to ponder about as the days get shorter. It all went so quickly and as usual, only half of the things that were planned got done and dusted!
What was to notice most over the last few months? Well… A lot more foreign workers everywhere. In hotels, restaurants, building sites, hospitals, calling at my door and my neighbours talking about it in a quiet, uneasy manner. It was more what their eyes and body language was saying. Ireland was losing its identity?

Failte Ireland! have we lost the plot?
And turned a blind eye to the rising tide
Of uninvited guests that never leave
And might outnumber us on every side!
It may not be cool or be pc
To question the new wisdom of the land
But there is a silent fear out in our streets
That maybe things are getting out of hand!?

Maybe there’s a song in all that? Can’t help feeling a bit like that myself at times. Then I think… hold on! you went abroad yourself at one time to work and see what another land could offer. And came home again oder, wiser and less judgemental? or did I? It’s always different when someone invades your own patch… I will have to think about that some more!… maybe we all need to think again!

Currently I am trying to launch a song of awareness dealing with the international problem of “Drink Driving”. Wish me luck! Maybe a song will make all drivers on our roads think twice before getting behind the wheel after having some alcoholic drinks…. I sure hope so, as there are too many road deaths due to this problem every year!

It’s all up front and personal
And it drives the message home
Think about the lives you’re saving
And the first could be your own!

Well Folks ,The mystery of Mary Walsh has intrigued me so much that I have written a song about it entitled ‘THE BELLS OF IRELAND‘.

Download and listen to “The Bells of Ireland(c)” here now!

My sincere thanks go to Fred Rea of Irish Scene Magazine in Perth. Not only has Fred been an amazing supporter in getting my message out far and wide in my quest for information on Mary Walsh, he has become a true friend. In conjunction with Saint Music, the first publication of the lyrics of ‘The Bells of Ireland’(c) were featured in the Jan/Feb edition. Please visit his website for news from both sides of the world. www.irishscene.com.au

WHAT HAPPENED TO MARY WALSH?

Pete needs your Help!!

Let me steal a moment of your time
To heed a little plea for help I need
To find the history of one woman’s life
And hope my song might sow a memory seed!

The fields of Athenry have tales to tell
Of famine times in Ireland of the past
We all have sung of Michael’s transportation
To Botany Bay as felon and outcast.
Now we find his loving wife and child
Abandoned to the Famine’s grisly hell
Were not the only ones who shared that fate
For James and Mary Walsh they did as well !
This Tipperary couple’s story tells
How Mary, just like Michael, was accused
Of stealing and then falsely judged as thief
And all her pleas of innocence refused.
This was no song fiction but the truth
And Mary Walsh a real and living soul
Was banished to Van Diemen’s Land in shame
Her family left behind in waiting role.
With her went her one year child, a girl
Surviving through four months on ship at sea
To Hobart Town to live without a voice
Or word of husband James or family.
After that its silence all the way
As if these people vanished in the night
Just one precious letter now to hand
To make us search and bring lost facts to light

So when you sing ‘The Fields of Athenry’
Please remember Mary Walsh and think
Do I know anyone or thing that might
Just bring to light a crucial Mary link ?
How strange it is one song can stir the soul
And maybe somewhere wake a sleeping tale
That when it’s told enhances who we are
So sing and think of Mary without fail !

Pete St John 19th June 2006

Special Note: The original article on the mystery of Mary Walsh by Lara Bradley can be viewed on Independent Newspapers website.

Another April Fools Day !

For over twenty years I have been Writing and Preaching on gigs about the dangers of CO2 emissions by humans on our planet. And at times boring people to death with news on Environmental issues that they did not want to hear about! Now I have the world wide web to use for another effort ( in my own small way) to create awareness of our earth in a fever. YES! A fever ! all hot and bothered !!!! there’s an old Irish saying ‘ that you might as well sing grief as cry it ‘ and maybe that’s true! So now I ask you to take a few minutes to listen to an mp3 of my song ’Waltzing on borrowed Time’© sung by Lorraine O’Reilly.

CHORUS:
We go Waltzing, waltzing, waltzing on borrowed time,
When will we learn to show concern
For our world on borrowed time.

‘Waltzing on borrowed Time‘© sung by Lorraine O’Reilly.

The Helix theatre centre on the campus of DCU is a state of the art complex and the pride of the citizens of Dublin’s Northside. Putting together a Pete St. John concert in the main theatre (there are 3 theatres) was an exciting project for all concerned. All my usual team of artists joined me and it was like a revamp of the Broadway USA show. Lorraine suggested that we add a Gospel choir to the mix and low and behold she found the Enniskerry Gospel choir in great voice. This added a new dimension to the whole production wherein we presented a short program of songs set in Northern Ireland to great effect. Everything went superbly with a Full house, Standing ovation and now, more great memories. If you are a local Dublin resident or a visitor to our fair city, it is worth visiting the Helix theatre which is winning a huge following with a varied and exciting string of professional productions.

I beat upon the anvil of my mind
Making ringing sounds no other hears
Relieving pent-up pressures of the day
So they won’t make my night all dreaming fears.
To take me painlessly outside myself
I ride the magic carpet on my desk
That silver blue escape hatch to a world
Of make believe where nothing is at risk.
Where everything is secret and a mask
In chat rooms, total strangers act like friends
Sharing all the tales of lonely hearts
That surf and seek a haven of Amens.
But I know there’s a spider in the web
Of pixels, dots and dashes darkly hid
Watching for me like I was a fly
Who will submit, no matter what I did.
I see the spiders’ face and smile hello
But I know there’s a mouse to set me free!
Before escaping, suddenly I see
The stupid spider looks a lot like me !

Pete St. John in silly mode!

From Lorraine O’Reilly, singer and songwriter: It was an honour and privilege for me to accept the IMRO “Contribution to Songwriting Award” on behalf of Pete at this Gala night which highlighted the plethora of Irish talent this country has. The audience was entertained throughout the evening with live performances from the Chieftans, Dolores Keane, Eleanor McEvoy, Mary Coughlan, The Kilfenora Ceili Band, Karan Casey, Mairead Nesbitt, Kate Rusby and Teada together with Niall Toner and his great country blues band. The evening was rounded off with the Dubliners and Paddy Reilly paying tribute to Pete by singing “The Fields of Athenry.” see below;

I thought you might like to read a quote from this eloquent piece written by Sean Laffey, Editor of Irish Music Magazine:

“The awards are our chance to thank those musicians who have brightened our lives over the past year and for some, to honour them for a long lasting and changing impression on our culture. Pete St. John’s the “Fields of Athenry” has become an anthem for the masses (after being brilliantly interpreted by Paddy Reilly) in much the same way as the Corrie’s “Flower of Scotland” is now almost the unofficial National anthem of the Scots. Remember these were written when pop music was at its most pervasive, yet the folk quality of the songs has triumphed over the ephemeral fashions of ‘Golden Oldies’. The power that folk song has goes beyond the merely popular, because not only does it take stock of the real human condition, it can by various ciphers write its own shorthand for a culture. The value of songs like the “Fields of Athenry” is truly priceless, with accessible memorable melodies and words that mean something they connect to a body of ballads that are waiting to be discovered.”

Read this and have a laugh on me! This is what we Irish call a good one! Gibneys is a truly legendary pub in the beautiful seaside village of Malahide on Dublin’s northern shoreline. Celebrated for its food, drink and live music entertainment, and only 8 miles from Dublin city centre, it is hugely popular. The bonus is that they sing a lot of my songs and have honoured me by displaying framed Pete St. John memorabilia on the walls of their ultra modern Hall of Fame. A big honour for me, so in return, I wrote a Gibneys drinking song! This was to launch their new exclusive members only G3 club. The song received a rousing reception where the big boss Tony Gibney declared me the official Writer in Residence! The bottom line is that I am now a Gibney Guy surrounded by lovely Gibney Girls at the G3 club- membership is free but you must be vetted by the boss! So please learn the song and keep me happy!

Pete on the centenniary year of Joyce’s epic masterpiece “Ulysses” presents an everyman’s tribute to this great icon of  Irish literature.  Just a simple, easy to follow guide to Joyce’s times in his hometown of Dublin.  Pete St. John’s mythical anti-hero, Dubliner Gargler Keogh tells you in his purest Dublinese, what every visitor to our Capital City should know when tracing the Bloomsday phenomenon.  Little insights, gossipy hearsays and street guide storylines make the Pete St. John offering a true collectors piece for any James Joyce fam or new afficionados.

The new CD is now in the shops in Ireland or order by mail from this website.

We launched the James Joyce lives on CD at the Publicity Club of Ireland Annual lunch in the Martello Tower on Bloomsday 16th June. A wonderful Joycean day was had by all.

Well you will remember that I wrote a book entitled “The Beggar at the Window” and launched it in the USA. It is currently available through Waltons Music in Dublin and New York. This is what we call a ’slow burner’ and people are beginning to realise what it’s all about, particularly due to the fact that The Northern Ireland political situation still is an unsolved dilemma. The book is about the Ireland of today with its recent past pushing it to an uncertain future. The truth is the stories of  ‘The Troubles’ we’ve had around for the last 30 years in our little green island. Maybe its veracity is a kind of reality check?