Dublin, 1999, 2023

Overdue, This Is.

Like all good stories (and some not so good), this one begins with Once Upon A Time.

So, Once Upon A Time there was a band. A band that was Made In Dublin. And there was a girl. Who wasn’t Made In Dublin. But was formed there. In a way. In the 1980s and the 1990s. In the parts of Ballymun that passed themselves off as Glasnevin. On the road down to Finglas. In the bars dotted across those suburbs. In that Sweet Time where most of us were Waiting for This Madness to End, there was a girl who found a band that was Made In Dublin.

And the Sands of Time trickled on – as they surely do. And the band dispersed – as they do. And the girl emigrated – as they do. But she took the band with her. On a couple of cassettes and listening to them Hurt Sometimes. As it does. But a good hurt the kind that would Comfort Me.

And as the Book of Life gained a few more chapters both the girl and the band found themselves back together. In Vicar Street. In 1999. At a gig that was so Special, so Precious that it Always remains among her very Best Days.

There have been many good days since. The girl hopes there will be many more. It’s Been So Long since the girl and the band shared the same space. For Some Strange Reason the girl and the band found themselves on opposite sides of the globe for a while. So This Time in 2023 there were plans made for a get together. Long overdue. She Said So only recently as she unpacked the CDs she’d shipped back from Australia. She hasn’t played them yet. CDs need a CD player. But they’re backed up and online and she’s played the tunes often. Over these long years.

And she’s watched old recordings of Late Late Show appearances. And she’s hummed the melodies that are the soundtrack of her life. And she’s cheered at the news of every new gig and every charity concert. And she’s thought This Could Be the one or This Time we’ve Gotta Make It. But Sooner or Later, she may have to concede that to Run This Race and get through this Crazy World, there will be gigs she will miss.

But for the ones she didn’t miss. Just wow.

What a time it’s been. What a soundtrack to our lives. For the Best Days there’s been. For everything. For the girl that is and for the band that is. This Is for Christy.

Thanks, Christy

 

StereoStory#702

This story was first published on Maria Haughey’s Thank You blog.

Chisty Dignam in palliative care

Maria is the author of The Thank You blog. "I have been living in Williamstown, (Victoria, Australia) for a number of years, where I mostly procrastinated. I have recently returned to my roots in Sligo, Ireland, where I will likely continue to procrastinate."