Austria

Hi folks,

I'm currently away on tour in Austria with Jackie Oates and Mike Cosgrave, and we're onto day four, having played three shows in three very different towns and venues.

So far, we’ve played in a beautiful old theatre in Bad Ischal, a Musikschule in the mountain village of St. Georgan and last night in a very smoky folk club (I miss only the smoking ban of home!) in Waidhofen. Last night’s gig had a St. Patrick’s Day theme, except that it wasn’t St. Patrick’s Day, and we aren’t Irish. The other band – led by the very, very brilliant fiddler and concertina player, Niamh ni Charra – are Irish, however, so a suitably raucous set of reels and polkas did the trick.

We’re en route to gig four now, in Mistelbach, which has a winery, so we’re all looking forward to that (hic!)…