Before moving permanently to Ireland in 2022, I lived for almost 3 decades in Durham, North Carolina. Durham may have seemed an odd choice for a boy from Long Island back in the early 90s, but one of the hidden advantages back then was the proximity to the burgeoning music scene then taking place in nearby Chapel Hill. Some of the musicians may have lived in Durham, but Under the Street, pretty much the only venue in town in 1993 and one where Sun Ra had played not that long before, closed within 6 weeks of my arrival, and I never got to see a show there. It reopened occasionally over the next decade under a variety of names. Probably the biggest act I saw there was Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening performing for an audience of perhaps half a dozen people. Of course, that show was more notable for one of the first Torch Marauder performances.
With a combined population of under 300,000 people, Durham/Chapel Hill punched well above its weight in bringing national touring acts to town. At the Cat’s Cradle (capacity 600) we saw David Byrne, Patti Smith, Alex Chilton, Billy Bragg, Azure Ray, Yo La Tengo, The Specials, King Sunny Ade, and more local acts than I can possibly remember. In Durham these days, the DPAC (a 2000 seat theatre), the Carolina (1000 seats), and Motorco (350 person club) all bring in top touring and local artists. Even though it’s owned by a conglomerate, the DPAC won a place in locals’ hearts by inviting John Howie, Jr. to be the opening act when the legendary George Jones played there a decade or so ago.
When we chose Youghal to be our new home, I knew I’d be giving up some of that live music. We’re a bus ride away from Waterford and Cork City, which pull in a few touring acts. Dublin is reachable by train, but as we’ve chosen to live carless, there’s no way back to our house bar a 100 euro cab ride at 3 am. Which means I may have missed my big chance to see Hermeto Pascoal earlier this year.
Don’t get me wrong. There are at least 4 venues with live music in Youghal every weekend in traditional and contemporary folk styles. And I definitely get out when I can, and appreciate being able to walk home at the end of the evening. And in November I’m heading up to Limerick to see Julie Byrne, and possibly to Waterford to catch Chapel Hill’s own Chris Stamey. And as grateful as I am to have been a spectator to that scene for almost 30 years, it’s OK that I’m a bit jealous of my Durham friends who will get to see Mary Lattimore and Rosali at Motorco this fall.
sounds of the sea 