Quite a crowd -- didn't know how many to expect, what with temporary change of venue, and regulars being off to...O'Carolan festival, Boston Tall Ships events, ferrying Roaring Forties about, etc. We managed to commandeer the long low table and pretty much fit everyone around it. Bruce chatted up the bartender, Kieron, and the two came up with what might be a better table location for next time -- I'll run it past the owner. BTW, I will never, ever, complain about the loudness of The Press Room ever again!

The crew - Me, Chris Vaughan and Amy, Dianne Lavoie, Don and Cathy Hale with friends Mel and his wife, Jim, Gail and Amanda Finn, Bruce MacIntyre, Dave Middleton & Kim Woolf in full French & Indian War regalia taking a break from the encampment across the river at Fort McClary, Mike Modern, Peter Bixby, Tyler Buck, Sharon from Cornwall, W.B., Rita Pomerleau, and Dave Johnson.

The bartender and waitstaff seemed to enjoy us as did the young (younger on average than the PR patrons) crowd (several recorded or videoed on their cell phones) even while elevating the volume of their conversation.

This month's session is our traditional memorial session, raising a glass to absent friends, particularly founder of the session Tom Hall, and stalwarts and mainstays Barry Finn and David Behm and Jay Smith who inspired the session shortly after his death in 2002.

The words I couldn't recall yesterday that would have been especially appropriate to this session were from Stanley Longstaff's song ("All Back Together" which I sang at the April session)on the passing of Jay Smith. The first part of the song is sort of specific to Jay, but the last part is especially also appropriate for Tom, Barry, David, and Jay -- they are the spirits we knew who inspired our view...
    Let us raise our voices high.
    To the spirits we knew who inspired our view
    And the friendships that stand here tonight.

The ambiant volume did a good job of blowing lyrics right out of my head at several points.

And what we sang yesterday -
1. Nine Times a Night - Linn
2. All For Me Grog - Dianne
3. Haul Away for Rosie - Bruce
4. Twa Recruitin' Sergeants - Amanda
5. Cannery Shed - Linn
6. Can I Live By the Sea - Chris
7. Bonnie Ship the Diamond - Bruce
8. The Mermaid - Dave M.
9. South Australia - Jim
10. Deep Blue Sea - Amy
11. General Taylor - Dianne
12. The Rosabella - Don
13. Plum Island National Anthem - Linn
14. Isle of Skye - Chris
15. Good Ship Calabar - Mike
By the way, I checked where Tom (Curmudgeon) got the song -- he learned it from Jack Whyte (who lived in Brighton, MA but was from Ireland and passed away in 2005) who was in Tom's band The Cuckoo's Nest back in the '70s. Variation on the lyrics Mike sang and Tom sang Ballantyne instead of Portadown. The discussion after the song said it is thought to be written by Tommy Makem, but I think the Clancy Brothers LP credits "traditional, arranged by Cyril Tawney". I also found an unattributed variant with a chorus. Seamus Kennedy lists it as trad on his CD. I tend to lean towards trad. There's an Erie Canal variant ("from Buffalo to Troy") explained by the influence of the Irish who worked on the canal in the 1830s and 1840s, which definitely predates Tommy Makem or the Clancys. It's also recorded on Folkways LP FG 3516 "Irish Folk Songs and Ballads" sung by Dick Cameron. Wikipedia in "List of songs about Dublin" lists it as written by Arthur Griffith somewhere in the era 1900 to 1950. Don't have time for any more research right now.
16. Blood Red Roses - Bruce
17. Paddy West - Don
18. Hal and Tow - Peter Bixby (for Sharon from Cornwall)
19. Bachelor's Hall - Mike
20. The Token (written by Art Thieme) - Gail
21. Sam's Gone Away - Dianne
22. Knickerbocker Line - Linn
23. The Trawling Trade - Tyler
24. Maid On the Shore - Kim
25. Haul Away, Joe - Jim
26. Fathom the Bowl - Dave M.
27. Bold Riley - Rita
28. Donkey Riding - Peter
29. Blow, Me Bully Boys, Blow - Dianne
30. Northwest Passage - Bruce
31. Farewell to Nova Scotia - Amanda
32. Jones's Ale - Dave M.
33. Cairo-Town - Don
34. Where the Ocean Meets the Highway - Chris
35. Down Below - Linn
Which Barry got from me because I didn't sing it often enough for him and I got from Evan Leonard.
36. They're Moving Father's Grave to Build a Sewer - Mike
37. London Julie - Bruce
41. Boozing - Dianne
42. Gin Was Mother's Ruin - Linn
43. "Does Your Mother" fragment - Chris I need to learn this.
44. Nurse Pinched the Baby - Linn
45. Landlord Fill the Flowing Bowl - Amy
46. 'Til I See You Again - W.B.
47. Old Dun Cow - Peter
48. Strike the Bell - Dave M.
49. Shenandoah - Don
50. Seaman's Hymn - Don and the Company

As usual, please let me know of any errors and omissions.

Thanks, everyone, for coming!

Linn