I have recently been singing, in public, a song called "Father Murphy" (a favourite of the late Frank Harte, published in one of Colm O'Lochlainn's books). I first attempted to learn that song some thirty odd years ago. I loved the song from the beginning - but could never get it into my head properly. There's a handful of placenames and battle descriptions in it and I could never guarantee that they would come out in the right order. I used to claim that what I needed in front of me was not a set of the words but a map of Wexford! So I gave up and settled for listening to others sing it...

And then recently, as I said, I went back to it. Put some more effort into getting the pattern right and sang it at various sessions over a period of about a month. After two runs where I broke down at the same place - I finally got it right two or three times in a row! I can now "tell the story", which is what it's all about, and am confident that I won't forget it again.

So - never despair. But don't rush things either!

Regards