At the '94 Skagen Festival upstairs in the musicians Bar. A "shanty." session started and we all joined in ,the Session was mainly led by Liam playing his wee concertina.
        During the session Liam turned to me and said, "I want you to come and sing with me in Galway!'. I told him he must be joking but the next night he asked again. So I spat on my hand , he did the same, we shook and there's the contract signed and sealed.
        A month or two later I went over to Galway not knowing where I was to stay or what the "Gig" entailed. Liam met me in the "Great Southern Hotel." and told me I'd be staying there. Then told me our "gig." was working for "Tennents, Festival of the Sea". Tenents being a Brewery.
        We would be ferried by car from Pub to Pub and we would sing "Shanty's" (Liam and I must be the one of the few people to have sang Shanties downstairs in the "Quays." whilst standing on the seats with church windows as the backdrop!!!) We were occasionally that weekend joined by Liam's son Donal and Donnchadh Gough ( who would later that year go on to form Danu). I'll not ramble on about the simpley hilarious weekend that ensued except to say but two things stood out, during our pub tour, in one particular pub Liam asked me to sing a slow song and I sang "Roll on the Day." written by Allan Taylor. What really struck me whilst singing over there was that jigs and reels would be played and everyone would be talking but as soon as someone started singing there would be cries of "Best of Order!!" an you could hear a pin drop. (Funny place Ireland!!) He asked me for the words and later I learn he recorded it on the last Cd the Clancy Brothers every made together plus Robbie O'Connell. Liam must have kept the melody in his head all that time!!
        Late on Saturday night after being in a place which I think was called "The Yard." Liam and I were hungry, someone suggested "Fish 'n Chips." our Driver took us to a fish emporium which must have stayed open till the good Lord only knows. As we stood in line waiting to be served, I heard a woman scream "Oh, there's Liam Clancy. We did not get out of that place without singing two or three verses of "The Wild Mountain Thyme." and the chips were cold.. What a Weekend!!!
        Two years ago when Liam was at the Tonder Festival he asked for me to come and join him while on stage at the "Mill." but I'd gone off to burn a bloody Cd for someone so I never got that now final opportunity to sing with him . Though I do have a photograph of the pair of us together and there's a memory to cherish.

        As Aye,

        Phil.