Cork - Home of Hamfisted!
So it's been nearly a full month of Rice for Stans Cafe. Milan, Newcastle and now Cork. The full story might have to wait a while but just a quickie about the home of Mr Johnny O'Hanlan.
It's not great to encourage stereotypes about Ireland but it's only cos i love it so much. As we arrived at the airport some of the kit got lost as it often does. I asked at the desk where the oversized luggage would come in. The answer - 'On the conveyor belt...unless it's too big' !
It's been a great week with the visitor numbers growing steadily every day. After a time pushed get in - 6 tonnes over 2 days, and an opening event we cut loose at a couple of gigs in the Spiegeltent. Local boys 'Fred' had great energy and rock humour - getting their dad up to play flute - then stage dive!
At one stage the whole audience seemed to spontaneously sit down except for two beligerent young lads, you couldn't help thinking they bore some kind of schoolboy grudge toward the lead singer or something. At which point they were rugby tackled to the floor by a sweet coleen.
The kind of night we usually reserve for the end of a run for some reason. Only this time turned on it's head for the first night.
It's followed on for the rest of the week really. Last night we joined a good 80 people each taking a papier mache dog for a walk around the city centre. For no discernible reason other than a laugh! That's the thing about being here, such a good natured relaxed spirit. Pretty much every night there's been something to remind us of a good friend back in Brum, Johnny O'Hanlan. He grew up in Cork, went to Dartington a few years after me and set up a performance company called Hamfisted! They're just doing an outdoor community show and you can't help thinking it would just go down so well over here.
Go to http://www.hamfisted.org.uk for details and the company manifesto - Putting smiles on peoples faces...