In the Picture…

A little while ago I made a request for pictures or stories about our late lamented Ballydehob Session member Derek Hare. I was pleased to receive from past session member Alex Wilding (above) good pictures, not only of Derek, but of Ballydehob and district musicians who were active in the early 2000s. Some of these are still with the Session, others have moved on – like Alex himself, who left for Australia and then on to Tuscany. With Alex’s permission I am publishing a selection of his photos today, and will put up more in later posts. Thank you, Alex – it’s a most valuable record to have. I have to say at the outset that I only joined the session when I arrived in West Cork in 2012, and there are a lot of musicians here who I am not familiar with. But Alex has been enormously helpful in also providing a list of many – although not all – names. If there are mistakes here, or if anyone can add missing names as this series progresses, please don’t hesitate to let us know, using the contact form.

Here’s a great picture of Derek Hare (1925 – 2018). Derek was not only a stalwart member of the Ballydehob Sessions, but also played at many festivals and events all around West Cork.

This is Dick Miles, singer and player of the English Concertina (there’s more about him here). Dick currently leads the Ballydehob Sessions. He has lived in West Cork for thirty years, and runs our Ballydehob Fastnet Maritime and Folk Festival, which normally takes place every June. Sadly, this year’s festival has had to be cancelled because of the Coronavirus restrictions.

A great picture of a Session in full swing in Rosie’s Bar, Ballydehob. L – R: Dermod O’Brien, Liam Kenneally and Mike Wilson.

Roger Walker and Gillian Rowson – Session regulars for many years. We miss you!

Aerial view of Andrew Street!

Uwe Hage – more about him and his flute here!

Pôl O Colmáin – we don’t see him at the Session but he now has the Working Artists Studio in Main Street, Ballydehob.

Noreen O’Donovan Hage (always has a good song) and – finally – Derek Hare again.

That’s enough pics for today: there will be a whole lot more in future posts. Back to the music next time… But, please, if anyone else has any photos or Session stories to share, we would be very pleased to hear from you.

And – don’t forget – musical contributions are always welcomed!