27/05/2026
The bank holiday weekend in Ballyshannon is going to be epic. Enjoy the RORY GALLAGHER INTERNATIONAL TRIBUTE FESTIVAL everybody.
We are gearing up for Cork Rocks for Rory with a concert in the park on Sunday the 14th of June 2 to 6 pm, with 4 brilliant Cork bands. There will be other events and exhibitions in the library and the City Hall and so on...
In the meantime I just want to share the lyrics of this song by a musician called Joe from Kerry. This is very good. It conjures up fantastic memories. Thanks so much for sharing Joe.
“McCurtain Street Dreams”
Down on McCurtain Street on a rainy Saturday,
Me and my brother with our noses to the glass,
Dad would smile and let us wander,
Through the hum and the dust and the brass.
Old guitars hanging like church bells,
Drum skins shining in the Cork city light,
Every amp was a promise waiting,
Every string said “you could fly tonight.”
Chorus
Oh the magic lives on in those hallways still,
In the crackle of valves and the window chill,
Where Rory’s shadow walks the floorboards slow,
And every young heart learns where dreams can go.
Calling through the years,
Through the laughter and the feedback tears,
Now every weekend when we play,
McCurtain Street still leads the way.
We heard the stories whispered softly,
“Rory stood right here one day...”
Then we saw the old tape rolling,
And the whole room changed in a way words can’t say.
Back in Stiofáin Naofa practice rooms,
Trying hard to make six strings sing,
Playing through Rory’s old PA system,
Man, we thought we were kings.
Chorus
Oh the magic lives on in those hallways still,
In the battered cases and the windowsill,
Where Rory’s spirit burns like gold,
In every young musician brave and bold.
Ringing through the years,
Through the smoke and the blood and cheers,
And every stage we climb today,
Started down Cork city way.
Now the fire keeps on burning,
Though the old shop moved along,
Still carrying the soul that raised us,
Still turning dreams into songs.
And somewhere Rory’s smiling sideways,
At kids staring in through the rain,
Falling in love with loud old guitars,
And chasing that beautiful train.
Chorus
Oh the magic never left that street,
It’s in every backbeat and heartbeat,
From fathers to sons it rolls along,
In every pub and every song.
And when the crowd sings back at night,
Under the red stage light,
I still see two young boys standing there,
Lost in wonder everywhere.
