George Staines
George Staines travelled over from London to be with us at the first recording session in Shanaglish. This took place at "harvest time" in August 2011, where he first met with Colie, Vincey and Mary. He is a good friend of Emily's and of Paddy's who also live in the "big smoke".
During his stay in Ireland, he also recorded some pretty nice footage (for an iPhone camera!), but he also took some insightful notes in his diary about the events that were taking place around him. We have posted one of his diary entries here to share some of those memories with you. Those notes describe very well the series of events leading up to the recording sessions, especially the last minute practicing, the serene atmosphere in the house on the hill, and the whole character of the people and the occasion.
He is a regular musician and singer/songwriter in the London scene over the past number of years. Paddy and George met at one of these sessions, and they often play in various establishments and festivals around north and south London. George has a great store of songs, many of these the ones that you don't normally here these days, songs that would be "lost in the vaults", or that have rarely been recorded.
Below is a sample of his rendition of a lesser known song, "The Moorlough Shore". This one is often received well when George sings it. On the occasion of recording in Shanaglish, he set up near the end of the night, when the crowd had gathered in Whelan's and the pints were flowing. There was a great hush as he sang. He is backed on the concertina here by Paddy.