Bert Griffin, the owner of the legendary Stags Head music pub in the heart of London's Camden Town, passed away two months to the day after he had delivered a moving eulogy for our mutual friend Tony Hobbs. Bert was a great catalyst for the Irish music scene in London for many years and made his pub a home-from-home for many touring Irish bands inc. Sharon Shannon, Altan, Arcady, Nomos, Four Men & A Dog, the Pogues and my own Alias outfit. R.I.P.
Another Autumn draws to a close and it's Knockroghery time again. This year the festival's Annie McNulty Award went to the Grehan Sisters who were a widely popular folk group in the 60s and 70s and who did much to care for traveller singer John 'Jacko' Riley toward the end of his short life and to preserve his hugely influential legacy since his untimely death. It is a great privilege to have been a fellow recipient of this award in the company of so many distinguished musicians/singers over the years inc. Cathy Jordan, John & Tim Lyons, Jimmy Crowley, Bob Davenport, Sean Garvey, Mick Moloney, Sarah & Rita Keane, Len Graham etc.
As the winter kicked in, I was both honoured and privileged to be asked to launch the Ennis Trad 22 festival. This festival which concentrates on instrumental and singing sessions in over 20 venues also featured CD launches galore inc. Sheila Garry and Mick Kinsella  plus marvellous concerts by Lynched (direct from Jools Holland Show), Ulaid (feat. John McSherry), Beoga, the Bonneymen and the enigmatically unique Eoin Neff. All-in-all, a classic year for Ennis Trad.
As a consequence of recordings I was making for an album provisionally titled Freeborn (A Celebration Of Traveller Culture) I was asked to participate in a Poster Fish Promotions (see facebook) concert "Celebrating Traveller Music" at the Cobblestone in Dublin. This was a fantastic event, brilliantly performed and received. It was to be the first of many such concerts to which I would contribute over the following year.
The Christmas/New Year period found me in 'hermit' mode as I mostly remained at home researching and writing new material inc. a song RESPECT! written to mark the Carrickmines halting site tragic fire which claimed the lives of ten Travellers inc. five children. The only breaks I took from this writing hiatus were regular trips to Ennis to join in sessions with Siobhan Peoples, 'Blackie' O'Connell and Seanie Gorman. Seanie and his dear partner, Jose, kindly allowed me to set up mobile recording equipment in their front room where I recorded much of the RESPECT! song with Kilfenora K.T. and Siobhan.