Despite the previous night's session which had ended, for some at 4 am and for the most dedicated songsters in excess of 5 am, Day 3 began with Sunday mass. Two of our number decided to attend the scheduled Gaelic language celebration at 9 am, only to find that the service was said mainly in English by a visiting priest. Others attended the 10 am service, with mass said by Father John, from Blackburn, who was visiting family in the area.After mass, it was back up to the Café for breakfast before getting ready to perform in the Parade of Clowns through the town. For those of you who are wondering, the clowns weren't – for once – the boys in the Band; it really was a parade of local youngsters (and adults) dressed up as clowns, waving flags, expressing their joy, and generally having a good time in keeping with the Festifal spirit. Special thanks to Sarah for the spectacular photos of the parade!After the parade, we all changed into our new, more casual uniform of kilts, socks without braids, and our new black polo shirt embroidered with the Band's logo, ready for Lorica's set at The Shamrock Lodge. For the set, Barry, Brendan, Mike, Carl, John and Colin were joined by a number of musicians, including festival organiser Rein and, especially, Barry's uncle Jimmy who sang and played guitar alongside his nephew and the other guys. A truly memorable moment.A little later in the evening, after Lorica's set, we received word that we were expected immediately for a short performance on the pipes and drums in the Shamrock. How surprised we were to find, when we marched into the Beer Garden where the stage had been set up, that the group on stage, the excellent Greased Palms, had already begun performing. We had crashed another act's performance – this was starting to become a habit, after the previous night's organised pub crawl. After a moment of confusion, we realised that it was an intentional move by the festival organisers in order to have an opportunity to thank the band for coming to Falcarragh, with a very special mention for Barry and all the efforts he personally had made to ensure that the Band was able to travel to the festival, a sentiment echoed by each and every band member. Greased Palms, meanwhile, took it all in their stride and went on to perform an excellent set. Great guys! |
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