Music in the dark

Sometimes I just love this country. Last night I was down at Sean’s Bar loading some musical gear into the pub when the lights flickered . . . and went out. As there are candles on the tables at Sean’s and the lights are kept intentionally low, it didn’t plunge everyone into complete darkness. Curious to see if it was a fuse or something more serious, I stepped outside.

From what I could see, it wasn’t just Sean’s, the entire Roscommon side of the river Shannon was in darkness. This didn’t bode well for what I planned to do that night – plug in some electrical equipment for the purposes of music.

I stepped back into Sean’s to witness a flurry of activity. The bar had ceased selling drink (the till is electronic, of course), but were bustling around the premises lighting candles throughout the pub. Unsure of whether the power would be coming back anytime soon and what the plan would be in terms of music if it did not, I sought out Timmy, the owner.

Timmy was busy expertly directing his staff at their tasks and smiled at my question, “We’ll just play it by ear,” he says.

20 minutes later the doors had been bolted from the inside, locking in the lucky few who happened to be in Sean’s at the time of the blackout. Myself and wifey were sitting in front of a candlelit table with our backs to unpacked bags of leads and useless mic stands. Two acoustic guitars and some lusty singing got us through the night. At the end of things, Timmy was sitting chatting and singing along with his delighted patrons.

More than a few people on the night commented that it was a shame the lights didn’t go out more often.