It was vanilla pudding today. A whole tub of it! Just over six hours on the speech valve. Four hours in the wheel chair. A ‘Mentalist’ to round off the day.

Pádraig has this ‘wall’ of pictures in his room, mostly on posters his friends put together right after the accident when he was still in Cape Cod. They show the incarnation of happiness: a ‘band of friends’, memories of happy days amongst young, energetic, fun-loving people. These pictures have been with Pádraig for the best part of a year now. There is a poster that was in his room in the ICU in Cape Cod Hospital – his friends put it together to bring some hope and colour into his life. Many, many people have looked at these pictures over the months to get an idea of who Pádraig is, what he was up to, who his friends are. At the beginning, I could hardly recognise his friends on the pictures, now not only do I recognise them, I have met and got to know a lot of them as they were visiting Pádraig, swimming around the country in two days, organising concerts, quizzes, fundraisers…

Over the past weeks, I have been looking less frequently at these pictures. They make me compare what was and what could have been with what is. Rather than bringing happy memories and wanting me to just turn back the clock, they make me cry. – Today, I showed Pádraig a beautiful hand-crafted photo album with – wait for it! – REAL! printed copies of pictures in it!!! Pictures of his four years in Trinity and the Conradh, with his friends. Pure bliss, anything anybody ever wanted: friends to die for. When he had finished his studies and before he went traveling to the USA, he had told us about his sadness, on one hand, to leave behind what must have been the four happiest years of his life. He loved the people he had been with so much and had been so happy in their company that he was afraid they were going to disappear from his life. (On the other hand, of course, he *is* a man who loves adventures, new worlds to explore – and found it so difficult to make up his mind on what to do next: so many open doors, so many opportunities.)

The album I showed to him is one of the most beautiful albums ever, but – it is so sad full of happy memories.

The memories we are creating now (and most of the time we don’t even realise that this is what we are doing) are most of the time not as happy as the old ones. But I am sure that, one day, we will look at these past months of tears, disasters, near death experiences, absolute and utter desperation – an endless and unbelievable stream of visitors – and then, glimpses of hope and real super novas: yes/no responses, controlled movements, eating ice-cream! And above all: his friends visiting, those incredible concerts that lifted off the roof of the buildings they were held in; quizzes with so many people that tables had to be put out in the corridor; events in villages that attracted nearly half the population (in numbers); schools in Dublin and Donegal and other parts of the country where the students organised fundraisers and art projects; huge big crazy swims by (with all due respect:) middle-aged mad women some of whom couldn’t even swim before entering the one-mile-race, and by completely nuts-gone youngsters jumping into the freezing cold waters that – thanks God! – surround Ireland, in every county with a beach; friends running races and climbing mountains; pipes and guitars being played in a Hamburg high-dependency unit; the Dream Boat project: Ireland’s summer hit of 2014; and the list goes on….

While the Taoiseach is trying to get the concerts of an ageing country singer going in Croke Part (I ask you, why did he not just Ring Joe to fix this debacle?).  While his government has withdrawn the core funding of Ireland’s Neurological Alliance and many of its nonprofit members. While senior neuro and rehab consultants are publicly saying that young people with severe brain injuries offer a ‘bad return on investment’ without showing even a hint of shame on their faces of themselves. While Irish people have to leave the country not just to seek a decent job, but also to seek the care and therapy they need so desperately. While, sadly, reality again proofs that it will never be beaten by comedy. While all this is going on, the people of Ireland are doing their own ‘thing’. They are (literally) sick and tired of empty promises and strategic non-decisions. They’ve had it with non-functioning systems that take forever to deliver what is so obviously and so badly needed for the most vulnerable of the society they live in.

They take ‘things’ into their own hands. They are enthusiastic, motivated, full of energy, and they know they can move mountains. They can reach for the stars and touch them. They know what is right, they know what is wrong. They don’t need no strategy papers. They already know.

For an example – see below.

—————-ENGLISH BELOW——————————–

Scéalín le sibh a choinneáil ar an eolas faoin amhrán.

Maith sibh as ucht bhur gcabhair go léir! Tá sibh savage!

Tá smaoineamh againn cúpla amhrán eile a chur ar an dlúthdiosca, agus albaim ceart a dhéanamh as! Mar sin bheadh an t-amhrán, dar ndóigh, mar príomh-amhrán / siongail… ach bheadh níos mó air… níos mó “bang for your buck” mar a dheirfeá. Síleann muid go mbeadh daoine sásta praghas ceart albaim (10 / 15) a íoch as… agus bheadh sé just níos deise mar pacáiste.

Cinneál plean sealadach againn go mbeadh muid in ann na hamhrán a chualamar ar an Oíche álainn Cheoil do Phádraig a chur air. Ciallaíonn sé sin go mbeadh lá eile taifead ag teastáil (thart ar an 4ú, 5ú nó 6ú Lúnasa) le na ceoilteoirí sin ag teacht isteach (taifead i bhfad níos éasca ná an dhá lá eile a chaitheamar!)

Ansin bheadh an t-albaim réidh le seoladh ag deireadh mí Lúnasa… Cóisir ulmhór… b’fhéidir ar bád ceart ar an Life nó rud éigin. (Mar eolas bhí smaoineamh eile ag Jen seoladh eile a dhéanamh [cinneál “ath-sheoladh”] ag an Oireachtas i gCill Áirne!).

Idir seo agus sin, tá cúpla rud ag teastáil uainn.

1. Ealaín . Seolagaí isteach pictúirí / ealaín don chlúdach. Sabhlaigh d’ealaín fhéin ar chlúdach an albaim is fearr riamh! Tá na híomhá seo ag teastáil uainn go luath (tógann dearadh dhiosca tamaill).. so bígí ag tarraingt / paenteaíl!
2. Ceolteoirí – bhfuil sibh saor thart ar an 4ú / 5ú / 6ú Lúnasa? Claire and Aisling. Lauren Ní Chasaide. Marcus Mac Conghail. John Flynn. Seán and Oisín. Seán Oisín Gabo Andrew. The Lonergans and Flynn
3. Smaointí don seoladh – Ar bád? Smaointí eile?
4. Airgead: Tá thart ar 1550 baillithe againn (940 ar an Oíche… agus cúpla deonachán eile) Tá 720 caite cheanna féin ar Mark (innealtóir) agus an dhá studio (Bow Lane agus Sonic Studio). Mar sin, tá 830 againn fós. Le dlúthdhiosca a phriontál agus cúpla lá eile sa studio agus lá nó dhó meascán eile tá seans maith go mbeidh beaganín níos mó airgead uainn (nílim fhéin cinnte cé mhéid ach is dóigh go mbeidh figure crinn agam daoibh i gceann cúpla lá) … níl morán eile ag teastáil – b’fhéidir 500. Más rud é go dtugann muid go léir thart ar 20 euro, bheadh muid clúdathaithe go maith sílim. Ag an céad crinniú, nuair a phléamar seo, bhí daoine toilteanach go leor méid mar seo a íoch. An bhfuil sibh fós in ann é seo a dhéanamh? Is fiú é, síleann muid, le go mbeidh “record” níos mó / deise / fear againn. D’fhéadfainn airgead a bhailiú ar lá éigin i gceann cúpla seachtain. Just buail isteach chuig an Conradh. Tabharfaidh mé dáta cruinn daoibh i gceann cúpla lá nuair atá an scéal airgid níos fearr againn / bhur feedback againn.
5. Bígí ag faire ar bhur rpost le go mbeidh sibh in ann choinneáil suas chun dáta. Seans go mbeidh crinniú amháin eile le bhur dtuairimí / airgead a bhailiú i gceann seachtain nó dhó.

Tá an tionscnamh ag fás. Tá an t-amhrán beagnach réidh. Go raibh míle maith agaibh as ucht bhur obair dian go fóill.. Is fiú é. I gcónaí. Pádraig Abú.

Grá Mór
Andrew

——————————————————————– English —————————————————————————–

Folks,

A wee update on the progress of the song, so far.

Everything is going well. You absolutely played and sang out of your skins in the studio.

We have had an idea… We think it would be nice to record a few more songs and make a proper album out of it! The Dream-Boat would, obviously, be the main song / single… But the record itself would have more on it…. a bit more “bang for your buck” as they say. We think that people would be happier to pay 10 / 15 for a proper record with a few tracks on it… and it would just be nicer as a package.

We have a sort of provisional plan worked out . We were thinking it’d be nice to put a few of the songs from the Big Music night for Pádraig on the record. That would mean another day / maybe two of recording (on about the 4th 5th or 6th of August). Although this recording would be far far easier than the last two days. And only the few musicians would need to come in.

Then, the album would be ready to launch at the end of August… A massive party would be needed, obviously, .. perhaps on a boat on the Liffey or something that would cause a stir. (As another point of information, Jen had the idea of launching it [we could do a “relaunch” or something] at the Oireachtas in Killarney)

Between now and then, though, we would ask you to consider a couple of points

1. Art. Send in your pictures or ideas for cover art for the actual discs. Imagine your own art on the cover of the best album of all time! We need these images soon (the design process takes a while.. thanks to Brian Giles who has agreed to do it for us).. so get painting / drawing etc. etc.
2. Musicians… Are ye free about the 4th 5th or 6th of August? Claire and Aisling . Lauren Ní Chasaide. Marcus Mac Conghail. John Flynn. Seán and Oisín. Seán Oisín Gabo Andrew. The Lonergans and Flynn
3. Ideas for the Launch?.. a boat perhaps? Other wacky ideas, anyone?
4. Money. We have about 1550 at our disposal (940 gathered on the Big Music Night Síobhra organised.. and then there have been a couple of other kind donations). We have already spent 720 on Mark, the engineer and saint, and the two studios (Bow Lane and Sonic Studios). So, we have 830 still. To print CDs, and a couple more days in the studio and mixing and mastering days, there is a good chance that we will need a little more (I personally am not entirely sure of this exact figure.. but I will be able to tell you with more precision in a couple of days)… not much more, but probably around 500. If we were all to give about 20 euro, we would be covered. At the first meeting, when we discussed doing this, people seemed pretty happy to do this. Are you still okay with doing this? It’ll be worth it for a bigger, better, rounded record that we can sell a better price. I could collect money some day in the next couple of weeks. Just bang into the Conradh and I’ll be there. I’ll give a date in the next few days when I know the whole money situation better / have your own feedback.
5. Keep an eye on your emails so that you can keep up to date. There is a chance that we will have another meeting in a week or so to collect money / gather your ideas / talk about launching it… hype etc.

The project is growing. The song is almost ready. Thank you all so much for your hard work and patience, so far. It is worth it. It always is. Up Pádraig!

Lots of Love,
Andrew

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PS: Just heard the Brooks concerts won’t go ahead.