For a long number of years now I've have been the musician in residence to Ashford Castle Cong County Mayo in the West of IrelandThe castle was built in 1228 ad and was a De Burgo Caslte, in fact to my knowledge it was the Main De Burgo casle .The De Burgos were a ruling clan in the west of in those days.

Ashford castle is now an 83 bed roomed hotel and country estate and is arguably Ireland's finest five star hotel resort.

In my tenure as musician in residence I have had the pleasure of meeting and sometimes playing music with and for the many celebrities that have spent time there on holiday leaving me with many wonderful memories

Perhaps the greatest of these was some fifteen years ago, I was playing my guitar, yes I know this is a piano profile ,but I'm lucky enough to play both instruments, anyway I was in the Dungeon Bar working away  entertaining guests, when an gentle man of then fame walked in to the room

It was John Denver.

John Denver, Man of Music, Man of Nature, Free Spirit

He took a seat and was listening and seemed to be enjoying my humble offerings of evening entertainment which of course were becoming more nerve racking in his presence,

However I continued to perform, and to my amazement he was singing along with the songs and partaking in the night.

I must say at this point that the objective of the Dungeon Bar is

 to firstly encourage the guests to sing along partake and enjoy, and maybe to come up and sing a song etc. and off course to give a professional performance

At this point some people had gone to the bar and noticed John, and were wondering was it or was it not he, you know how it is ,you don't expect to bump into an artist of that calibre on your holidays anywhere let alone Ashford Castle.

Well I plucked up the courage and made reference to the fact the John Denver was amongst us, and asked him to come up and sing for us.

Which he did most graciously.

So with pleasure I gave him the use of my guitar and sat down to one side to listen and savour this special moment.

He sang Country Roads to begin with and it was wonderful, after he had finished that song, He called me by name, and said Heh Brendan I hear you're a pretty good piano player, would you like to come back up here and play a couple with me.

We'll I did, and it was an awesome experience, he sang My Sweet Lady, and Poems Prayers and Promises

He left the stage then and partook in the rest of the night, it was a terrific experience, and my only regret was that I had not got a camera with me but there you go, you can't think of everything I suppose.

Some months later he was back in Ireland and Dublin's R.D.S and I saw him in concert.

There were 7000, people in the Audience that night, and he just sang and played his guitar, no band, a solo gig, and he was just fantastic, I really saw how it should be done that night.

The night he died I sang country roads to his memory in the Dungeon Bar, and every time I sing that song now it kind'a irks me you know

That's all for now, I do have other great memories of playing music at Ashford which I will relater in future Blogs

The Picture Below is John's Memorial Stone at Aspen Colerado

Maestro