Gaelic Storm Concert

This was the 7th year that Micah and I attended the Dayton Celtic Festival to hear our favorite band Gaelic Storm. It was Kelly Rhiannon's first time and boy, was it a good one. Anyone who knows us well knows that we love all things Celtic. Kelly's name reflects her ancestral heritage: Irish (Kelly), Welsh (Rhiannon is a Welsh goddess whose story is told in the Mabinogion) and of course her Scottish Clan name, Baird (my maternal Grandfather is also Scottish though the Kelsos are lowland Scots who don't have a Tartan the way that the Highlanders do). Gaelic Storm is without a doubt our favorite Celtic band--though they have a distinct world music sound (think didgeridoos!) in addition to the traditional Irish & Scottish style. If you've seen the movie Titanic (and who hasn't?) then you've seen Gaelic Storm. They got their big break as the band playing the music in the ship's hold during the steerage-class dance scene. Gaelic Storm is significant for the Baird Family as a whole because they are they ones who gave us our family theme song, "Swimmin' in the Sea."


Here's the lyrics:

When I was five
We’d get up at four
And drive on down to the Cornwall shore
Our holidays had come at last
They came real slow and went by fast
Just one week, that’s all we had
Then back to work went mom and dad
Happy to be swimmin’ in the sea

The seagulls yell
You’re getting near
We’d waited patiently all year
And we hadn’t slept a wink all night
White faces in the morning light
I see the sea my sister cried
The seaside we’d soon be beside
Happy to be swimmin’ in the sea

Now it was cold
And rainin’ too
We’d stay all day
Till our lips turned blue
Only a week
It wasn’t fair
We’re on holiday, holiday, holiday
And we don’t care!

In every pool
Stranded by the tide
Clams and fishes under seaweed hide
We’d catch them all in a fishing net
As close to heaven as a kid could get
We’d dream of smugglers and pirate ships
Lunch was ice cream and a bag of chips
Happy to be swimmin’ in the sea

Now to kid of five
That rocky shore
Was a magical place full of tales and lore
Now the seagulls call once more to me
Hey come on back to the Cornish Sea
Now by the water by the foam
Just one more week and I’m going home
Happy to be swimmin’ in the sea

Just reading these lyrics makes me ready for vacation--good thing it is less than two weeks away! Last year I got up the courage to actually talk to the band while getting their autographs (yes, it really is true, I am very shy!). The year before that I had to get up the courage just to stand in line with Micah to get an autograph, but froze up and didn't know what to say to them! Anyway, last year they sang "Swimmin' in the Sea" and when they got to the line about smugglers and pirate ships, the whole band yelled out "Arr!" It's kind of a family joke, or should I say plague of bad pirate jokes, and we were thrilled when they did this in concert. So I says to them, I says, "You guys sing our family theme song." And Steve Twigger (the guy who wrote and does the lead vocals on this song) says, "Oh yeah, which one?" And I says, "Swimmin' In the Sea." And Ryan (the drummer) says, "That's because they're pirates!" Would the Baird family make good pirates? I don't know, you tell me.

Anyway this year it was hot and sunny and the band didn't sing "Swimmin' in the Sea", probably because they had too much to play from their newer albums, but it was a great concert. We got in the autograph line to get our copy of their latest album (What's the Rumpus?) and my brand new "Kelly's Wellies" T-shirt signed and they let us take Kelly's picture with Jessie (the fiddle player) and Paddy (lead singer). After all she is their youngest fan! FYI: My favorite song on the new album is called 'The Night I Punched Russell Crowe." Based on a true story, it is hilarious! You can listen to it on their MySpace page. Can you imagine Paddy (pictured above) in a fist fight with "the Gladiator" himself? There's a music video contest on youtube for this song. Check it out if you need a laugh.

Other highlights from the festival:

This is the first year that we didn't buy Welsh cookies (aka Welsh cakes)...the reason, we made them ourselves the other day! This is the first time that Micah (our resident cookie monster and thus cookie baker) has made one of my favorite childhood treats. Here' s a description for those who have never had the pleasure of eating Welsh cookies: they are firm mini pancakes studded with black currants that you cook on the griddle. Usually the festival is the only time we have these cookies. Micah made tons of them last week and we just finished them off the other day.

Kelly added to her wardrobe a pretty Irish onesie embroidered with a celtic knot version of a shamrock and a T-shirt that says, "My Daddy Wears a Kilt".

All in all it's been a great first three months--that's right Kelly Rhiannon is 3 months old now! She has friends who are younger than her (Catherine and Cole) so she is no longer the littlest baby around! Hope life is as sweet for all of you as it is for us. Love,
Becky