Hijacking John McIntyre

We’d – [that’s me Kevin Moloney pictured right on Aran’s rugged coastline] – just finished a long day’s travelling around the Aran Islands, off Ireland’s beautiful west coast when Hal, our guide suggested a pint at the local pub.

Thirsty and tired from climbing rocky hills and traversing the countryside, we all agreed, quickly………..a Guinness sounded really good.

Sitting at the bar were half a dozen locals who looked and sounded as though they’d been there for a while, to say the least.

We ordered a round of drinks and no sooner had we sat down to quench severe thirsts than a young man from the other group asked in a trans-Atlantic accent. “Would you like a song?” I knew he wasn’t Irish, he didn’t say “youse”.

He grabbed his guitar in one hand a wooden stool in the other and joined our group, starting playing and singing, hitting us with his stylised version of Norwegian Wood.  His voice was strong, in tune and in demand and we encored for more.

This stranger with an even stranger accent obliged and continued with “You can’t always get what you want”.

Damn he was good.

His guitar work instantly told me he was a professional and his singing was so strong and smooth and I could tell he’d worked with some top acts.

“Would you like another one?”, he asked, his accent now offering a hint of Irish brogue but not enough to be convincing…………of course we yelled and screamed for more.

Our limit was one pint, but this man, this anonymous virtuoso with several friends at the bar worked at a rate of three songs to the pint and he had us tapping, sub-singing and humming his every note.

Our boat was due to leave for the mainland in four minutes and it was a five minute walk to the dock, but we didn’t need to worry too much as Karen, the boat’s owner was with us and she realised there was a dilemma, knowing we were enjoying the pub music but also knew she had a boat to get back to Galway and we were the passengers.

Reluctantly, we finished our drinks and thanked the singer for his Monday afternoon impromptu gig and as we left the pub, Karen had a quiet word with our new found friend, saying, “Come with us on the boat, we’ll have you back on the next one, you’ll only be gone a couple of hours……… come and play for us.”………of course, we all agreed.

But his mate at the bar didn’t and started demanding money and while I couldn’t tell if he was serious, or looking after his mate’s interests, he tried to convince Karen he was his manager but I figured he’d been there on his stool for a while…………maybe, and more than likely, he was just plain p****d!

Karen diffused a potential situation, offering John free Guinness and with that we had the singer out the door and walking with us to the boat, accepting the offer of an unpaid gig to Galway and back.

His mate at the bar wasn’t impressed but we were.

“I’m John McIntyre. I’m Irish but I’ve lived in the States for the past 20 years, ” he said as we walked along to the boat, that explaining his accent, adding, “I’m here to work next week on an album with Sinead O’Connor,” that explained his prowess with a plectrum.

“You HAVE got Guinness on board, right?”……… that explaining his status as a professional muso.

John McIntyre [Pictured right] went through his repertoire for us obligingly and we knew we liked what he was doing, sitting at the rear of the boat with his guitar, he sang above the noise of the engine as Galway Bay came into view.

Like a true pro, he had a break between brackets and it wasn’t until I started talking to him that I realised how professional a musician he was.

When in song, he did not miss a note, his arpeggio guitar work was flawless and his timing was impeccable, but in conversation, he could hardly string a sentence together, adding, “I’ve been here two weeks, drinking”.

It was now obvious and I wondered how I didn’t pick it before. This guy was blotto, smashed, totalled and like Keef Richards, his on-stage performance was so cool despite the apparent bout of substance abuse but to engage him in any sort of conversation was impossible.

Out boat was pulling into harbour, signalling the end of our relationship with John McIntyre……….the concert was over………..bring in the roadies.

We’d hijacked a man clearly incapable of looking after his own interest and my guilt at being complicit in his abduction was accentuated by passing the hat around for him to have a few drinks when he got back to his island.

“That’s all he needs” I thought and I handed him the envelope, thanked him and tried to work out what he was saying, then left him standing on the dock.

Through the window of the bus I could see him standing on there with his guitar, waiting for his return voyage, with Karen from the boat having issued instructions to the crew to make sure they get him home safely, I knew he’d be in safe hands.

Where else but in Ireland, on the isle of Inis Mor, would you be entertained in a pub on a Monday afternoon by someone like John McIntyre, then to abduct him in a state of sobriety deprivation and be sure he’s be looked after and returned safely without a ransom!

Nowhere else but Ireland.

NB: The Mole’s Google search showed that John McIntyre is a member of the well known rock band, The Revs and he has toured worldwide and performed at festivals including Oxygen, Reading and Rockpalast. 

John has a strong background in Irish Traditional music and has also studied Classical guitar. 

Please check out: www.therevs.com – The Revs are an indie rock band from Kilcar, Donegal, Ireland, the group consisting of three childhood friends: Rory Gallagher (named after the famous blues guitarist Rory Gallagher and who had previously released the album 20th Century at the age of 18) on bass guitar and vocals, John McIntyre (guitar, vocals) and Michael O’ Donnell (drums, percussion). They formed on the eve of the millennium with an aim to “change the face of Irish music”.

A Report by Kevin Moloney, international travel writer and Travel Mole correspondant – on location in Ireland – brought to you by Emirates, Aer Lingus, Driveaway Holidays and Tourism Ireland.