"The Irish are born pining for Ireland. It’s like a phantom pain...."

Shane MaGowan’s passing has me thinking about Ireland. My musician buddy Brett Alexander was just over there for quickie pub tour, and he came back with a twinkle in his eye, ready to decamp to Derry permanently, at a moment’s notice. That got me thinking about Ireland too. Truth is, lots of things get me thinking about Ireland, where the Flannery and Loftus clans emigrated from during the famine years. Both ended up in NEPA coal mines, mingling some of that dark dust with their fiery gaelic blood, and started raising all kinds of hell because that’s what the Irish do. Not bad hell mind you. Or at least, not all bad hell.

The Irish diaspora are born pining for a place they’ve never been. It’s like a phantom pain.