Happy Birthday Jackie! 

My little sister is having a significant birthday today. Jackie has been a huge influence in my musical life. She was always there in the early days and was a member of my first band  'Four Hand Reel' for a while, along with Rob Doole, Edwin Young and Dominic McAlinden. She was a great supporter of my song writing early on, especially when the rest of the world (or at least the scene I was involved with) was not into writing songs. It was all about learning tunes or traditional songs or maybe some covers, but not Jackie. She was (and still is) interested in the world of ideas and creativity, she's never had much time for the banal or boring. Very like our Dad actually. Jackie was there when we toured around the countryside playing one wool shed after another to huge crowds all kicking up the dust to the Waves of Tory or the Galopede. Later she was there when Fiddlestix were belting it out in the pubs, trying to get our original music out to the world. Quite often she would bring her little kids out to hear "Uncy Pat and the Noise" as my little niece, Mahoney, used to call us.
We've had our moments Jack and me, but I never doubted her razor sharp intelligence and perception and she always stood by me when it mattered. I think in later life we are closer than ever and I'm proud to call her my sister.
I've attached a photo from around 1970 in which Jackie and I are having "one of our moments". I think she's explaining to me the concept of sharing and I'm suggesting that possession is nine tenths of the law, or words to that effect. I've also uploaded another song from the Wrenboys album I think she would like. "Let It All Out" is buried at the back of the album and I doubt has had that many hearings, which is a pity, as I think it has a lot to offer. The harmonica is played by Mike Rudd, Will Oldmeadow is on bass and harmony and Fred Abery is on percussion. The rest is yours truly.
So happy birthday Jackie, it's time to let at all out......

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