THE COUNTRYSIDE AT LAST - CLIFDEN, CONNEMARA

This coastal town in the beautiful district of Connemara is where I find myself for one night only - if I'd known the beauty of this place and its surrounding areas earlier, I would have forfeited some of my time in the city for sure...

As my bus creeps along the coastline I realise how much I'd been craving this kind of place, albeit unknowingly. I check into 'Brookside Hostel' ( a fantastic, clean and friendly place to stay - a total joy after my Galway gross-fest) and immediately meet Harry and Sean - two fellas that met here two years back and decided to meet again this year to film a documentary - Harry makes films for a living in Vienna, Austria and Sean is an English singer travelling around Ireland singing traditional Celtic folk sings acapella for his living at the moment, so as I'm there they decide to include me in their footage as well. Later that night, Harry films the two of us having a conversation about music, performance and the ups and downs of busking... He also gains some footage of me as I sing outside the bank machaine (ha ha.. but actually it's a great place to play because while people wait in line they have time to listen to a verse or two) on Main Street in Clifden's small town centre.

I love busking in places like this. Reminds me of my first busking escapades ten years ago in the Wairarapa, a small cluster of towns in New Zealand, where I'm from. Small places where people have time to stop and listen rather than having to rush to the next cafe, pub or shopping mall... Sure enough, many people stop and comment on the songs, some sing to ones they know and an Italian couple takes about fifty photos of me - it's a good day...

Later that night, in a pub with wonderful traditional music (banjo, fiddle, guitars, beautiful vocals) I'm overwhelmed with the moment... being here with such great people and with my heart so full and open to beer and beauty. Sean is telling us stories all about the songs that the band are playing in between pints of Guiness, and it's all so good I can't quite believe I'm heading back to Dublin tomorrow and then onto Paris. I've been moving so fast lately and it's been completely my choice of course, but right now I'm wondering if it's been the right one. Ireland has certainly been the best country to busk in thus far (including Germany, France, Holland and also Barcelona in other years) and I feel like a week has just been too short...