Small World

I'm listening to 2006 Kansas City Irish Fest headliners Hothouse Flowers right at this minute (their great new album Into Your Heart) and it reminded me of an example of what a tiny little globe we live on.

Just before a trip to New England last fall, I mentioned to my friend and fellow Irish Fest director Rory O'Connor that during the trip I would be seeing the Flowers lead singer Liam O Maonlai doing a solo show in Cambridge, Mass. At which point Rory very matter-of-factly said, "you know, I used to babysit him."

It seems that for a time Liam and his family lived at his aunt's house in Dublin, on the same street as Rory, and that on several occasions Rory looked after Liam and his brothers. He even has a picture of himself holding the toddler version of O Maonlai. So, as it happened I had an opportunity to speak to Liam between sets in Cambridge and I said "your baby sitter in Kansas City asked me to say hello". Puzzled doesn't begin to describe the look on his face. Anyway, after I explained myself, it turned out that he remembered Rory as a great guy, and I assured him that he still is a great guy.

That's a reunion I'm really looking forward to witnessing in September.