Self Aid May 17, 2016
Posted by irishelectionliterature in Uncategorized.trackback
Meant to post this earlier today …… Today is the 30th Anniversary of Self Aid held in the RDS. I went along and thoroughly enjoyed it but did it achieve much? A few years ago I posted a few pages from the Programme for it and there were some interesting comments.
An interesting piece on Brand New Retro listing who didn’t play and the alternative gigs on that day. Among the bands playing at the Alternative gigs were The Hothouse Flowers, The Stars of Heaven, A House and many more
There was even talk of a Self Aid 2 a few years back!
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
Rory Gallagher was there? I saw Rory Gallagher play and have no recollection of the fact? Just how wasted was I…
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Bono rinsed the memory from your mind.
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I wouldn’t mind, but I remember Chris de Burgh clearly.
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Could be worse… I bought a Brush Shiels album on the back of his performance there 😦
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In fairness to Brush Shiels, he did come up with one of the most impressive feats of rhyming ever, short of finding something to fit “orange”:
“You and me will be really cookin’
In the Spa Hotel in Lucan.”
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Christy Moore had a terrible ‘Self-Aid’ song out at the time. Forgot the Pogues played it.
I remember Paul Cleary being against but didn’t know the Hothouse Flowers played one of the alternatives.
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I think I took part in a ‘Self aid makes it worse’ protest near the gig , but can’t really remember . Did go to anti gig afterwards that ‘Paranoid Visions’ played at , amongst many more bands. But most importantly – 30 YEARS AGO ???
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Speaking of Brush Shields,I came across a cracker of a video on you tube of Brush and former Meath manager Sean Boylan .Brush is singing “the boys of Barr na Sraide” accompanied by Boylan on the mouth organ.There is a lot of talking at the start but when they get round to the song,it’s just brilliant.Maybe WBS or someone else could put it up on this site to see what you all think of it?
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We didn’t play the alternative gig in the end, due to being in London that week and not being able to afford to come back for the show, and then back over. It was organised by the new MLA for Foyle, and I remember a long chat in the sun outside our rehearsal room about it with him.
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“Lets make it work” was getting ready for Sport Aid ’86 in the Roe Valley Country Park and launch of Stamp Aid before being Geldof’s appointee to Sport Aid ’88 race at Heijsel Stadium at Brussels.
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1986 Self Aid didn’t benefit me as I emigrated in 1987. My favourite song is Elvis singing Jailhouse Rock.
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Paul Cleary played at the ‘Rock the System’ gig at Liberty Hall that was organised by Labour Youth which, at the time, was led by members of the Militant. The place was packed.
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The sunday after this event (which didn’t make any difference to anything, so far as I am aware – anyone know differently?), the Sunday Tribune had a bit of satirical verse which began “It wasn’t a bit like the Horse Show”.
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