December 2023

“It’s Christmas eve, babe.”

What a tumultuous year it’s been.

Losing Johnny Fean in April was a hammer blow. He was my band mate, songwriting partner, dear friend and confidant for fifty years. Just days before his death, I’d told him I was about to sign off on the photo credits for Showbusiness with Blood and that we could then start exploring together another stash of recordings I’d discovered when searching out material for More Than You Can Chew, our Horslips’ box-set. “We’ll do that next,” I promised. “I’m not getting any younger.” Johnny laughed. Two days later Shay Hennessy rang me with the shocking news.

More recently, Shane’s death was tremendously upsetting. We’d know each other since he worked as a talented teenager on the Rock Off stall in the market in Soho. We remained friends. I was in the Pogues’ orbit somewhat during the early halcyon years of the band so memories of my other departed friends came flooding back. Philip Chevron, Frank Murray, Darry Hunt and, of course, Paul Verner.

I’d first met Paul at the Coffee Inn, Dublin, when he was working with the early Thin Lizzy. The band couldn’t afford to bring him to London and Philip Lynott told me he was thrilled that we brought Paul on board the Horslips’ train as lighting engineer. If Johnny was my brother, Paul was my soul brother. We spent a lot of time together in the late 80s and we laughed. After Horslips, he played a vital role with the Pogues until he went up above in 1991. I still miss him.

But luck and good fortune have been on my side. I’m blessed with many wonderful friends, friends who showed huge support this year when Revival Press published Foundation Song and the dedicated Lilliput Press team saw Showbusiness with Blood to completion. My gratitude is endless. Thank you.

Given the many awful crises in the world, it behoves us to try to redress the balance with a small gesture or a big initiative. While there will hopefully be some good news from the Horslips’ camp next year, I also have some other interesting adventures in development. Whatever might happen, at least we can say we attempted to add to the lightness and brightness of the spirit.

I hope you have a wonderful festive season. It’s official, days are getting brighter. I’ll leave you with a couple of lo-res shots I took of Johnny and Paul in 1978 when we went to Graceland (where we met Uncle Vester). Yes, we laughed. I hope you’re laughing too.

Thank you and good health to you.

Eamon