Legenderry Dinny McLaughlin plays in Derry!
One of the most entertaining lunchtime events during last weeks fleadh must surely have been The Ailleach Fiddlers at The Glassworks on Saturday. It saw the return to the stage of the much loved Inishowen fiddler Dinny McLaughlin.
Dinny played with a number of past students. Musicians who have learned from him and developed amazing talent thanks to Dinny.
Dinny not only entertained us with him fiddle playing but also with his story telling. A born story teller he surely is.
One such story was about the time his mother came to visit him in Gweedore. Dinny was there teaching and his mother came up to see him. On arrival to the area she was very concerned by the surroundings as the ground was all stony. Her main concern was for the cows….how were they going to survive with no green fields to graze on. She worried about them eating the stones!
Dinny told this story in such a way that we had tears in our eyes from laughter.
A living legend in so many ways and a delight and honour to be in his presence and hear him play!