Paddy the Shoe in Malta
Towards the end of his stay in Malta, recently, Paddy wanted to play a tune at the local pub – just to add it to the collection of places he had been paid.
The pub across from his hotel had asked him to play but it wasn’t really set up for it.
However, the pub across the road from that was.
The problem was that it was mainly set up for karaoke – which wasn’t to Paddy’s taste.
Good Young Girls
However, on the last night there were two young girls playing there – and Paddy thought they were quite good.
So, he decided to go across and ask if he could play a song.
When he got there, and at the end of the current song, he went up and asked one of the girls if he could sing a song using her guitar.
The girl said he could – but the manageress, looking on from the floor, looked more than a trifle worried.
Just One Song
So, she went up to the stage and told the girls that he could just play one song.
So, Paddy started.
He played the Beatles When I’m Sixty Four.
He got a tremendous reception and the whole crowd, holidaymakers and Maltesers alike, started clapping and singing along.
Standing Ovation for Paddy
He got a standing ovation at the end of the song.
As he was taking off the guitar, the manageress appeared again.
“Tell him to play another one” she shouted to the girl, who handed back the guitar to Paddy.
So he played a Bob Dylan song, I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight, which got just as good reception from the floor with another huge ovation at the end.
Not Overstaying His Welcome
“More” the crowd shouted and the manageress would have been happy – but Paddy didn’t outstay his welcome and handed the guitar back to the girl a second time and walked offstage.
He could tick off yet another location where he had played.
The guy from the pub across the road had asked him to come back and play on St Patrick’s Day – but Paddy told him he would have gigs in Moville that day.
Moville folk will look forward to that.
Prior to that you can catch him any Friday night in Rawdons in Moville.