Mothers and Sons
Stories
Chapter One
A Song
Noel was the driver that weekend in Clare, the only musician among his
friends who did not drink. They were going to need a driver; the town was,
they believed, too full of eager students and eager tourists; the pubs
were impossible. For two or three nights they would aim for empty country
pubs or private houses. Noel played the tin whistle with more skill than
flair, better always accompanying a large group than playing alone. His
singing voice, however, was special, even though it had nothing of the
strength and individuality of his mother's voice, known to all of them
from one recording made in the early seventies. He could do perfect
harmony with anybody, moving a fraction above or below, roaming freely
around the other voice, no matter what sort of voice it was. He did not
have an actual singing voice, he used to joke, he had an ear, and in that
small world it was agreed that his ear was flawless.
On the Sunday night the town had grown unbearable. Most visitors were, his
friend George said, the sort of people who would ... read full excerpt from Mothers and Sons: Stories ebook
