I am just back from two fantastic days following the Irlish Tour around Ireland.  As I was staying in the Corrib Great Southern Hotel I had access to the concert hall in the afternoon.  At around 2.30 p.m. Gilbert arrived for his sound check.  For the next three and a half hours I was treated to a behind the scenes view of what goes into making a Gilbert concert so special.  Gilbert meticulously checked every aspect of the stage, from microphone levels to keyboard positions to the height of his keyboard stool to the lighting sequence and never stopped until it was exactly to his liking. With all the checks done and the arrival of the two backing singers Helen and Eve, Gilbert then did a run through of some of the night's programme backed by Mick Parker on keyboards and accordion.  Imagine my excitement on hearing Gilbert play the opening bars of "Mr. Moody's Garden"...talk about shivers.  It was fantastic.  The other songs he worked on were "Stick In The Mud", "Who Was It?", "Water Music", "Miss My Love Today", "Have It", "Me", "A Woman's Place", and "Disappear". During the afternoon I met Gilbert's brother and right hand man Kevin, who turned out to be the friendliest, most helpful guy you could hope to meet.  In between ironing out any problems that arose Kevin returned to me time and time again and we spoke at length.   Firstly he told me that the new single will be released in Ireland on the 6th of April.  It will have two tracks: "Have It", and a new song called "Couldn't Get Arrested".  The Irish version of the Irlish album will be released on the 13th of April and will have the same track listing as the Japanese release except that there will be a Spanish version of "Say Goodbye".  He mentioned that there are plans for a British tour in the Autumn if the venues can be confirmed, but as of yet there is nothing definite.  As regards the new web site, he knew about it but couldn't add anything. While we spoke four teenage girls arrived for rehearsal and to my great surprise Kevin told me that they were going to do some Irish dancing, a la River Dance, to a recording of "Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day". At 6 p.m. when Gilbert was happy with everything and was preparing to leave, I approached the stage to try and get an autograph.  I wasn't sure how Gilbert would respond as it had obviously been a very busy afternoon for him, it was the first night of the tour and he was obviously in a hurry as it was only two hours to show time.  I needn't have worried, he put all his belonging down, signed a couple of photographs for me and posed for a few photographs as well.  He couldn't have been nicer and more obliging...what a guy! Before the show I met and made new friends with group members Hugh Miller and his wife Freda, from Cork in Ireland and Jonathan and his partner Claire from Leamington Spa near Birmingham in England.  I also met Camillus who is from Mullingar in Ireland and is not yet a group member but I'm hopeful he soon will be.   LEFT TO RIGHT: CAMILLUS,  JONATHAN, CLAIRE, BRIAN, FREDA AND HUGH SHOW TIME At 8.20 p.m. Gilbert walked on stage unannounced (as usual).  Before he started to play a fan approached the stage and presented him with a Waterford flag.  He was genuinely delighted and I noticed he took it home with him when he left.  Without a word he began to play.   1st HALF DISAPPEAR Gilbert's first single. THE THING IS - [From the album "A STRANGER IN MY OWN BACK YARD"] After this song Gilbert simply asked does anybody know what the thing is? NOTHING RHYMED - [From the album "HIMSELF"] Gilbert said he was delighted to be back in Galway after five years he estimated.  "Five years last November" responded a zealous fan. NO MATTER HOW I TRY After which Gilbert spoke about the seriousness of the Foot and Mouth situation in Ireland and England and that had he been asked not to come he would have obeyed those wishes, but as he was invited, he came. BECAUSE OF YOU - [From the album "BY LARRY" / "THE LITTLE ALBUM"] Gilbert spoke about his appearance on the Late Late Show and how he was suffering with a cold at the time and still was.  And how the antibiotics made his mouth dry during his interview and how it made the singing very difficult. WE WILL Gilbert spoke about his embarrassment about Pat Kenny's comment about him being a poet during the above mentioned interview.  He declared that he was a song writer and not a poet and that the two things were completely different.  Although he went on to say that Spike Milligan (Irish born, British comic, member of the Goons) was a hero of his, that he loved his comic verse and was influenced by it.  He then went on to recite an original poem of his own. HAVE IT - [From the album "IRLISH"] Gilbert mentioned that this was a track off his first album to be released in Ireland for about twelve years. The backing track CD seemed to skip a few bars into the song.  Gilbert decided to try again and it went perfectly second time around. MISS MY LOVE TODAY - [From the album "SOUTHPAW"] Gilbert said that although this song was not a hit single, it was a popular song with concert goers and that he got a lot of letters about it. STICK IN THE MUD - [From the album "FROBISHER DRIVE / IN THE KEY OF G"] CLAIR - [From the album "BACK TO FRONT"] Clair got married last year it seems. SOMETIMES - [From the album "SOUNDS OF THE LOOP"] THE WAY THINGS USED TO BE - [From the album "FROBISHER DRIVE / IN THE KEY OF G"] WHAT'S IN A KISS? - [From the album "OFF CENTRE"] Before singing this, Gilbert mentioned that somebody had requested that he sing January Git.  He told us that he honestly didn't know how to play it.  That at the time he wrote it he was using very complicated chords and that it had been twenty years since he played it. HOLD ON TO WHAT YOU GOT - [From the album "BY LARRY / THE LITTLE ALBUM"] THUNDER AND LIGHTNING - [From the album "HIMSELF"] THE INTERVAL WAS FROM 9.30 p.m. UNTIL 10.pm. 2nd HALF A FRIEND OF MINE - [From the album "I'M A WRITER NOT A FIGHTER"] ME - [From the album "IRLISH"] Self explanatory he said. WATER MUSIC - [From the album "IRLISH"] Gilbert explained how the sound of woman washing clothes in South America was very rhythmic, and that it had been recorded and how he had used it as a backdrop to this song.  Gilbert stood and swayed for this song. WHO WAS IT? - [From the album "BACK TO FRONT"] Mick Parker played Gilbert's keyboard for this this one while Gilbert danced around.  During the musical break in the song Gilbert attempted to play some sound effects on Mick's keyboard but it failed to work. THE MARRIAGE MACHINE - [From the album "A STRANGER IN MY OWN BACK YARD"] Gilbert declared that he believed in marriage, that he loved his wife but he wouldn't mind being divorced for one week each month.  He then treated us to a snippet of a 'work in progress' a song called I Love Married Women.  "Do you think I should finish it?" "YES" we shouted. A WOMAN'S PLACE - [From the album "A STRANGER IN MY OWN BACK YARD"] Gilbert mentioned the flak he took during the seventies about this song.  In his opinion though a mother's place was at home during her children's formative years.  He mentioned that this song could have been called a woman's place is on the phone.  He was now giving the ladies an opportunity to respond to the idea that a woman's place was in the home.  At the end of the song the men could sing "a woman's place, is in the home" while the ladies could respond with "if that's the case, you're on the own".  What followed was an interesting duel which ended in a draw according to the judge (Gilbert). MR. MOODY'S GARDEN This was the first time that Gilbert ever played this song live.  He was amused by the fact that when you are unknown a single that flops can become a cult song while a single that flops when you are famous is just a FLOP! WHAT COULD BE NICER (MUM THE KETTLE'S BOILING) - [From the album "BACK TO FRONT"] Reggae style OOH-WAKKA-DOO-WAKKA-DAY Four pretty teenage girls danced, a la River Dance to a recording of this song.  Gilbert said he never performed this song live but I know differently.  He said he got a lot of stick about the lyrics early on but on listening to the song recently he said that he was now very proud of the song. ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY) ENCORE MATRIMONY - [From the album "HIMSELF"] GET DOWN - [From the album "I'M A WRITER NOT A FIGHTER"] Gilbert stood up on the keyboard during the song and brought the house down. THE SHOW ENDED AT 11p.m. After the show we stayed behind in the hope that Gilbert might reappear to pose for photographs and sign autographs.  But we were told that he was too tired but that he was willing to sign any items that were presented to him. As I headed up to my room at 12.30 a.m. I bumped into Kevin who was trying to arrange to have a salad brought to Gilbert's room.  Still looking after him...what a guy!