PLAYING in Enniskillen is bound to dredge up a myriad of emotions for Christy Moore. He did, after all, once declare that it was partly the IRA bombing of that town in 1987 which made him redefine his republicanism and publicly reject what had previously been his support for the "militaristic struggle." Speaking for many at the time, in 1991, he told this newspaper, "I just can't stomach it anymore.
Last year Enniskillen was bombed again. This somehow makes even more poignant the notion that Moore will probably perform for the inhabitants of that shadowed town his new-ish song, North and South of the River, which he recently described as his own attempt to "reach out" and say "can we talk?" He also suggested that "most people who hear the song think it embraces whatever bit of hope they have."
This, in essence, is part of Christy Moore's great gift as an artist. He is blessed with the ability to bring a little light, love, laughter and a sense of redemption to even the darkest of landscapes. Hopefully such moments will surface to an even more heightened degree during his forthcoming shows in Enniskillen.