So there I was, doing a bit of guitar practice with The Diligent Drumcondra Man and The Santa Dude. We got to chatting about the upcoming gig in The Great Institution of Chatham Street and before I had time to say that Acker Bill is your only man for clarinet, I had agreed to dust off My Beloved Yamaha and prepare a few tunes for the evening of November 16. And so it came to pass that ‘Stranger on the shore’ has been getting an airing or two in The Ranch. it will bring a bit of variety to proceedings on the big night.

Over in the sporting world it’s all happening in the cricket. Ireland beating England in the T20 World Cup and then news filters through today that the Indian women are to be paid the same as the men.

The Berlin Wall of sport is starting to crumble, and not before time.