The Last Irish Night...

Guinan's always seems to expand to fit the size of the crowd who wants entry into her rooms. And on Thursday night, at the final Rising of the Moon music session, she was put to the test.


The number of loyal fans coming to bid farewell was estimated at between 400 and 500, though it's hard to know for sure. From 7 p.m. on, both the store and the bar were so jammed that it's a wonder we all didn't collapse into the Hudson River. The overflow of folks spilled onto the patio to mill under heat lamps.

The festivities continued until 3 a.m.; nearly 60 cases of beer were sold with Kelly Guinan reporting that only a case of Ballantine and a few scattered other bottles remained at evening's end. Jim sang "Danny Boy" both in the bar and out in the store. He was also presented with a cake thanking him for "the moons and tunes."


For you who live nearby, there are CDs available at the store for $20 featuring Jim singing five songs: "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen," "The Dying Rebel," "Mother Mo Croi," "Galway Bay," and "Danny Boy." The CD, titled "Long Time Coming" is a limited release. All proceeds go to Jim.

Lots of wonderful pictures and video were shot that night. They'll be uploaded soon, and I'll post viewing details here. Meantime here are four shots: The store crowd photo was taken by Clemson Smith and the remaining three by Russell Cusick.