Art « Thurles Information

We Should Be Together.

Lyrics: American country music specialist, record producer and songwriter Allen Reynolds
Vocals: American country music singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the late Donald Ray Williams.

The song hereunder is a lovely country classic made famous by the late Don Williams, still one of the most gentle and respected voices in country music. Don Williams had a way of singing that felt simple, honest, and straight from the heart. His songs often spoke about love, memories, tenderness, and the quiet emotions we sometimes find hard to put into words.
The song “We Should Be Together.” It is a beautiful song about two people who share a special connection and the feeling that, no matter what has happened or how life has turned out, they truly belong with one another.
It carries that warm Don Williams style: calm, sincere, and full of feeling and we hope the song brings back good memories for some of our readers.

We Should Be Together.

I think about you,
When I don’t want to,
Dream about your smiling face,
And I keep trying not to love you,
But I love you anyway.
We should be together, together,
We should be walking side by side,
We should be together, together,
Keeping each other satisfied.
I have thought to come to know you,
I’ve come to need your company,
What will I do if I can’t have you,
If I can’t have you,
What will I do.
We should be together, together,
We should be walking side by side,
We should be together, together,
Keeping each other satisfied.
We should be together, together,
We should be walking side by side,
We should be together, together,
Keeping each other satisfied.

END

Golden Age Hollywood Star Ann Blyth Dies At The Age Of 98.

Ann (Anne) Marie Blyth, the singer and Oscar-nominated actress remembered for her unforgettable performance as Veda Pierce in the 1945 classic Mildred Pierce, has died at the age of 98.

The Hollywood Golden Age star died of natural causes on Wednesday, according to US media reports.

Blyth became widely known as Joan Crawford’s spoiled and scheming on-screen daughter in Mildred Pierce, a role she played as a teenager. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and helped make her one of the standout young stars of the era.

The film also brought Crawford the only Oscar of her career, for Best Actress, and remains one of the defining melodramas of 1940s Hollywood.

Born Ann Marie Blyth in Mount Kisco, New York, on 16 August 1928, Blyth began performing at a young age, first as a singer and stage performer before moving into films. Her soprano voice later helped her move naturally into musical roles.

Across the 1940s and 1950s, she appeared in a wide range of films, including Brute Force, Mr Peabody and the Mermaid, The Great Caruso, One Minute to Zero, The World in His Arms, The Student Prince, Kismet and The Helen Morgan Story.

Her career was briefly halted after she suffered a serious back injury in a toboggan accident, but she later returned to the screen and continued to work in film, theatre and television.

After stepping away from cinema in the late 1950s, Blyth made occasional television appearances, including roles in The Twilight Zone and Murder, She Wrote. Her final screen appearance came in a 1985 episode of Murder, She Wrote.

Blyth was married to James McNulty from 1953 until his death in 2007. The couple had five children. In 1973, she and her husband, both Roman Catholics were accorded the honorific rank of Lady and Knight of the Holy Sepulchre in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Cooke.

She now leaves behind her a legacy as one of the last stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, remembered for her grace, versatility and a chilling performance in Mildred Pierce that remains a landmark of classic American cinema.

Goin’ Back.

Lyrics: American lyricist the late Gerry Goffin (1939 -2014) and former wife American singer-songwriter and musician Carole King.
Vocals: English mezzo-soprano the late Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien (1939 – 1999), better known by her stage name as Dusty Springfield.

Released in 1966, “Goin’ Back” is a beautifully wistful song about memory, innocence, and the longing to reconnect with a simpler part of ourselves. With its gentle build and aching sense of reflection, it has become one of the most beloved recordings of its era, reaching the UK Top 10 and remaining a touchstone for anyone who has ever looked back and wondered what time leaves behind.

Goin’ Back.

I think I’m goin’ back to the things I learned so well in my youth.
I think I’m returning to those days when I was young enough to know the truth.
Now there are no games to only pass the time,
No more coloring books, no Christmas bells to chime,
But thinking young and growing older is no sin,
And I can play the game of life to win.
I can recall the time when I wasn’t ashamed to reach out to a friend,
And now I think I’ve got a lot more than a skipping rope to lend.
Now there’s more to do than watch my sailboat glide.
And everyday can be my magic carpet ride,
And I can play hide and seek with my fears,
And live my days instead of counting my years.
Let everyone debate the true reality,
I’d rather see the world the way it used to be,
A little bit of freedom’s all we lack,
So catch me if you can I’m goin’ back.

END

The Rose.

Lyrics: American singer-songwriter and actress Ms Amanda McBroom.
Vocals: American-Irish folk group The Kells recorded on their album “Celtic Echoes“.

The song hereunder is the much-loved ballad “The Rose,” with lyrics by the American singer-songwriter and actress Amanda McBroom. It is a song that speaks gently but powerfully about love, hope, and the courage to open the heart again.
This version is performed by the American-Irish folk group “The Kells“, whose warm harmonies and Celtic feeling bring a tender new colour to this song. It reminds us that even through darkness and silence, love can still bloom.
So grab a tea/coffee, sit, close your eyes and listen.

The Rose.

Some say, “Love. It is a river,
That drowns the tender reed”.
Some say, “Love. It is a razor,
That leaves your soul to bleed”.
Some say, “Love, It is a hunger,
An endless aching need”,
But I say, “Love, It is a flower,
That grows in the wild green fields,
Beneath the ancient Irish Sky,
Where the soft rain kisses the stone,
Through the longest winter nights,
A single bloom finds its way home”.
When the night has been too lonely,
And the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only,
For the lucky and the strong.
Just remember in the winter,
Far beneath the bitter snow,
Lies the seed that with the sun’s love,
In the spring becomes the rose.
It’s the heart afraid of breaking,
That never learns to dance.
It’s the dream afraid of waking,
That never takes the chance.
It’s the one who won’t be taken,
Who cannot seem to give,
And the soul afraid of dying,
That never learns to live.
Beneath the emerald hills of Erin,
Where the wild roses softly grow,
Through the mist and morning dew,
Hope awakens, soft and slow.
Like the shamrock in the meadow,
Or the fire in an old stone hearth,
Love will bloom when least expected,
And heal the weary heart.
It’s the heart afraid of breaking,
That never learns to dance.
It’s the dream afraid of waking,
That never takes the chance.
It’s the one who won’t be taken,
Who cannot seem to give,
And the soul afraid of dying,
That never learns to live.
When you feel the cold wind calling,
And the darkness closes in,
Hold on to the quiet promise,
That the light will come again.
For every thorn there is a petal,
Every winter has its spring,
Love is born in gentle courage,
And it makes the broken heart sing.
It’s the heart afraid of breaking,
That never learns to dance,
It’s the dream afraid of waking,
That never takes the chance.
So open wide your arms to living,
Let the wild rose bloom inside,
For the soul that dares to love fully,
Is the soul that truly comes alive.
Some say, “Love. It is a river,
But I say love it is the rose”.
The rose; in the Irish wind it grows.

END

Did You Get A Card, Or Just The Bill?

The Dáil That Keeps on Giving – With Your Money.

Did you get your taxpayer-funded Christmas card, calendar, sympathy card, congratulations card, bookmark, postcard, or perhaps a handy copy of the 1916 Proclamation?

No? Strange. Because since the start of last year, TDs and Senators managed to produce more than 10.5 million customised print items through the Oireachtas print facility, all in connection, we are told, with “parliamentary duties”.

Among the highlights from this festival of ink and entitlement were: – 167,600 calendars, 65,210 Christmas cards, 45,225 greeting cards, 25,570 sympathy cards, 3,990 congratulations cards, customised bookmarks, postcards, and 8,700 copies of the 1916 Proclamation.

Nothing says “Republic” quite like printing the Proclamation at public expense while 85,000 newsletters and leaflets end up being pulped because they were never collected.

One batch of 35,000 newsletters apparently had an error. Another 30,000 booklets were printed in double the required amount. A further 20,000 were not collected after illness and, understandably, “went out of his head”.

Of course, mistakes happen. Usually, when ordinary people make them at work, there is a cost. In Leinster House, the cost appears to be paper, ink, staff time, recycling and the taxpayer’s patience.

From Leinster House with Love – Postage Included?

And here is the real festive question: if all these cards and calendars are being printed at our expense, who is paying for the stamps? Did TDs and Senators have access to prepaid Oireachtas envelopes?

So, did you get a card? Did you get a calendar? Did you get a bookmark? Did you get a sympathy card before you even knew you needed sympathy?