What? You don't know Sarah McQuaid? Oh dear. Well, here's your chance to remedy that!

Some years ago (4, I believe) my son and I visited St. Paddy's Festival in TweeHondjes. It was an evening to celebrate St. Patricks (weird, for a Dutch theatre, I know - they have changed it to 'Celtic Festival' since then). It was a night to remember, for not only did it introduce us to a guy called Albert Niland, but also to a singer-songwriter called Sarah McQuaid.

Sarah

A-capella

This was in the days-before-the-financial-crisis-hit-us, meaning the musical director could still ask for real Irish artists to cross the water. (It was only later that we realised that Sarah is in fact of mixed Spanish and American birth. But she has lived in Ireland. That counts for something, I suppose).

We were standing at the back of the 'small hall' (seating approx. 50 people I believe), listening to Albert Niland singing his heart out about the Kings of Kilburn High Road (marvelous song!), when a woman joined us, crowding in between Wibe and me. I immediately took notice, for she was definitely not a local. As soon as she whooped her enthusiasm for Albert, it dawned on me that this could indeed be one of the other singers.

This is what the artists see from stage.

And yes. Some hours later (she was on last) there she was. All alone on the stage of the large hall (seating 220, or something like that), with just a guitar. Which she didn't even use for the first song. She sang an a-capella Gaelic song with her rich warm alto voice, about some girl (which hardly anyone understood - obviously)...and it was beautiful.
Her playlist was not your run-of-the-mill Irish stuff, in fact it had some Spanish and some Americana on it as well. We thought she was interesting, and her music was lovely.

I got acquainted.

That evening I had spent all my money, so couldn't buy her CD. I really, really wanted it though, and looked her up on the Internet. Dropped her a line on her website, asking if I could send her the money in cash (yes - I know! I've learnt to use iDeal since then), and got a CD with a charming note. Not long afterwards, she dropped me a line, asking me if I could translate some Dutch reviews for her. Always happy to help out a fellow 'I-think-creating-is-more-important-than-big-bucks' human being, I did. (As they were rave reviews, they were fun to translate)

 

The lady gets around.

I've followed her progress ever since. Ah...the convenience of Internet! Now, you'll have to wait for Sarah - Part II. But in the meantime you can look her up, her URL is on the flyer.