Busking in Cork

rebelccfc

Walking through town today listening to them.

Must say, we must have the worst buskers in Ireland. all are absolutely brutal.

there was a guy with a guitar near Ulster bank on winthrop street today. grey hair guy with the strangest voice ever...

embarassing

Papa_Lazarou

Id say about 80% of the buskers around i wouldn't give a penny to although some days you can get some really good ones. The good ones that jump to mind would be the drummer guy outside Brown Thomas during the summers, the caribbean guy outside Murrays doing Bob Marley stuff and they might be a bit outdated but the old wife and husband who use to play on the corner of winthrop street/oliver plunkett street.

Faith

rebelccfc wrote: »

Walking through town today listening to them.

Must say, we must have the worst buskers in Ireland. all are absolutely brutal.

there was a guy with a guitar near Ulster bank on winthrop street today. grey hair guy with the strangest voice ever...

embarassing

I hate him. HATE him. I work in town, he spends hours playing by my shop. He's appalling.

There's a woman who's been around recently too, and she's equally crap. Really high pitched, reedy voice. Does my head in.

rebel10

Papa_Lazarou wrote: »

the old wife and husband who use to play on the corner of winthrop street/oliver plunkett street.

Oh my God I love those two. Haven't been in town in ages, are they still around?

mudokon

There was a guy who used to play the violin outside Waterstones that was good, havent seen him in ages though.

Papa_Lazarou

rebel10 wrote: »

Oh my God I love those two. Haven't been in town in ages, are they still around?

I think the Husband died...not sure about the wife.

mudokon wrote: »

There was a guy who used to play the violin outside Waterstones that was good, havent seen him in ages though.

That guy was in my friends class in Chríost Rí. He was alright but just always seemed to be pissed off at someone/somebody.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

I like that happy gypsy outfit that hangs out around TK Maxx sometimes, they don't even sing words, just shake jangly objects around, strum some sort of guitar and go "WAAAAP a bad dum dum DUUUMM" to the tune of Jingle Bells or something. I get two steps past them and realise I'm in a good mood for some reason and then figure out why.

Papa_Lazarou

Juan Alive Cove wrote: »

I like that happy gypsy outfit that hangs out around TK Maxx sometimes, they don't even sing words, just shake jangly objects around, strum some sort of guitar and go "WAAAAP a bad dum dum DUUUMM" to the tune of Jingle Bells or something. I get two steps past them and realise I'm in a good mood for some reason and then figure out why.

Its probably because you've inhaled half the stuff that they are smoking while you are walking past :pac::pac:

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

Papa_Lazarou wrote: »

Its probably because you've inhaled half the stuff that they are smoking while you are walking past :pac::pac:

Or twice as much quite some time before... Feckers got me with their second hand smoke before I even left the house gard, disgraceful altogether :pac:

Papa_Lazarou

Juan Alive Cove wrote: »

Or twice as much quite some time before... Feckers got me with their second hand smoke before I even left the house gard, disgraceful altogether :pac:

Yes "they"

Dan Dare

Faith wrote: »

I hate him. HATE him. I work in town, he spends hours playing by my shop. He's appalling.

There's a woman who's been around recently too, and she's equally crap. Really high pitched, reedy voice. Does my head in.

Why can't the City Council deport him and thereby boost tourism? I have turned on my heel and gone in another direction so as not to hear him. Diabolical singer.:eek:

mudokon

Papa_Lazarou wrote: »

That guy was in my friends class in Chríost Rí. He was alright but just always seemed to be pissed off at someone/somebody.

Maybe he has a touch of The Soloist going on.

The ones that really annoy me at the moment are the guys with the pan pipes. They were really good when they used to play, now it just seems to be one guy turns up with his CD player & stands around chatting while the CD plays.

Still has the cheek to put the little basket out for money as well.

Papa_Lazarou

mudokon wrote: »

Maybe he has a touch of The Soloist going on.

The ones that really annoy me at the moment are the guys with the pan pipes. They were really good when they used to play, now it just seems to be one guy turns up with his CD player & stands around chatting while the CD plays.

Still has the cheek to put the little basket out for money as well.

Ah i like that guy....well i've always loved the panpipes so he was always a distraction while i'm waiting for the no.14

The guys i hate are those fellows in the army camouflage who play the rebel songs at the corner of brown thomas there some days.......what a crock of shíte they are.

Flamed Diving

I don't like that solo drummer guy. It's just aimless noise.

mudokon

Papa_Lazarou wrote: »

Ah i like that guy....well i've always loved the panpipes so he was always a distraction while i'm waiting for the no.14

The guys i hate are those fellows in the army camouflage who play the rebel songs at the corner of brown thomas there some days.......what a crock of shíte they are.

I like the sound of panpipes too, it's just the fact that he has the little tray out for pressing a play button. I never see him play the pan pipes anymore. If he was just selling CD's then it would be fair enough.

Flamed Diving wrote: »

I don't like that solo drummer guy. It's just aimless noise.

I know & he always attracts a big crowd.

rebelccfc

Must say though... there was an opera singer around during xmas.. he was very good.

ever see the guy with glasses, he's either by hallmark or on oliver plunkett street. big hole in his pants and a really really hoarse voice.

he's a lunatic

colblimp

rebelccfc wrote: »

ever see the guy with glasses, he's either by hallmark or on oliver plunkett street. big hole in his pants and a really really hoarse voice.

he's a lunatic

You're on about the guy that holds his cap in his hand to collect money? He is a blatant perv, bordering on illegal. I've seen him in certain shops trying to peer into womens changing rooms - I kid you not. He's banned from a few shops, too. And he can't sing for sh!t!

simu

Loving this thread.

As a user of the 14 bus, I find the panpipes add an extra touch of surrealistic cheesiness to the wait at the bus shelter. Have seen the short South American guy drinking on the street outside my apartment on occasion.

There's a guy who plays guitar outside the Crawford Gallery who is pretty good.

Hate passive aggressive buskers who attempt and, in my case, fail to guilt you into giving them money though.

randomuser77

There's a few lads who do trad Irish music across the way from the GPO on Oliver Plunkett Street. Line up rotates but they sound just like the Dubliners. There's one who reminds me of Ronny Drew and there's another who plays the banjo and sounds exactly like Luke Kelly. I like Luke Kelly anyway, but it's sort of haunting to hear it being emulated so accurately. Shiver down the spine stuff. Fantastic.

Papa_Lazarou

The old guy who use to do the tap-dancing outside brown thomas....love him or hate him he still drew a huge crowd for his eh "preformances"

That opera singer that somebody mentioned is moving round the place...saw him down by rory gallagher place or whatever that gothic meet-up place is called :P
Anybody remember the guy who use to play the saw outside MC Donalds on winthrop street,he was feckin brilliant. I think he played a song for a soundtrack for a French movie.

D-Generate

There used to be a great saxophonist dude before, he used to play behind waterstones and various other places. Even saw him on the Late Late Show once before. Wonder where he is now.
The guy I hate the most is the guy on one of the streets just off Oliver Plunkett Street, might be Marlborough or Princes Street. He "plays" a violin but all he does is make sounds like a cat being strangled. It seems like he just picked it up one day and thought he might have a go. I was hoping to see if he would improve over time wihtout having lessons because i thought surely you would learn to make better sounds as time went on, but nope, he never did.

Flamed Diving

How about the guy who busks next to the Ulster Bank ATM by the fountain? He has been there for at least 11 years, on my count. He just sits on the ground and strums without a sound... beginning of a song there!

Bill-e

The Opera guy sang at my friends wedding. He's really talented. I believe he gave up a really good job to focus fully on his singing career.

I always notice him cause he's a good half a foot taller then me and I'm 6'3 like!

sunnyside

I don't like the panpipes at all. The tall opera singer is great and there's a guy called John O'Dreams I think , I like him too.

darkdubh

That guy who calls himself Fionnbarra,he's got a voice like a crow,can't sing for sh!t.

deRanged

I spotted this guy today:

I reckon he wins, simply for taking up half the street while busking

rebelccfc

^^^^^ i saw him when walking back to work yesterday.

there was a girl dancing next to him when i walked past.

Steoob

Nah my favourite has to be the guy who plays the harmonica at the brog entrance to the market. Just pays the same thing over and over again every 4 seconds

babo9

Anyone ever see the guy who used to play a saw like a violin?
Only ever saw him twice about 3 or 4 years ago, he was outside Gino's pizza.

Thought he was class just for the fact he could play a damn saw like a violin!!

rebel10

Yes did see him, although it was quite a while ago. Very original alright

JaneHudson

There was a good guitarist on the side street by the Moderne the other week. I find the scary ones tend to be on Oliver Plunkett Street!

wazzoraybelle

babo9 wrote: »

Anyone ever see the guy who used to play a saw like a violin?
Only ever saw him twice about 3 or 4 years ago, he was outside Gino's pizza.

Thought he was class just for the fact he could play a damn saw like a violin!!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/31/victoria-coren-henry-dagg-martin-amis
The guys name is henry dagg from bath, he used to come over every december for years and makes musical sculptures, victoria coren in the guardian has done a few articles on him in the last few months.

Papa_Lazarou

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypi-sDKUQRo

This is the saw man in all his glory with one of his inventions.

Purple Lemons

JaneHudson wrote: »

There was a good guitarist on the side street by the Moderne the other week.

I think i seen him last Saturday, really good looking guy?

ANarcho-Munk

The guitarist that plays outside the Crawford Art Gallery is really good. Some amazingly nice, relaxed atmospheric guitar playing that you can still hear reverberating when inside the Art Gallery. Blissful.

Owen

Papa_Lazarou wrote: »

That guy was in my friends class in Chríost Rí. He was alright but just always seemed to be pissed off at someone/somebody.

There weren't many of us in Chríost Rí who played the Violin, wonder who it is. It's not me anyway, I only ever busked twice in Cork.

Owen

D-Generate wrote: »

The guy I hate the most is the guy on one of the streets just off Oliver Plunkett Street, might be Marlborough or Princes Street. He "plays" a violin but all he does is make sounds like a cat being strangled. It seems like he just picked it up one day and thought he might have a go. I was hoping to see if he would improve over time wihtout having lessons because i thought surely you would learn to make better sounds as time went on, but nope, he never did.

Is that the small guy with long black greasy hair in a pony tail and really pitted skin? If it is, he's an unmerciful pr*ck. He came into a shop I worked in about 12 years ago looking for an elastic band to keep his poster wrapped up. We genuinely didn't have one, it was one of my first jobs and I went out of my way to be friendly, and he started up in the loudest cockney accent shouting and roaring and creating a scene in a shop which was already busy with patiently waiting customers, and then held everyone up with his tantrum for a full 5 mins.

BredaM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdKGeSl9Pcg