Going out on a limb today for my first concert solo with just me and the ukulele. Irish songs were the theme, it being St Patrick’s Day, so I took a big deep breath and sang (and had residents singing along to) Danny Boy, Galway Bay, When Irish Eyes are Smiling, The Rose of Tralee, Molly Malone. I threw in a couple of old classics that are less well-known – the Stuttering Lovers and Down By the Sally Gardens – and of course some Australian/Irish classics – The Wild Colonial Boy and Moreton Bay. A really beautiful reaction from residents, whose feedback included ‘Beautiful and unpretentious’, ‘Very sexy dress’ (I wore my lime green jumpsuit) and ‘I loved all of it’. One lovely gentleman knew all of Moreton Bay and swayed along, and several people sang along to Danny Boy in particular, so I had a choir of angels!

A huge personal success for me, because I played the uke and sang along and everyone loved it, but also it was a delight to be singing non-operatic songs and still having the crowd enjoying themselves. I must admit that I tested the songs out on my Irish neighbours the day beforehand, and it brought tears to their eyes, so I had a feeling it was going to be ok!

Looking forward to doing a few more gigs on my own like this… I adore my fellow musicians, and would never stop playing with them, but sometimes it’s nice to fly solo!