That night, Sean had a dream that he stumbled back down into the pub in the morning and everyone was drinking Guinness for breakfast hmmmm...
In reality, the Irish breakfast has a reputation. When we commented on the size of the breakfast in Scotland, they all said, "wait till you get to Ireland!" They were right. Thanks so much to Chris and Tricia for their brilliant hospitality.

Monday was a free evening so we agreed to an impromptu house concert at Kathy's place. Kathy is Tom's (our host) niece. Sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles arrived with food and drink for a fabulous kitchen party. When we took a break someone started a song and the room exploded into harmony. Again, one by one, each of the guests took turns singing and playing songs and we were jamming late into the night.

Guinness again...

Sunday morning we got up early and headed out from Carlisle to catch the noon ferry from Stanraer. Ended up on a windy road narrow road through Galloway Forest Park (back in Scotland) and thought we were headed back to the highlands, but we made it to the right highway after all and were at the ferry ontime. At one point I saw a flash of lights out of the corner of my eye and thought we were in for it, about to be pulled over (into the hedge I guess). Turns out it was just the first sunlight we'd seen in days flashing through the trees, there for a moment and then gone. The sun came all the way out as soon as we got on the ferry to Belfast and we were off to Ireland.

We picked up Steve at the airport and then drove west to County Mayo, a small town called Balla (pronounced Ball) where an enthusiastic crowd of locals awaited us at Mannions Pub. We had a good show and when our set finished, then the real party began. The jam started with Tom, our host, picking up a guitar and one by one others joined in singing and playing till we found our selves hours later surrounded by Guinness glasses and listening to a beautiful chorus of Irish songs. We finally made our way upstairs to our sleeping quarters above the pub at around 3am. After all it was a sunday night.


Stout of the day: What else? Guinness

We were sad to leave the misty moors, haunted castles, and peaty bogs of Scotland, but most especially the friends and the good times. We left Edinburgh early Saturday morning and since then we've been on an epic adventure to Ireland. We'll have to do a little catchup here...

First Stop - the Ireby Music Festival in Cumbria, in the North of England. A beautiful spot in the countryside, the Village of Ireby hosts the festival... And I mean hosts!!



The main stage is on the property of Ellenside, a beautiful house with a warm and inviting kitchen. Susan laid out fabulous food all day long and took care of us all with style. We listened to some great artists, Wes Finch and the Dirty Band, our good friends The Jaywalkers, Tatie Jam, Sam Carter, Elkie Brooks and many more! Then had a great jam with Danny and Katus! The whole village seems to get behind the event with venues at the church, the pub and the hall.

Ale of the Day : Tarnmonath Golden Ale

oops! Forgot one... We were in such a hurry leaving Leith that we forgot to write about it our show there! The Leith Folk club was held at The Village Pub, a great little spot, with a nice room for live music. We met some great folks there, including our friend Robin from Vancouver! And some very enthusiastic old time music lovers! Leith was also the home of the largest fish and chips to be had on tour!


Ale of the Day: Duechers IPA (to cut the grease)

Busked in Inverness today in a passageway keeping us from the rain. The Scottish are generous, contrary to rumour, and extremely friendly. A highly supportive busking audience despite the rain.

Tonight we streamed live again from the Strathpeffer Coffee Shop. It was great fun! Such a good vibe from this little gem in the Highlands. The Night was opened by an open mic session from many talented locals. What an amazing music community! We were truly blessed to be in Inverness (missed you Fash). Folks even tuned in from Vancouver, Texas, California and Idaho!

Now we are sitting at the Mackenzie house with our hosts and enjoying a bit of Highland Park, a single malt that we picked up at the gas station. That's right, Canadians... the Gas Station.


No Ale today, it will have to be Scotch...

Scotch of the Day - Highland Park "The greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whiskey" and also one of the only distilleries still doing the whole process themselves from start to finish. Very nice!

Next stop is Dingwall and Strathpeffer, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A wee dram with our friend Rob Ellen when we arrive and then the next day exploring haunted castles. Well, just one... Tulloch Castle, built by the Davidson Clan and said to be haunted by the "green lady" (especially room number 8, which the receptionist did not offer to show us. She seemed nervous). Apparently a young guest at a wedding took a spooky photo in the stairwell in which appears a ghostly hand! Vipers love ghost stories. I'm sure we'll collect a few more...


We officially kicked off our tour with an experimental live streaming event on Stageit.com live from the Medicine Show Coffee Shop sessions in Strathpeffer. It was a fun and unique experience, sort of like putting on a show in front of a mirror, but there are actually people watching from the strangest places. We'll do it again tomorrow, but we'll have a live audience as well. Tomorrow's show will be at 8pm BST, that's noon in Vancouver. So tune in if you can!


Tonight we are staying in the Mackenzie House! It used to be a hospital, but now they call it the Country and Western Infirmary. Maybe a ghost here too? Steve and Clancy are regular hosts to travelling musicians and they own a bike shop called Square Wheels. Steve is also a big Neil Young fan! That's Neil's harmonica in the picture.

Ale of the Day: Didn't make it to the pub today, but tried a Black Ale Organic Red Kite Ale in a bottle last night, and that wee dram - Aberlour 10 yr.

Monday - Due to the remarkable wind, Viper Central was indoors today. We spent the afternoon in our top floor castle, rehearsing and jamming, getting ready for the shows ahead. At the end of the day we finally stumbled out into what was left of the daylight to see if we could catch a local folk session. First stop was Sandy Bells, a well known Edinburgh joint with some lively tunes and lively folk. On tap was Caledonian 80, a dark and nutty ale, and on the lighter side, Ossian, a smooth blonde. If you look closely at the photo, you may also notice the specials board in the background - Highland Park, 2.50!

We gave up our seats and moved out into the windy night to see if we could find something a little less traditional, maybe a jam we could join? Hard to believe all the busy pubs hosting live music on a Monday night. After hopping around a bit, we eventually found ourselves back at another traditional session at a bar called The Whiski. Local band Muckle Flugga was tearing it up while locals took turns singing traditional Scottish ballads. We stepped up for a couple of tunes just as they were wrapping up and made a few friends in the process.

Not bad for a rainy monday...

Ale of the Day - Caledonian 80

Vipers Arrive in Scotland!

After a long hot journey crossing the english channel, waiting for broken down trains, missing each other in airports, shuttling to rental cars, and driving (on the left) through central London to pick up a bass, Kathleen, Tyler, and Mark finally got on the road to Scotland. The jet lagged napped, and took turns driving to our stop at the Bradford etap (european version of super 8, or for Canadians, one step down from the Holiday Inn)

Next morning it was on the road to Edinburgh! Quick stop for a terrible breakfast of fake egg sandwich, and off to pick up Sean Cronin at the airport, fresh from a German tour with Redgrass. Then it was Leith Radio FM for some on air promotion. Jim from AcousticRoutes took us for our first real ale afterwards, and our first pint together!

Ale of the Day: Light Edinburgh Draft