Episode 2 I Lár an Aonaigh

# Every single day I'm blown away... #

We work between the hours of seven at night to seven in the morning.

If some package has to go to Dublin, Galway, Derry, Belfast, whatever,

we would contact, or the hospital would contact, our coordinator.

The coordinator would contact the rider,

say, for example, myself, to see if I'm able to go

and what time I'm able to go at.

When I tell him that I can go,

he then contacts, for instance, Dublin,

to see if a rider can come and meet me,

and meet up with the rider from Dublin.

And why do you do it, John Joe?

Um...

It sort of keeps me...

It keeps me on the bike, for a start, and it's something decent,

it's giving something back again to the community.

Is it something you get a buzz off, the fact that you're helping out

-and that you're providing a useful service?

-You do, you do.

By the time you get back and you know you've done something,

you may have helped save someone's life, you know,

so it gives you a good feeling.

-You've been nominated to talk today.

-Yeah.

Is it a democratic family here in Cup O'Joe?

No, not really.

No, not really at all! Tabatha is the main boss and she nominated me.

That is good to know.

How did you all get into bluegrass and gypsy jazz music?

Well, we grew up going to the Omagh Bluegrass Festival.

That's how we kind of got introduced to the bluegrass,

and with gypsy jazz it kind of lends itself to bluegrass

and we found that within the bluegrass circles.

But it's one thing to be introduced to a type of music

and another to be completely consumed by it,

so what is it about this style of music that keeps you wanting more?

I think it's just the people that you meet

and it's the jams that you get into, and playing together with people,

learning the same tunes, things like that.

And I suppose it's kind of like the Irish traditional music,

you just have a...

There's like a family, almost, of musicians

and everybody knows each other,

and I think that's the main thing for us.

Yeah, it's a very healthy scene. And where your music is concerned,

you do compose and write some of your own music

but you also do a lot of research.

What sources do you use?

Yeah, well, we use... YouTube would be a pretty big one

and of course seeing different bands out live,

but we would listen to a wide range of stuff

and then, when we're writing a song,

try to incorporate a good bit into the song, so...

You received a massive boost last year as well

with the nomination for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards.

Just what opportunities did that bring you?

Yeah, that was amazing. We...

It probably brought us closer to the scene in England

and we've been asked over to England five or six times to festivals

-and it's really boosted our gig and festival...

-Presence?

-Presence, yeah.

-And a lot of contacts as well, I'm presuming.

A lot of contacts, yeah, and a lot of other musicians that we can meet

and can play with and get better with

and, yeah, a massive boost to us.

Are there any big plans to go into the recording studio any time soon?

Yes, we hope to go into the recording studio in the near future.

There's a studio in England with a guy called Leon Hunt,

and we're hoping to go in with him pretty soon.

Just a guy called Leon Hunt,

one of the best banjo players in the world, but...

I look forward to hearing the results of that collaboration.

Thank you very much for coming in.

MUSIC: Underdog by Kasabian

# Kill me if you dare... #

WHISTLE BLOWS

# I'm the underdog

# I live my life on a lullaby... #

What's great for Conor in this here

is he has a lot more in common with his peers,

so where he would be at school,

he wouldn't maybe have the familiarity of talking to people

about different disabilities and what problems they go through,

where an outlet like this is great for them, you know.

So they're getting the sport, plus they're getting

that peer advice as well, so it's great for them all.

FINAL WHISTLE BLOWS

MUSIC: Keep Your Head Up by Ben Howard

# My days are like an evening shadow

# They fade away like morning dew

# While others have it all around them

# They'll never have that something new

# They'll never have that something new

# While our rising bluebird's calling

# With purpose in each sound they make

# I think about the life I'm giving

# And try to never granted take

# And try to never granted

# This bare land that I must wander

# This bare land that I must roam

# It's enough to 'gin my mind to wander

# Where beauty seems to come and go

# Where beauty seems to come and go

# While our rising bluebird's calling

# With purpose in each sound they make

# I think about the life I'm giving

# And try to never granted take

# And try to never granted take

# My days are like an evening shadow

# They fade away like morning dew

# While others have it all around them

# They'll never have that something new

# They'll never have that something new. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE