Busking: this is something that Ireland knows a lot about. Busking, or street performing, is prevalent in Dublin and is a lifestyle in Galway. The greats like Bono, Van Morrison and Glen Hansard all started off busking around these streets. They sometimes come back for impromptu performances, but catching those is simply luck of the draw; Bono & Co. performed this past Christmas on Grafton Street. If you want to get a cinematic idea of what busking in Ireland looks like, just pop "Once" into your DVD player.
I took my own dive into this world last week, as my friend Jessica and I performed near Henry Street during our lunch break. Now, I’m not going to compare us to the likes of Bono or Glen, but I have to say that I’m pretty proud! We both have musical backgrounds, so that made things a bit easier and helped with the jitters. Thankfully, the Irish are used to street musicians and are generally kind to them. Though they might not always give you money, they’ll rarely give you any trouble. If anything…they’ll give you some great stories!
Jess and I only stayed out for about 20 minutes, but we managed to collect €5.00 and a Flying Chinese Lantern. That’s right, an Irish man (claiming to be "The King of Ireland"’ aka very drunk and homeless) didn’t have any money but gave us his lantern and some words of wisdom. He said, "Don’t set it off in the wind. Mmhm you sing to my soul" ...Erm, thanks? Well barely coherent or not, it is pretty nice to have a lantern and a little recognition. There might not be fame in Jess or my near futures, but there could definitely be some more busking. It’s a great away to scratch the musical itch and make some bus fare.
If you’d rather just watch the buskers, walk down Dublin’s Grafton Street or Galway’s Shop Street. You can’t miss them!