Julien St-Jean
Bristol August 26, 2021
Music lovers gathered at Starborn Farms near Bristol last Thursday for a hooley organized by Chris Judd.
A hooley, Judd explained, is a traditional Irish party with music. The event had 11 musicians performing mainly on guitar, fiddle and percussion, though a train whistle was used in a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.”
“You get an awful lot of friendships when you have something like this,” said Jeannie Judd, one of the event’s hosts. She explained that the hooley has been going for more than four years and sees a number of regular attendees.
The hooley was the second in person since the beginning of the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the hooley was held at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Shawville, but had been held over Zoom after restrictions were put in place. Jeannie noted that musicians sound much better in person.
“It’s good to be back,” said Brent Plouffe, who’s been playing at the hooley since it first started. “I just like to be seeing everyone again.”
Plouffe is one of many musicians who performed at the event, playing a variety of country songs new and old. According to Chris, this was at the heart of why he started hosting the hooley in the first place.
“I knew there were a bunch of musicians in the area who were afraid to come up and play in public, but would get together and play,” said Chris. “So we started this as a place to get together and have a good time.”
Chris explained that the hooley is about giving local musicians a place to perform and practice or simply listen to music without having to pay. He explained that many attendees have been coming for years and that he’s seen musicians develop over the years.
“A lot of people start there and have never played before in their life. But then they go up there and everyone helps them along,” said Chris.
“It’s just a great time without spending money,” he added.
