Six inches

Tonight I went to an event launching the awards program for the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society. They very cleverly commission songwriters to write songs about historic buildings. The songwriters visit the buildings and do some research until they find the hook they need. Two singers performed songs from the last two awards programs as a tease for this year's event.

One singer performed a song  about Templemore Baths, a public swimming pool where the shipyard workers went to wash up in individual stalls before going into the pool. His refrain referenced the six inches of hot water each visitor got. I just found a video of his performance two years ago, complete with photos of the baths. It's a lovely wee song.

Another singer wrote a song about the lovely art deco Bank of Ireland building--long empty and falling into disrepair. She turned it into a lonely female waiting on the corner for her ship to come in. She also wrote a song about Austen's on the Diamond, the department store in Derry. She told lovely stories about the research she did before writing the song. This also is on youtube with photos of Austen's. I'm so looking forward to this year's event, which isn't until October.

April 2