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Magical mystery tour of Moville
17.08.10
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by Linda McGrory
BEATLES fans were treated to some great insider
knowledge of the legendary band at the weekend when
their former road manager Tony Bramwell took part in
Ireland's only dedicated festival to the Fab Four.
Bramwell revealed he even stood-up his life-long
friend and Beatle, Paul McCartney on his world tour,
to speak at the BeatlesFest on the Lough, in
Moville.
"I was supposed to be going over with Paul to
Montreal for last Thursday's concert and then on to
the Beatles festival in Chicago which is huge. But I
got an email from someone asking had I ever been to
the Irish Beatles festival. I contacted the
organisers' website and offered to come and speak,"
said the 65- year old. He revealed that rock legend
Macca wasn't in the least put out.
"He didn't mind at all. I've seen him play so many
times. I was with him in Nashville a couple of weeks
ago and I'll probably catch up with him again soon.
When I told him I was coming over to Ireland
instead, he just said 'have a great time'." |
Music promoter Bramwell,
is a former head of Apple and Polydor Records. He
names Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Depp among his
countless celebrity friends and has just finished
co-writing the script for a Hollywood film on the
story of the late singer Eva Cassidy. He is a
regular at Beatles festivals throughout the world
including the definitive one in Liverpool, and uses
the opportunity to promote and sign copies of his
top-selling memoir 'Magical Mystery Tours: My Life
with the Beatles'.
As he strolled around the small Co Donegal seaside
town on Saturday afternoon ahead of his talk and Q&A
slot later that evening, he received a text from
McCartney telling him |
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"we're both in the
paper today".
The music legend was referring to extracts from a
soon-to-be published biography on McCartney,
currently being serialised in the 'Irish Daily
Mail'.
The divorced father-of-two, later checks the paper
for his quotes on McCartney's ex-wife Heather Mills.
It's clear he never much liked his friend's second
wife.
Bramwell arrived in Co Donegal last Wednesday after
flying to Belfast from Exeter in Devon where he has
lived for the past two decades. Members of Moville
Rowing Club greeted him at Greencastle pier and
rowed him three miles down Lough Foyle to
neighbouring Moville.
While conceding it was one of the smallest Beatles
festivals he had ever appeared at, it was certainly
"the quaintest". He said he enjoyed a number of the
Beatles tribute bands and imbibed a "pint or three
of Guinness" on the festival’s pub circuit.
Festival organiser Gerry McLaughlin said Beatles
fans were "spell-bound" at Bramwell's
fly-on-the-wall details about the band as well as
his up-to-the-moment information on Macca.
"It is gratifying to know that Paul McCartney knows
about our BeatlesFest in Moville and I hope he is
not too miffed that his old buddy has chosen us over
him." |
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