Archives
Webmaster's 2005 Newsletters
January 24, 2005
April 3, 2005
June 23, 2005
August 1, 2005
September 26, 2005
November 17, 2005
December 7, 2005
December 22, 2005
The past six weeks have been extremely hectic what with the holidays and so much going on with Paddy and Bill.
There have been quite a few changes to the site. First of all I added a FAQ page to take care of some of the questions people ask. I am sure this page will be added to in the future so if you have a question please check there. If your question is not there just send me an email and I willl take care of it.
Another major change is the simplification of the About Us category. I have now moved the history, timeline, equipment, bio data, interviews, etc there. The biggest change there was the simplification of the bio data. It is now focused on Paddy and Bill's music career with very little reference to their personal life which is what they prefer. It is really much more professional now and I think much easier to navigate through that category.
We seem to be having a burst of interest in the forums and guestbooks. Thanks for taking the time to post on either of them. These things sort of run hot and cold so I am very glad to see the sudden renewed interest. I know how much Paddy and Bill value your input.
The new CD should be out very soon now - probably by mid-February. I have added a thread to the forum where I will post info as it becomes available. I have heard some of the tracks and it is truly awesome.
Paddy and I had one of those rare chances to have a rather long, uninterrupted chat over the past weekend. One of the things Paddy mentioned is that he would really like to get feedback/comments/criticism about the site, the music, the gigs, etc. Just post to the guestbook or forum, or send us an email. It would also be nice to get the journal going too. We get tons of comments at the gigs but it is hard for any of us to remember everything that is said by so many people in such a short time. So, send your comments to us so we will know what you would like to see here or hear at the gigs, etc.
Be safe, be happy and, above all, have fun each and every day. See you next time.
Laura Harper
Webmaster
January 24, 2005
I am beginning to think that we are going to be in this hectic state forever. One thing keeps leading into another but it is really a fun time!!!!
We finally have the shamrockandroll.com domain back and in operation. The URL is http://shamrockandroll.com. It took two years to get it back so I cannot begin to tell you just how exciting it is. Of course it just points to the official site but it is great to have it back just the same.
There have been lots of additions to the Fan Club exclusives. I moved some of the slideshows there so that they are now password controlled. Some of the 'stars' prefer to have it that way which is OK by me.
Uncircumcised (the new CD) is out and doing very well. There are MP3 clips of Angel Dream and the National Anthem on the site. I learned that doing MP3 clips of live recordings is not quite as easy as those from studio recordings. I am still not very happy with the Angel Dream clip and hope to get a better one on here soon. Just another learning curve for me!!!
The Fan Club membership is really climbing. Thanks to all of you for taking the time to register and post on the forum. Both Paddy and Bill read each and every one of the posts - you can count on that!!!! They really value your input whether it be on the forum or the guestbooks. So please keep them coming.
We have received quite a few responses to the website critique. Thanks for letting us know what you think of the site. I am very happy to say that, so far, ALL the comments have been great. Thank you very much.
Be safe, be happy and, above all, have fun each and every day. See you next time.
Laura Harper
Webmaster
April 3, 2005
It has been a while since I put something on here. There have been lots of changes on the site during this past two months.
I wanted to make the site new and fresh while still having the same content (which almost all of you seem to think is ok, judging by the critiques that we have received). The home page has a total new look and I created graphics for all the page anchors and banners throughout the site. This should make the pages load quite a bit faster. The change to the entry page is very noticeable. I change the image on that page very often so you never know what you will see when you go there. Seems people like to get a little surprise when the curtain opens!! If you have not been there lately, take a peek.
The fan club is growing by leaps and bounds. We now have over 500 members - Will, from Ft Bragg, was number 500 and received a free CD. The relocation of the Oops!! Slideshow and all the Bawdy Pub Song Stars Slideshows was a real boost there. There have been several new slideshows added which seem to be sure-fire winners. These slideshows were moved to the Fan Club so that they can be password protected. Some of the "stars" would rather not have their photos so easily accessible so this seemed to be the answer. Besides, the Fan Club members deserve something a little special!!!
All three guestbooks have been upgraded to professional level and I restored the email and website features. There had been lots of problems with spammers and such but our host has added a new security feature which will hopefully put a stop to that. I am going to try it for a while but if the problems return I will remove the features again. You can always add your name to Paddy's email list by clicking on the link at the top of the page on his guestbook.
There is a tentative gig date at a new venue - Mash House in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is located in the mall area very near restaurant row. There will be a page added to the site as soon as the date is confirmed. It sure will be nice to have Paddy and Bill perform in the local area on a Saturday night!!
Thanks to all of you for your response to the website critique, and for the wonderful comments. There have been a couple of great suggestions which I am working on now. You should see them reflected on the site in the very near future.
I cannot begin to thank all of you enough for all the wonderful comments, both at the gigs and via emails. Paddy has received some very good comments which he has passed on to me. We are all very pleased with the feedback; sort of lets us know that we are doing something right.
That is it for this time. Be safe, be happy and, above all, have fun each and every day. See you next time.
Laura Harper
Webmaster
June 23, 2005
We have been having problems with some pages on the site for the past several days. I really do not have a clue as to what is going on, some seemed to be corrupted and others just simply vanished. So far the pages have all been associated with the main site. Neither Shenanigans At The Gigs nor the Fan Club have been involved in these outages. Of course the guestbooks and the forum have not been involved since they are all remote. I had to bring the home page down for quite a while today because I kept getting error messages but was not able to repair that page. The page has been rebuilt and is now up and running. Oh, the joy of cyberworld!!!!!
On Saturday night, July 16, Paddy and Bill did their first performance at a military installation. They played at JR Rockers on Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina. It was quite a bit different from their other
gigs but they did an outstanding job. JR Rockers is a very nice and very large bar/club and the people were very receptive to Paddy and Bill. We had quite a few of the regulars there along with some of the Hashers
so it really turned out to be a really wild and crazy evening!! ..........
Paddy and Bill's first gig at the Mash House on July 30 was a whopping success. It was standing room only for two hours prior to the gig start time and stayed that way until the end. I got 949 photos and am slowly but surely getting them edited and online. Check them out when you get a chance..........Shenanigans At Mash House on July 30, 2005..........There will be some, I do not know how many but I am sure about one at this point, added to the Fan Club Exclusives.
Thanks to all of you for taking the time to become a member of the fan club. I continue adding shots to the exclusive slideshows. Remember, these slideshows are for members only so please do not share your password with others. The link to the index page and the slideshows is changed frequently so you will need to check for the current one which is posted on the forum. Not a member but want to join? ..........Click Here
The current entry page is truly awesome especially with Bill playing the national anthem and the crowd singing along. It will remain there, in response to a special request, for several days. This photo and the background music really depicts what P&B are all about. I remember that night well and this was truly an awesome experience.
I have added two new categories..........Paddy's Personal Time and Paddy's Notes..........to the site. Otherwise, there has not been much change other than adding the latest gig photos and a redesign of the Calendar, which I just learned is down so I will get to work on that immediately and hopefully will have it back up and running soon.
If you are on either Paddy's mailing list or the Fan Club mailing list please make sure that we have a correct email address for you. Email the Webmaster providing both the old and the new address so that we can keep our lists up to date. Those with free email accounts, such as Hot Mail, Yahoo, etc, need to make sure that you check that mailbox rather often because lots of those emails bounce back for one reason or the other.
That's it for this time. Be safe, be happy and, above all, have fun each and every day. See you next time.
Laura Harper
Webmaster
August 1, 2005
There have been quite a few changes on the site since I was here last. I guess you all know by now that I no longer do a revisions page. That is now part of Week At A Glance on the entry page.
I have had lots of comments about the new concept for the entry page. I must say that they were all very good so we will go with that idea for a while. This week I have one of Paddy alone due to his new status as an American Citizen. I never know what I will put there next; just whatever comes to mind when I decide to change it. Of course I can never put the risque stuff there!!!!
We have lots of exciting stuff coming up. Saturday, October 1, Paddy and Bill will be performing at the first Raleigh Gaelic Festival from 7:30-8:30pm. They will be opening for the Prodigals. Paddy and Bill will also be performing at the Tir Na Nog after-party. I understand it is going to be a jam session with lots of the Irish musicians on stage. Paddy is very excited about that. Click on the links below for all the info about the Irish Festival and the after-party. JoeP and I will both be there with cameras rolling!!
Tir Na Nog After-Party
Raleigh Gaelic Festival
Paddy and Bill will be back at the Mash House on Saturday, October 15. The last gig there was a blast so I think this one will be the same. Keith and Rob are great hosts so come on out for a really great evening. For those out-of-towners there are lots of hotels within a block of the Mash House so there will not be a problem with the driving thing.
The Fan Club is growing by leaps and bounds. We had a few security issues in the past few months but most of them have been corrected. There are several new slideshows on there so better register and get a password so that you can see the risque stuff. You really should see the one I just added to The Toy Box. I shot it at Paddy's citizenship party on Saturday. Just letting him know that he better be careful now that he is an American. Oh well, you will have to go there and see just what that means!!!!
If you are on either Paddy's mailing list or the Fan Club mailing list please make sure that we have a correct email address for you. Email the Webmaster providing both the old and the new address so that we can keep our lists up to date. Those with free email accounts, such as Hot Mail, Yahoo, etc, need to make sure that you check that mailbox rather often because lots of those emails bounce back for one reason or the other.
That's it for this time. Be safe, be happy and, above all, have fun each and every day. See you next time.
Laura Harper
Webmaster
September 26, 2005
There is not much going on with the site since my last newsletter. I have been unwell for the entire period so am unable to attend the gigs. JoeP has provided me with photos from quite a few of the gigs and they are now all on the site. To all of you boys and girls across the pond......I am sorry that I do not have new stuff on the site for you. Hopefully I will be back on the scene within the next few weeks. As the doctor said, it will be over when it's over.
The security procedures that I added to the guestbooks and the forum are really working great. I do not have to monitor traffic so closely now plus I do not have to worry about the security of our guests' personal information. I really hope this trend continues.
I have been using this "down time" to go back through some of the really old photos. I now have almost 80,000 to choose from!! Some have been added to various slideshows throughout the site. You can see all the latest stuff at "This Week" on both the front page and the home page.
The Fan Club activity is amazing. Thanks to all of you for your show of support. At this time the Toy Box and Oops!! slideshows are the most popular with Boys Will Be Boys X-Rated right behind those two. I am looking for new additions to those slideshows as I go back through the old photos. Have I ever found some interesting stuff!!! It is not all about Paddy and Bill either........lots of it is about you, the fans!!!!!!!!! Guess that means that you better stay tuned. You think maybe?
If you are on either Paddy's mailing list or the Fan Club mailing list please make sure that we have a correct email address for you. Email the Webmaster providing both the old and the new address so that we can keep our lists up to date. Those with free email accounts, such as Hot Mail, Yahoo, etc, need to make sure that you check your mailbox rather often because lots of those emails bounce back for one reason or the other.
That's it for this time. Be safe, be happy and, above all, have fun each and every day. See you next time.
Laura Harper
Webmaster
November 17, 2005
I made it back to a gig!!!! It was great to be at the Huske last night for my first gig in almost three months. Everyone there made me feel so welcome which made it even more special. I got lots of photos and already have them on the site. Needless to say I was a little anxious to get some new stuff out there.
I started a new category this past week. It is Music Trivia and some of the topics include none other than Paddy and Bill. It was rather interesting when I saw the anagrams from their names. Take a look and let me know what you think about this category. There is a link on the home page.
I never cease to be amazed at the growth of the Fan Club. I have added a few new photos on there but nothing significant lately. Hopefully that will change within the next few weeks.
Paddy and Bill will be doing a private party this weekend and then only regular gig dates until 31 December. Their New Year's Eve show this year will be at Tir Na Nog in Raleigh, NC. JoeP and/or I will be covering that so get ready for a blast and smile for the camera; especially after midnight!!!!!!!!! I know you will all look great then.
If you are on either Paddy's mailing list or the Fan Club mailing list please make sure that we have a correct email address for you. Email the Webmaster providing both the old and the new address so that we can keep our lists up to date. Those with free email accounts, such as Hot Mail, Yahoo, etc, need to make sure that you check your mailbox rather often because lots of those emails bounce back for one reason or the other.
That's it for this time. Be safe, be happy and, above all, have fun each and every day. See you next time.
Laura Harper
Webmaster
December 7, 2005
Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Hope all of you have a great time over the holidays.
Please take a look at the Fan Club box on the home page. We now have 699 members which is truly awesome. At the beginning of the year I sort of set a goal of 500 for this year. Unbelievable!!!! I really hope that we get at least one more before the year ends so spread the word.
We have a new slideshow for the Fan Club Exclusives - Look At Those Girls! Reception has been almost as good as for the Oops!! slideshow - still the all-time favorite. Keep checking on both of these slideshows for additions!! The Toy Box slideshow is coming right along but that one features Paddy and Bill while the other two are more or less of the fans. You never can tell what you may find there.
Everything is sort of quiet around here right now. I know all of us are very busy with the holidays which is just as it should be. Paddy and Bill will be doing two more shows this week - tonight (Thursday) at Coaches and then at Wheeler's tomorrow (Friday) night. I will probably not be at Coaches tonight but am planning on being at Wheeler's tomorrow night so be ready for the camera!!!
Don't forget to mark your calendars for the New Years Eve bash at Tir Na Nog in Raleigh, NC. That promises to be a very good, and very crowded, gig!!! No better way to usher in the new year than with Paddy and Bill. I am sure there will not be a dull moment!!!
If you are on either Paddy's mailing list or the Fan Club mailing list please make sure that we have a correct email address for you. Email the Webmaster providing both the old and the new address so that we can keep our lists up to date. Those with free email accounts, such as Hot Mail, Yahoo, etc, need to make sure that you check your mailbox rather often because lots of those emails bounce back for one reason or the other.
That's it for this time. Be safe, be happy and, above all, have fun each and every day. See you next time.
Laura Harper
Webmaster
December 22, 2005
© Laura Harper