Well 18 months on, thousands of miles under our belts, and the Great Record Of Irish Music has finally reached the end of the road or maybe the beginning of an odyssey. We ve traipsed through the 32 counties for stories of music, and found that, and then some. We ve siphoned the juiciest scials and most colourful tales from pipers, troubadours, rhythm meisters and jazz fiends, and logged them all on to the Great Record website www.local.ie/general/music/hot_press/index.shtml). And now it s over to you, hotpress faithful.

Because what we ve been doing is simply sowing the seeds of what we hope will eventually become one of the most comprehensive on-line archives anywhere of music from Ireland. Whether your appetite is for blues, rock, jazz, sean nss or psychedelic funk, there s room for your story on the Great Record. What we want you to do is simply log on to the Great Record site and add your own favourite tale.
We re looking for everything: song lyrics, obscure geneological links that bind you or your dog to the latest pop sensation, guitar licks to die for; in fact anything and everything that adds a piece to the jigsaw puzzle that is our music.
Musicians the length and breadth of the country are producing high octane sounds, both original and traditional. They deserve more support than they re getting. And they ve all got their own history to relate, their own dreams to chase.
And so many of them are already harnessing the web to reach beyond the confines of the local pub or nightclub. The Internet is the fastest growing medium of communication on the planet. It s where decisions are being made, music is being bought and sold, and creativity is given free reign. And that s why we figure it s worth our while adding a little zip to the cyberwaves. Music has never shied away from technology, and it s not about to now either.
So right now, STOP. And add your voice to the melie. If you ve got a band with or without attitude, a grandfather who sang the blues, a girlfriend who s Janis Joplin or Sandy Denny incarnate, a dog who can whistle dixie, then why not tell everyone else about them? Log on right now and let the rest of the world hear it too.
As for me well, I plan to hang my walking boots out to dry for a while. For the next few months, the only movement you ll get from me is my index finger mouse clicking its way through your stories, for a change.