The third day of the Lizberries’ seventh tour of Ireland takes us to Limerick, on a day

full of emotions, encounters, and surprises.

It’s the eve of Dolores’s birthday, and we need to stop by her grave, say hello, and feel her presence. But this day also has in store for us a completely unexpected encounter with Niall, a surprise tied to the history of the very early Cranberries, and an evening at Dolan’s that we’ll hardly ever forget.

From Cobh to Limerick: Finally on Time

Let’s start right away with the question we left you with last week.

Yes. We did it!

We managed to move the car in time.

And, even more importantly, checking out at a reasonable hour this time even allowed us to have breakfast with our friends Miriam and Paolo in Cobh.

A delicious, Italian-style breakfast, complete with a cappuccino made with real espresso.

Now, let’s be clear: no complaints about Ireland.

With all the beauty and goodness it gives us every time, we certainly can’t complain.

But coffee from our own country—let’s admit it—is unbeatable for us Italians.

And we missed it.

With the necessary dose of caffeine and happiness, we set off on time for Limerick.

And this time, incredibly, the delay didn’t get the better of us.

In Front of Dolores’s Grave

Around 2 p.m., we’re standing in front of Dolores’s grave.

We need to say goodbye to her.

To pause with her for a moment.

The next day would have been her birthday, and here we are, in Ireland, playing her music to remember her.

We feel the need to be as close to her as possible, to connect with her, to pray for her, and to do everything we can to honor her in the best way possible, with her blessing.

Kry, in particular, needs to speak to her from the heart.

She needs to feel her presence.

So we stay there.

A good half hour, in that small, remote cemetery in the Limerick countryside.

And it’s right there that something happens that, even today, gives us pause for thought.

A Ray of Sunshine in Front of Dolores

The first time we came here, in 2023, was our first year of concerts in Limerick.

It was a rainy day.

We arrived at her grave, and for the entire time we were there, not a single drop fell.

As soon as we got back to the car, it started raining again.

This time the sky is cloudy, but it’s not raining.

Then, just as we approach her, a patch of sunshine breaks through the clouds.

And that sun stays there, with us, for as long as we stand before her grave.

Then, when we head back to the car, the sky closes in again.

Coincidences?

Maybe.

But we prefer to think not.

Dolores is there.

Over time, she’s left us so many signs, and—always, always—somehow she makes us understand something when we’re in Limerick.

And maybe that’s exactly why we need to come back here every time.

To feel her presence.

To remember her.

To be close to her, even if just for a little while.

An Unexpected Message from Niall

But the day isn’t done surprising us yet.

A few hours earlier, we received a message from Niall.

For those who don’t know, before The Cranberries, Noel, Mike, and Fergal had formed Cranberry Saw Us, and Niall was the singer.

His message is simple:

“Do you have 40 minutes today before heading to the club?”

Sure!

No problem.

After all, on this tour, we don’t have any scheduling issues.

We’re meeting at 4:15 p.m. at Dolan’s for a “fun little activity,” he tells us.

Perfect.

Our plan is simple: we’ll head to the hotel, relax for an hour or so, and then meet up with Niall.

Too bad reality has other plans.

We arrive at the hotel and the room isn’t ready yet.

We have urgent bathroom needs.

And we’re hungry.

So, rest is starting to become something of an urban legend.

We check the traffic.

It’s getting heavier.

And that’s when we realize there’s no time to waste.

No rest.

We’re off again.

Because one thing is certain:

we can’t be late for Niall.

And so, just five minutes late—which, for us by now, is practically the same as being on time—we arrive at Dolan’s.

Niall Takes Us Away

We introduce ourselves.

We barely have time to get to know each other a little better.

And then Niall…

sweeps us off our feet.

We get into his car.

And that’s when something begins that we could never have imagined.

Niall hands us some sheets of paper with color images.

They’re photographs of the very early Cranberries, taken right here in Limerick.

And that’s not all.

There are also the places where they played in their early days.

We look at the photos.

Then we look at Niall.

And we discover what “fun activity” he’d organized for us.

To go back to those very places and recreate the photo shoot ourselves.

Niall has organized everything.

The photos.

The itinerary.

The camera.

The locations.

And even the stories he’d tell us along the way.

We’re speechless.

A completely unexpected surprise.

Such a lovely gesture.

The time he dedicated to us.

The enthusiasm with which he told us the story.

And above all, the consideration he showed us.

We really hope we managed to make him understand just how pleasantly surprised we were and how much he enchanted us.

Because just imagine what it means to be captivated by the singer and drummer of the legendary Hitchers and, for a brief time, the singer of the very first Cranberries.

To hear the story of the very first Cranberries straight from someone who lived through it.

Not from a book.

Not from an interview.

Not from a biography.

From someone who was actually there.

Even now, we still can’t quite believe it.

It was so extraordinary that this part deserves its own story.

So let’s get back to the tour and hold on to this story.

We’ll share it on the blog on Saturday, October 10.

Because certain experiences deserve more space.

Soundcheck at Dolan’s

After this incredible journey through history, let’s get back to the venue.

Soundcheck.

This time with the incredibly talented and super-friendly sound engineer Kieran.

Then we managed to quickly say hi to Carla, Daniele, and their friends, who’d come all the way from Milan to see us perform—and, while they were here, to see a bit of Ireland.

And finally, it’s time for the concert.

Julianne and a Special Surprise

Who’s kicking off the evening?

Of course, our incredibly talented Julianne.

But this time there’s a surprise.

Singing with her is…

Brendan O’Riordan.

That’s right.

Dolores’s brother.

And we discovered something we didn’t know:

he has a fantastic voice.

A moving, intense voice that somehow reminds us so much of his sister’s.

Julianne had discovered him, she’d insisted, and in the end Brendan agreed.

It was simply enchanting.

The Lizberries’ Concert in Limerick

And then it’s our turn.

With all our excitement.

And, we’ll admit, even a touch of fear.

Because every time we play in Limerick, we feel something special.

We’re there, in front of so many of the Cranberries’ relatives.

Brendan is there.

Deirdre and Patsy, Mike and Noel’s cousins, are there.

Friends of the Cranberries are there.

There are people who knew Dolores, Noel, Mike, and Fergal.

And we just want to do our best.

We always hope we’ll measure up.

Then, though, the audience responds.

And Limerick confirms once again what we feel every time we’re here:

the excitement is through the roof.

It’s probably the audience that moves us the most.

Because here, the excitement isn’t just in the air.

It’s truly felt deep down.

The venue is packed, and that helps create a truly special atmosphere for the entire two-hour live set.

Two hours of music.

Two hours of emotion.

Two hours in which we feel just how important what we’re doing really is.

Hugs After the Concert

And as always in Limerick, the goodbyes take forever.

But those are the moments you’d never want to cut short.

We hug Brendan.

We hug Julianne.

We hug so many people we’ve met in past years who’ve come back to see us.

People who take pictures of us, support us, encourage us, and make us feel like we’re part of something.

There are the cousins, who even brought one of their dads along.

There’s our friend Frank.

Yes, he came all the way to Limerick, too.

And of course, we played “I Really Hope” again.

And, of course, Frank bought us another Guinness.

At this point, we think it’s officially become a tradition.

Then there are people just passing through.

Italians.

And even some Latvian poets on tour in Ireland.

Because, apparently, when we play in Ireland, we have to meet the whole world.

A Night Full of Emotions

Finally, we head back to the hotel.

Exhausted.

But above all, moved.

And perhaps that’s the hardest part of these evenings.

Exhaustion sets in and immediately takes over.

But deep down, we’d like to stop time.

We’d like to keep living those moments just a little longer.

A few more hugs.

A few more words.

A few more smiles.

But sleep, in the end, closes our eyelids in our new hotel in Limerick.

And gently carries us toward the next day.

Dolores’s birthday.

We fall asleep with a peaceful thought: we spent the eve of her birthday with some of the people who were closest to her.

And we had the chance to remember her by doing what we do best.

Playing her music.

Perhaps it’s one of the most beautiful ways we have to feel her closeness.

And to honor her.

The tour, however, isn’t over yet.

Far from it.

Dolores’s birthday awaits us.

And what happens next will be something we’ll carry with us for a long time to come.