The Flight of the Earls refers to the emigration of Irelands best and brightest leaders,
in 1607, after defeat in a long running battle. The vacuum left by this flight was felt
for centuries after. In the 1980s, when unemployment soared again, many if the best
and brightest left Ireland again, not in fear of death or famine, […]
Streets of New York
by Liam Reilly
I was eighteen years old when I went down to Dublin
With a fistful of money and a cartload of dreams
Take your time said me father stop rushing like hell
And remember all’s not what it seems to be.
For there’s fellas would cut ye for the coat on your back
Or the watch […]
This song was written by Barry Moore, who took the stage name Luka Bloom (Luka after the song Luka by Suzanne Vega and Bloom, from James Joyce’s Ulysses), to make his own path, outside of his famous brother, Chrisy Moore, who, ironically, had a much bigger hit with his own recording of Luka’s song.
It talks […]
Another great song, most notable recorded by Mary Black, Peggy Goonin Baker. It is me, but not because of love.
Past the Point of Rescue
by Mick Hanley
Last night I dreamed you were back again
Larger than life again, holding me tight again
Placing those same kisses on my brow
Sweeter than ever now, Lord I remember how
Couldn’t get enough […]
Song: Kevin Barry 90th Anniversary of 1916 Easter Rebellion
Kevin Barry, a rebel song and a true story, sung the world over. Kevin died at 18, shot by British Soldiers in a firing squad, one of “the “Forgotten Ten”. Not as well known as those killed in the Easter Rising, his story, willing to die so […]
We foot it all the night,
Weaving olden dances,
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight;
To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And is anxious in its sleep.
-WB Yeats, The Stolen Child
Hi All,
After almost two months of delays, my new book, Festival Legends: Songs & Stories (www.songsandstories.net) has finally arrived. The book is 389 pages of the great stories, histories, pivotal meetings and life long influences of modern Irish music legends like Tommy Makem, Danny Doyle, Liam Clancy, Johnny McEvoy, Brendan Shine, The Dublin City Ramblers, […]
Another favorite song, talks of emigration, he final goodbye.
RED IS THE ROSE
Traditional tune, author unknown
Chorus:
Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows
Fair is the lily of the valley
Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne
But my love is fairer than any.
Come over the hills, my bonnie Irish lass
Come over the hills to your […]
A fantastic tune, recorded by many, most notably Makem & Clancy. Really read the words, it is so well written - conveying so much in so few words.
THE DUTCHMAN
by Michael Peter Smith
The dutchman’s not the kind of man
To keep his thumb jammed in the dam that holds his dreams in
But that’s a secret only Margaret […]
Whether it be the Irish culture, or any other, what does it mean to you? What are the things that you associate with it and what makes it special and or unique?