Old Irish Folk Songs

[Green]

I've been in a strange mood lately. I can't get enough of these old-style Irish folk songs.

I 'ave been mostly listening to...

Red Is The Rose and The Butcher Boy. The second link is to a Clancy Brothers vid that was part of Scorsese's (how the hell do you spell that?) biopic of Bob Dylan. Great biopic, great music vid.

Anyone got links to similar stuff that I might like?

[jackokent]

Great stuff Green. Funnily enough I only got back from Ireland yesterday. Everyone seems to sing there all the time. I took my guitar along. We had some lovely song sessions. An elderly lady sung the Town I love So Well and we all had tears in our eyes afterwards

Here's a link to the Dubliners version. YouTube - Luke Kelly (with The Dubliners) The town i love so well

[Green]

Good stuff, Jack, keep 'em coming. I don't know what it is about these songs, but they sing about sorrowful stuff, in a real down-to-earth way. Babies that died at childbirth, and back then it was just one of those sad facts of life. Heartbreaking.

[jackokent]

Two more that the guys were singing last week. You're right, they have the sorrowful stuff nailed. Although I have always taken an interest in Irish issues I was staggered to learn some of the details of the the various uprisings etc in just the area I was staying. Kind of put a context round the sorrowful songs they were singing.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eB0NB4IaRYc

YouTube - The Wolfe Tones A Snipers Promise

[Simple Simon]

Hey, didn't expect to see a thread on Irish music in here.

Thought I'd metnion some of my favourites.

Spancil_Hill
Skibbereen
Fields_of_Athenry

I tried to find Spancil hill and Skibbereen sang by the Dubliners but I had to make do with what I found and Fields of Athenry is better sang by a woman IMO.

[Quokka]

As with Jack Im only just back from Ireland myself and the music sessions in the pubs there are like nothing else I've experienced.

Black is the Colour is still one of my favourites, a friend of ours does a beautiful version not that she sings it often but if we bug her enough and shes had enough vodka and diet coke she sometimes gives in .

And the band played Waltzing Matilda (actually an Australian Folk Song but I've only ever heard it during music sessions in Ireland) and Only our rivers run free would be another couple of favourites.

Declan O'rourke is a contempory artist but certainly influenced by Irish music, I couldn't find a utube link but I'd recomend his song Till Death do Us Part- Marrying the Sea (The whole album Beyond Kyabram isnt bad), there's no music until the instrumental section that follows but I've listened to this again and again and I just really like it.

[sanityassassin]

I have been a fan of Irish folk music my whole life, my father is Irish and we visited relatives every year when I was young traveling in a car with Irish music playing constantly for 5 hours. I also used to go to a pub in Belfast to listen to a folk music group who did a brilliant version of 'Ride On' My Favorites of the moment are 'Galway Shawl' and 'the Boys of county Armargh'

Quokka 'Only our rivers' is a brilliant song so sad and full of sorrow

[Simple Simon]

I tried to make a post here about a week ago but the site didn't seem to want to let me.

I was surprised to see a thread on Irish music in here, it's not in general a common topic on the internet in my experience.

Just thought I'd mention some of my favourites my self. I'm a big fan of the Dubliners and Christy Moore, the best artists about at the moment in my opinion.
My favourite songs would have to be Dear old Skibbereen, Spancill Hill and the famous Fields of Athenry.

Also Joxer goes to Stuttgart by Christy Moore is a great one though the English might not relish it.

[Esioul]

I used to be really into Altan, although I haven't listened to them for a while...

[Ice fyre]

I dont know if its an Irish folk song but my favourite folk song has to be Fiddlers Green. My dad is a folk singer (well mainly Scots but heck he also a fair few things does a good rendition of American Pie as well) and I grew up listening to very sad depressing songs but I love em.