Ah! It's St. Paddy's Day!
St. Patrick's Day celebrates the history of Ireland with festivals around the world that are filled with parades, dances and traditional social gatherings.
Although I'm not Irish, I do love this holiday because of the camaraderie that is a crucial element of celebrating good times and friendship.
This year's St. Paddy's Day playlist is dedicated to my dear friend, Chris Kerwin, who is a genuine Irishman if ever there was one!
Here at Mind Smoke Manor, joining me today to celebrate St. Paddy's Day is my partner, Journeyboy!
A Short History of Irish Music
"The traditional music played by the Irish came to the country with the Celts 2,000 years ago. The Celts were influenced by the music of the East (which is why you may think you hear some resemblance of an Irish tune being played at Canal Street station) and it’s believed that the traditional Irish harp may in fact have originated in Egypt.
The harp was the most popular instrument in ancient times with harpists employed to play for chieftains and to create music for nobles. This was until the Flight of the Earls in 1607 when native Irish chieftains fled the land under threat from invaders. With the flight of their patrons to mainland Europe, the harpists were left to travel the country and play where they could.
It wasn’t until 1762 that tunes were officially written down for the first time and collectors began to travel the country compiling music.
Traditional music saw a revival, especially in the States, in the 1920s when recordings of traditional music were taken for the first time and made available to the Irish living abroad. The fiddle player Michael Coleman was one such player whose recordings in New York were to influence fiddle-players in the States and in Ireland for many years to come.
The main traditional instruments of Irish music are the fiddle, Irish flute, tin whistle, celtic harp, uilleann pipes and bodhrán. The fiddle is the exact same instrument as the violin but it is through the style of playing that we differentiate between them. The fiddle-player sees less conformity in the way in which the instrument is held and a traditional musician free to experiment with more musical ornamentation. This is true of each traditional player, whatever the instrument. Traditional Irish music is highly ornamented by the individual and it would be hard to meet two players who play the same tune the same way."
From Oxford University Press: "An important aspect of these festivities is of course reveling in the colorful and eclectic range of traditional music; music which represents the diversity of Ireland’s history, and music that continues to flourish today; swathes of styles rooted to the land and influenced and inspired by many social changes including the suppression and emigration of Irish people across the world.
Particularly during the Great Famine and the intense migratory period, the Irish people would often play songs of longing and sadness for their homeland as they made roots on continents far from their native soil (a fundamental example being the United States). Thanks to the influences of further worldly musical styles including American folk and Jazz, traditional Irish music saw an important revival in the later 20th century, a revival instigated by the descendants of Irish settlers and a movement which proved just how relevant and durable the legacies and lessons of traditional Irish music were years later.
Traditional Irish music was and still is, used for various reasons. Although unaccompanied vocals called sean nós (“in the old style”) are considered the ultimate representation of traditional singing, Irish folk music has developed in both the English and Irish languages. Whilst Caoineadh songs, (or laments) often expressed the pain and sorrow and longing for Ireland, much of Irish traditional music was meant for dancing at celebrations; weddings, social gatherings and saint’s days.
Whether it be for the purposes of singing, lamenting, or dancing; traditional Irish music remains an ever reverent and thriving genre in modern times. From haunting ballads to popular glass-clanking drinking songs filled with merriment, many popular Irish musicians continue to gather their inspirations from a rich heritage of Irish styles and instruments."
The Pogues - I'm A Man You Don't Meet Every Day
"Say, Who Were The Pogues?"
The Pogues, an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band that was led by Shane MacGowan, began performing under the name Pogue Mahone in Kings Cross, London in 1982. The name Pogue Mahone was the anglicization of the Irish Gaelic póg mo thóin, meaning kiss my arse. Oh my!
In the 1980's and 1990's, The Pogues achieved international success after recording several hit albums and singles. When Shane MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to his problems with alcohol, the band soldiered on; first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals, before breaking up in 1996.
The Pogues re-formed in late 2001, and began playing regularly across the UK and Ireland and on the US East Coast, until they called it quits once again in 2014.
Van Morrison & The Chieftains - Irish Heartbeat
"During their wide musical journeys in the 1980s, the Chieftains decided to collaborate with Van Morrison, who had an artistic peak at the end of the decade. The result was a highlight in both of their '80s productions: the traditional Irish Heartbeat, with Morrison on lead vocals and a guest appearance from Mary Black. Morrison and Moloney's production puts the vocals up front with a sparse background, sometimes with a backdrop of intertwining strings and flutes, the same way Morrison would later use the Chieftains on his Hymns to the Silence album. The arrangement and the artist's engaged singing leads to a brilliant result, and these Irish classics are made very accessible without being transformed into pop songs. Of the ten tracks included, eight are traditional Irish songs. The title track and Celtic Ray are written by Morrison, and also appear on two other Van Morrison albums, Beautiful Vision and Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, but since they are written in a pseudo-traditional style, the folksy treatment given them by the Chieftains makes these versions sound as if they were the originals." (All Music)
The Chieftains - Ye Rambling Boys Of Pleasure
In 1962, The Chieftains began their musical journey in Ireland. As the years went on, they won six Grammy Awards and have achieved much success for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and international scale. The band has a Midas touch when it comes to transcending musical boundaries that mix tradition songs with modern sounds. Their wonderful musical journey continues to this very day.
Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up To Boston
"Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (1998– ), guitarist James Lynch (2000– ), multi-instrumentalist Tim Brennan (2003– ), multi-instrumentalist Jeff DaRosa (2007– ), and Campbell Webster Bagpipes (2022)
The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and building a reputation locally through constant touring and yearly St. Patrick's Day week shows, held in and around Boston. The 2004 single, Tessie became the band's first mainstream hit and one of their biggest charting singles to date.
The band's final Hellcat release, 2005's The Warrior's Code, included the song I'm Shipping Up to Boston. The song was featured in the 2006 film The Departed, and went on to become the band's only platinum-selling single to date. It remains one of their best-known songs. The band is known for their loud, energetic live shows." (Wikipedia)
Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies
Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk band formed in Los Angeles in 1997. The band's music is influenced by various artists, such as The Dubliners, The Pogues, Greenland Whalefishers, Horslips, Johnny Cash and The Clash. Their songs typically touch on subjects such as Ireland and its history, drinking, poverty, politics, love, and death...amen!
The Rumjacks - An Irish Pub Song
The Rumjacks, a rock band originally formed in Sydney, Australia, are widely known for their loud and energetic live shows. One of The Rumjacks' best songs is An Irish Pub Song which went viral when released and it got over 75 million views on YouTube.
WPIX 11 NEW YORK THE ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE 1988
Ah...sweet memories of Capt. Jack McCarthy!
The High Kings - The Beggarman Jig
The High Kings formed in June 2007 when Brian, Darren, Finbarr and former member Martin Furey were asked to join a brand-new Irish ballad group by David Kavanagh after he had noticed a gap in the market for a band specializing in traditional Irish music. To this very day, The High Kings continue to set the bar extremely high for Irish Folk bands across the world and are widely regarded to be at the forefront of the genre.
The Pogues - If I Should Fall From The Grace Of God
"If I should fall from grace with God
Where no doctor can relieve me
If I'm buried 'neath the sod
But the angels won't receive me
Let me go, boys
Let me go, boys
Let me go down in the mud
Where the rivers all run dry
Bury me at sea
Where no murdered ghost can haunt me
If I rock upon the waves
No corpse shall lie upon me
Coming up threes, boys
Coming up threes, boys
Let them go down in the mud
Where the rivers all run dry..."
Van Morrison - The Bright Side Of The Road
"From the dark end of the street
To the bright side of the road
We'll be lovers once again
On the bright side of the road
Little darlin', come with me
Won't you help me share my load
From the dark end of the street
To the bright side of the road
Into this life we're born
Baby sometimes, sometimes we don't know why
And time seems to go by so fast
In the twinkling of an eye
Let's enjoy it while we can (let's enjoy it while we can)
Won't you help me share my load (help me share my load)
From the dark end of the street
To the bright side of the road..."
U2 - It's A Beautiful Day
"It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away..."
Tim Janis - Celtic Instrumental Relaxing Music "St Patrick's Day Music"
