Welcome back to the Randomizer!
After my small stint in jail for crimes against Monty Python
as you may remember from last night, I noted that my next article will be in
disguise as a feature on Irish Traditional Music. Well here it is!
Irish Traditional Music and Song is a very powerful form in
its own right. As a genre, it has stirred the political hearts of men and
women, showed mournful ballads that have been replicated throughout the world
in different languages, and given its homeland a sense of national pride in its
wake. Certain bands like The Chieftains, Thin Lizzy and The Dubliners have
played and recreated classic Irish folk tunes to dance and party along to in
various circumstances, but of course there are songs that define the political
tensions that Ireland and Great Britain have shared with each other for a very
long time, with the revolutionary attempt in the Irish summer of 1798, to the
gaining of the Irish Free State independence after two years war against
Britain after World War I, and more recently for those of a certain generation,
living through the period known simply as 'The Troubles'
Being descended from an Irish ancestor, I have been given a
contract of bragging rights in liking Irish Traditional Music, only superseded
by someone with an Irish family member, or by an actual Irish person. That
should be a rule if it hasn't been implemented! Anyway, my taste for Irish
Traditional Music has been a long time coming, since oddly enough hearing it
first and foremost from the Folk Metal Band Cruachan. Little did I realise at
the time that one of their songs from the album 'Folk-Lore' would become one of
my favourite tracks, which I will come to in time.
Since then, I have immersed myself into this part of Irish
culture to an extent, enjoying and being intrigued by the people or peoples who
inspired such songs, and today I want to share that experience with you all. My
hope for you is you will find this a fun little article in exploring the
historical inspiring music and share my favourite tracks with you all so far.
Irish Traditional Music is becoming a big passion for me in learning about the
various track origins, how they're composed and how influential they have
become, turning the genre into a worldwide cultural phenomenon. So let's get
our shoes on and take the rocky road to Irish Traditional Song.
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First things first, let's stop for a Guinness at this pub
here, and I'll tell how I got into Irish Traditional Music in the first place,
and talk about the various Marches of Ireland's Past.
(Just a little trivia: Guinness should only be drunken in
Ireland as a rule in life, not just for around the world).
You remember my 'Get Drunk and Listen to Folk Metal' article
from last year? If you haven't, what are you waiting for? If you have, well
done!
Cruachan was one of the bands I talked about from that
article, one album being 'Folk-Lore', the other being 'Blood on the Black
Robe'. While 'Folk-Lore was the first album I brought, I thought the songs were
of original material, not with a few song covers throughout. Little did I know.
But 'Blood on the Black Robe' was the first album that got me into Irish
Traditional music, because of this little beauty here:
Brian Boru's March is quite the epic track. The drumming,
the guitar, everything about it is so awesome!
However as I discovered last year after buying the album,
this is just one version of the song. Looking up on YouTube and other sites, it
is possible that this particular song, among others, is actually over one
thousand years old. You read right, 1000 years.
Brian Boru was High King of Ireland in the 11th
century, defeating an Irish-Viking alliance at Clontarf in 1014, 12 years after
he became king. It might be possible that the song sprung about then or at some
point during his reign. However, this is all speculation and there is no
concrete evidence that the song was sung then, though there might be the point
that songs weren't necessarily written down and everybody who knew the tune and
play an instrument could do it. I took it as the song being made at his time
period and surviving for many generations to this day, so I would like to stick
by that assumption, at least until further notice.
The song itself has been covered by numerous musicians. One
famous version is by The Chieftains, which I found on YouTube.
I like this version, hearing nice rhythm of the drums at the
back, and the pipes that are a constant until near the end when it's replaced
with a nice flute. I'm not sure what the pipes actually are, but as a guess
they might be Uilleann pipes, simply because The Chieftains are Irish. I don't
like it as much as the Cruachan cover, but it's still an enjoyable traditional
version to listen to. In one way, it gives you a sense of history into hearing
what the song could have sounded like in
the intervening 1000 years, which might have been possible with the flute,
though the Uilleann Pipes were not invented until much later.
One particular instrument it might have been first played on
is the Celtic Harp, as played recently by Loreena McKennit from her album, The
Wind That Shakes The Barley:
Hearing this version all the way through only on Tuesday, it
is very well done. The harp fades into the background somewhat after the
beginning, but you can still pick it up at different points amongst the violin,
flute, concentina, and even a banjo is thrown in there (to me it sounded like
one). I think I'm starting to like this version too because the way McKennit
played it harboured a kind of beauty in it, very soft and fantasy like.
Compared to the tone of Cruachan and The Chieftains, theirs is more aggressive
and perhaps more prideful, echoing the fact the song is purely Irish at heart. You
can hear the nationality grow out of McKennit's version I think, but the
mixture of instruments give it a unique kind of flavour. No doubt I'll be
adding it to my song selections in future.
In addition to this legendary High King of Ireland, other
chieftain clans have their own specialised march songs. One song I came across
on YouTube was O'Neill's Calvary March, played by Sean O'Riada in this video.
From the onset, you can hear the intense delivery from the
drumming of the popular Irish instrument, the bodrain, as the flutes build up
the angry, commanding power and finally all other instruments come in for the
crescendo about a minute into the song, not stopping for you to catch your
breath until right at the end. Like Brian Boru's March, it could have a long
history, dating even further back to the 10th century with the rise
of the O'Neill clan as Kings of Ulster, lasting until the early 1600s. I don't
know if it will appeal for many people's taste in music because of the fast
paced rhythm and non-stop playing, but for me it isn't a bad song. The flute
playing is lovely, and the pipes in the middle really grip you with its
majesty. But I will admit it never really gripped me as much as Brian Boru's March
did, probably because of the particular tone O'Riada went for when he played
it. I know The Chieftains have their own version, but again it felt slightly
off-putting and didn't grip me again. If you like the song, good on you! May
the O'Neill dynasty smile on you.
The third and final march song I will talk about is
O'Sullivan's March.
Now the history behind this song I'm not too sure about,
whether it has its traces from the actual O'Sullivan clan itself, or from the
clan's historical march of 1603, when O'Sullivan Bere led 1,000 of his clan for
safety in a harsh winter, and only a handful survived to reach a friendly
rebel's castle.
I have only heard two versions from the Chieftains so far,
one from their own repertoire, the other from the Rob Roy film soundtrack. But
they are pretty much the same in all respects, the difference is the tone being
higher in the Rob Roy version then the original. For personal preference I
prefer the Rob Roy version, because it just sounds better to me.
The drumming again helps to build the song up, with the
addition of more drumming thrown in, and then the pipes play, airing a sort of
tragedy to you with its simple tune, then bringing in the other instruments to
join in, with the drums all the while
being in the background, subtle and perhaps foreboding for what's to come. The
flute-playing I like in general because there is that softness to hear for a
clan eager to show off its gracefulness, or keeping heart as its members are
led through the length of Ireland. Hearing the song over and over for me, it
does sound more appropriate for the March of 1603, against the forces of
nature, other warring clans, and of course the English, as they are attacked
over and over, only to survive by the skin of their teeth. But for the moment,
it is only opinion so far so it's only as far as I can go. Still it is a nice
little theory, for songs to connect with the history of people. O'Sullivan's
March is a good little song, better then O'Neill's Calvary March, enjoyable to
listen to, and perhaps endearingly tragic.
The Marching Songs are pretty good starting points for
traditional Irish Music because in a unique way, these songs ARE Ireland; Always connecting song and history together,
representing Ireland's ability to never lose sight of its own past: proud, hurt
and above all, legendary. No matter what happens for Ireland in future, it
seems assured that this country will always remain constant and un-wielding in
its enduring way of life.
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Right, we drained that pub of its contents, let's move down
to the next one, and I'll talk about a few of the traditional songs I've heard
so far.
Listening to the German medieval folk band Faun on their
latest album Von Den Elben, I was made curious by their song Wilde Rose, which
while had a nice tune and good intstrumentation, had the inclusion of battle
sounds in. For a while I was taken aback by this track, confused at why such a
sound was there.
Leaving that to one side, I did come across the track some
time later without realising it until much later, under the name that may be
familiar to some people: Siuil A Run.
This song in particular has become one of my favourites for
its tender subject matter, and relaxed yet humbling tune. It has been covered
many times in the years it has existed, with Faun as I've mentioned and Saorise
in Australia, even in Japan (I think). The lyrics tell of a woman whose love
has gone to war and despite being upset about it, she would sell all she had to
buy him a sword of steel, and beg for bread with her petticoats red, until her
parents wished her dead. Wow, I wish someone before could have said, otherwise
I would have new tunes to shred, with my air guitar and pillow in my stead.
(Before you asked, I cheated :P). That 's the gist of the lyrics, but there is
a kind of catch: Siuil a Run can either include certain lyrics, or leave them
out. Therein lies a bit of a problem, especially with its origins.
One blog claims the song dates back to around the Battle of
the Boyne, where James II the ousted king of England and fellow Irish Jacobite supporters
fought the newly installed William III and lost, and after signing a treaty two
years later, the Jacobite army under Patrick Sarsfield left for France,
referred in Irish History as the Flight of the Wild Geese. There is a verse set
for the song that goes:
And now my love has gone to France
To try his fortune to advance
If he e'er comes back, tis but a chance
Now that would make sense if the soldiers who had left for
France would love to return to their homeland, yet could not since English
settlers had moved into Ireland some time after they left.
There is a second theory that should be taken with a pinch
of salt that it relates to Bonnie Prince Charlie, the man who returned from
France to Scotland and actually invaded England successfully while English were
off in Europe, only to be turned down by his own council to move onto London,
and turned back into Scotland. When pursued by the English Army, he fought them
at Culloden, and lost badly. He found a ship back to France and lived out the
rest of his life there. I used to think that the song would have related to
him, and with Jacobites living in Scotland it would make sense, except for one
thing that I rather foolishly did not think of: The song is Irish. If it was
Scottish, wouldn't it have been noticed in the romanticised interest
surrounding the Bonnie Prince, as well as possibly being passed down in
generation? In learning experience, I'm more inclined to believe the former
theory now then the latter. Still whichever origin you read up on and believe,
it shouldn't take away the liking for the song.
I would say the version I enjoy the most is by Connie Dover.
Her voice does take some getting used to, but the music is soft and slow paced,
with one of THE best sounding flutes I've ever heard. Here's the video for your
viewing pleasure:
Now my next favourite is a great little track about a man
who travels from his home in Tuam and ends up fighting in Liverpool with the
boys from Galway. Hearing the 'Folk-Lore' album from Cruachan years back, I had
little interest because I could hardly understand a word in it. But behold my
ignited interest in this beauty: The Rocky Road to Dublin. Here is the High
King's version so at least you can least what they're saying at least!
Written in the 19th century, The song is about a
man who leaves his home of Tuam in Galway County to become a migrant worker,
travelling through to Mulligar where he
is laughed at for his clothing style, finally arriving in Dublin and his bundle
being stolen, but no one can understand his Connaught accent, so he jumps
onboard a ship bound for England and danced to keep his spirits. When he
arrives in Liverpool, he has finally had enough of people taking the piss and
flies at the jokers with his shillelagh, joined in by the boys from Galway.
After that, who knows?
This has been a good song to get into because it is a fun,
quite fast paced number you can belt out of your mouth in joy, tap your feet to
or just full on dance in plain view of whoever happens to see you. Interestingly
when researching its history, I had found that two original verses had been
dropped from most of the contemporary versions it seemed, and the chorus had
changed too. From the sounds of someone actually singing the original verses,
they might have been hard to sing because in tune, the words can be a tongue
twister. Also I have yet to find someone who can sing the original chorus, but
from being used to the one I've heard, it might sound a little better than the
one you can hear nowadays, but it can leave with less breath than intended. For
those interested, here's the original chorus:
For it is the rocky road, here's the road to Dublin
Here's the rocky road, now fire away to Dublin
The High Kings version is one of my favourite versions of
the song, because it is such a great tune to hear. The singing is really good
as all four of them hold their own, and the instruments are not distracting at
all, coming in at different points to add to the overall happy tune, even with
a little instrumental with the violin and flute playing together. It does also
have a bit of an epic feeling about it with those little whooshes that appear
during one of the choruses, and in the middle of the last verse. It is one of
the best songs to get into because the songs is quite clear to listen to and
after a few times, you just might be able to sing along properly too!
Another version I quite like is the Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem
version by, simply starting with a quick flute instrumental, before they jump
headlong into the song. While not using that many instruments, it doesn't feel
detracted from the experience, instead giving it a more homely feel, like if
you were up at the pub or something. It did take me a while to get into it
properly (though still distracted by the thought that Makem looks like William
Hartnell) but I have a kind of appreciation for how well done the song is,
though this one doesn't leave you with much breath afterwards. You'd probably
need to use your diaphragm to its full extent.
The third and final song I have recently heard, but not a
big fan of (yet) is The Rising of the Moon, though it is growing on me.
The song has its history in the 1798 rebellion, when the
United Irishmen carried out their plans to take their country away from English
control with the signal of seizing mail carts outside Dublin. Those outside the
capital rose up and took the town of Wexford as a base, then won a crushing
victory at Oulart, sparking new rebels to rise up around Dublin, Antrim and
Down. Soon though, the rebels soon met defeat after defeat. Antrim rebels
quickly drifted away as soon as they had risen, Down rebels were routed (its
leader hung outside his front door), and eventually the rebellion was
mercilessly pounded at Vinegar Hill. After the rebels had piked 100 loyalists
to death on Wexford Bridge in response, the army gave their retribution in
kind, executing the leaders. The rebellion was over, but again as so often in
Irish history, blood poured around like spilled milk over the hills and
shamrocks. The Irish Parliament was shut down, replaced effectively by the Offical
Union with Britain only three years later. Ireland would not be independent
until well over a century later.
The Rising of the Moon was written long after the actual
event, by J.K. Rowling....oh sorry Casey. J.K. Casey. Easy mistake to make! The
song talks of a man who meets with Sean O'Farrell at night-time(might be just a
name made for the song, but someone correct me if you know better), and hears
that O'Farrell has his orders to call for the pikes to come together at the old
river spot , and to whistle a marching tune. Soon 1000 rebels come together,
their hearts in sync to fight against the British army come daylight, and the
Green Flag flying above their pikes as they strike up the marching tune and
fight for freedom.
Now I have heard different variations recently. The Clancy
Brothers version is very good, especially (as ever) the flute, and the singing
is fantastic to hear, though as a personal preference maybe a lighter voice
could be nicer but that is a nitpick. The Dubliners version though puts me off
slightly, but it is still a good song. Main singer Luke Kelly's voice is
powerful enough to carry the joyous patriotism recorded in the song, though the
man singing in the chorus as well as Kelly is a little distracting. But so far
my favourite version is by The High Kings, as they start off slowly, and build
up the tune into a fast paced hit as the guitar, drumming and flute come
together brilliantly and make it quite a fun little song to clap to, despite
the tragic theme.
Although there is one thing I had noticed: Some of these
bands have omitted the original sixth verse. The sixth verse talks about the
rebels eventual defeat, but their spirits remained hearty and the song asks who
will eventually rise in their footsteps at the rising of the moon. Not entirely
sure why the three bands don't include the verse in the song. My guess is it
could be for historical purposes since Ireland is its own country now, or
perhaps when composing the song they can't fit it in anywhere. But for all
intents and purpose, I'm really not complaining much, the song is still good to
listen to in its contemporary manner.
Like the Marching songs, these songs endue a great
connection in Ireland, not just in history, but emotionally and politically.
They run a deep cord in Irish History that really I don't think can run
anywhere else, especially in England at any rate (at least that's my thinking
for the moment). 'Siuil a Run' and 'The Rising of the Moon' show the deep
significance that Ireland has in recognising its own past, and never forgetting
the tragic spirit that the rebels of 1798 and perhaps the Wild Geese a century
ago, while 'Rocky Road to Dublin' shows on the other hand, how Ireland can be
divided amongst its own people instead of being united, mocking the man for his
clothing and style, only to lose his temper and eventually be helped by his own
county men. It is then a showing of historical community in Ireland, whatever
creed or colour, and adds to my final thought for this blog.......
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Ok, here's the final pub for the night, and thus my final
thoughts.
Allow me to make a comparison with our own musical tastes to
start with. Irish traditional music forms a deep connection with its history,
creating a deafening culture that succeeds anything that Britain has to offer,
and still retains a significant impact around the world, especially at home.
When I was in Dublin in March this year, I got a taste of that fantastic live
music playing while eating my dinner at a pub/restaurant south of the River
Liffey. I heard all sorts of songs that I had heard in times past, listening to
covers of famous songs, new breeds of songs and very much enjoying myself all
the way. I'll admit to not liking all the bands that played up on the stage,
but I felt a culture that gave joy and speciality to the patrons.
Britain however lacks a community sense of spirit in musical
terms. Don't get me wrong, we do have a load of historical bands that we
treasure and enjoy listening to everyday, but what we lack is the connection
with our past, with anything that's...well historical, nothing that connects us
to who we are as a nation. We associate bands with different decades: Beatles =
60s, Led Zeppelin = 70s, Queen = 80s, Oasis = 90s, you get the picture, and
they have made songs considered the greatest, but the problem there is, those
bands and songs do not connect with our country, in remembering who we are and
what we used to be.
Let me put it this way, Ireland has endured many tragedies
and events that survive in song, showing the spirit of people and the stories
behind them. We do not have any of that. We have songs that tie us up
emotionally to personal situations, how women can wiggle their butts and how we
shouldn't look back in anger, NOT anything that connects us to our past. In one
way, it's an individualism vs collectivism thing. We have lost sight of a
community way that, from frankly ridiculous stories of Islamic terrorism taking
over our country and a North/South divide for example, we have become split
apart as a nation, and those songs do not shed a reminder of who we are as a
nation.
My second point is developing my understanding on how deep
the traditional music culture goes in Ireland. Believe me, listening to the
songs, Ireland is way ahead of its time in connecting. The March songs of Brian
Boru, O'Sullivan and O'Neill still being played today show how much of a
respect Ireland has for its own culture and damaged history, never forgetting
those people who made Ireland what it is today, thanks to bands like The
Chieftains and The Dubliners. The songs of political significance cut a deep
mark in Irish history, perhaps forcing Ireland to never forget the pains and
troubles it has gone through, thanks to our shenanigans and heavy victories we
have had on Ireland. Here lies another problem:
We simply don't care, as a nation. We don't grow up with this music of
remembrance, and that is a sad thing.
What I have learned from Irish traditional music is how
significant it is in history, and present mind. It is still a developing taste
for me certainly, and I don't want to forget about it becoming deeper in my
mind than it has ever been. It is a way of life that needs to be experienced
for anyone who has even a passing thought in this type of music. If you haven't
enjoyed any of the music you heard in this article, I urge you to least
understand the power these songs do have in the greater scheme of things. If
you have enjoyed them, then perhaps we can buy a pint of beer and sing our
merry way all through the night, and create a more mutual understanding, at the
rising of the moon.
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That's it for the Randomizer this month. Take care of
yourselves and see you all next time!
