Episode #3.3 – Music of Temple Bar

Introduction – Are These “Irish Songs” Really Irish?

In this St. Patrick’s Day episode, I ask the question: “Is it actually Irish?” We will explore over thirty “Irish songs” and see if they actually come from Irish sources. Along the way, we’ll discuss the Rising of 1798, the history of Dublin, the Great Famine, and the Irish diaspora. 

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Corrections and Clarifications

1. Correction: I skipped a step in Dublin’s history by suggesting that the Anglo-Normans lived in Dublin right after the Vikings invaded. The Vikings invaded in 795 and then the Anglo-Normans arrived in Dublin in the 12th century. (Thank you, Kat Steiner, for the correction!)
2. Clarification: “lilting” is not the term for ALL nonsense syllables in music. Just the term for nonsense syllables in certain Celtic music. (Thank you, Carolyn Stallard, for the clarification!)

Musical Excerpts

Music the Gathering
“Road to Swallowvarna”
https://musicthegathering.bandcamp.com/album/lvl-3

Moira Rose (Schitt’s Creek)
“Danny Boy”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm19HG37jQM

Deanna Durbin
“Danny Boy”
https://youtu.be/j32Fnb_8Bv4?si=32zWv4nyePNlUcBq

Chauncey Olcott
“When Irish Eyes Are Smiling”
https://youtu.be/UmRIWHmAXm0?si=PGFD7KaqzatW_7EP

Dead Can Dance
“The Wind that Shakes the Barley”
https://youtu.be/-p6nS02eW4E?si=AR0w_Zu_Tf6CoSwK

John McCormack
“The Minstrel Boy”
https://youtu.be/6F2Lj2IN_-M?si=83DjzUpcMSI1wu7p

Irish Fans at the 2012 Euros game against Spain
“Fields of Athenry”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZmYv6kDutw

Johnny Kelly and the Capital Band
“Black Velvet Band”
https://youtu.be/00RrnxtyRZw?si=SpG6TokQxUFrF-qs

The Clancy Brothers
“Wild Colonial Boy”
https://youtu.be/j3QJPxiLOPo?si=N0P4gb-C4SwD-DGv

The Flanagan Brothers
“The Night that Paddy Murphy Died”
https://youtu.be/n8MkMyj6_gI?si=fOpn_rB8dHtCou3c

Christy Moore
“Finnegan’s Wake”
https://youtu.be/AsP1-NwxrWc?si=9McbZmvRuEepYKBq

Connie Francis (on The Ed Sullivan Show)
“McNamara’s Band”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky1ZewSeYFE

Marc Gunn
“Beer, Beer, Beer”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8rFjCi5-IE

Gaelic Storm
“The Hills of Connemara”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rREMPw8U2No

Matthew Young
“Whiskey You’re the Devil”
https://roverswaymusic.com/track/3513330/whiskey-you-re-the-devil

Sinead O’Connor (and the Chieftains)
“Foggy Dew”
https://youtu.be/yaS3vaNUYgs?si=V6e96ibIwFNO-Q1s

Sinners Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
“Rocky Road to Dublin”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iapw_hbyBjE

Laufey, Jacob Collier, and Dodie at the Kennedy Center
“Wild Mountain Thyme”
https://youtu.be/Lz1LEYxFQ5Q?si=XdTBZV9yRd2MUMal

The Old Goats
“Wild Rover”
https://youtu.be/k4NBdRSeicM?si=1JlvHXZ0_fPgDDJ-

Shane O’Fearghail
“Molly Malone”
https://youtu.be/eXugvXyJwXo?si=lTOgDR-qIP_cua3-

Steve Earle
“Galway Girl”
https://youtu.be/IeW9F4sGzf0?si=vGtjIS-ka9uR73JY

Josef Locke
“The Rose of Tralee”
https://youtu.be/TYsO6HF-tmQ?si=TH2lYN8FCl2equnU

Music the Gathering
“I’ll Tell Me Ma”
https://musicthegathering.bandcamp.com/album/lvl-2

The Corries
“Rattlin’ Bog”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IymoOGVGJA

Luke Kelly and the Dubliners
“Dirty Old Town”
https://youtu.be/woNorW6bIuo?si=NTRtw1dOWN654wfn