I have read novels detailing the wonderful musical culture of County Clare Ireland. It’s like being there but not really. You see you really need to hear it in person and also feel the atmosphere. This video is very engaging. Blackie O’Connell is a tour master!
Irish Music
Cool Photo from LiveIreland
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Father Ted and more on North Cregg and FMAD
Donie sent me a link to Father Ted. It’s a funny comedy based in Ireland . I think he is such an indearing character, somewhat naive but with a lot of heart. There these interesting people around him who try their best to pester him. Don’t we all have that same issue with our priests?( I say that coming from a Catholic place, therefore I can relate). There is also this particular video in youtube that I could not watch.
This is what it says:
This video contains content from Channel 4, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.
And this is how our conversation went:
Me
eeeek it’s been blocked in my country :his video contains content from Channel 4, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.’
03:10Donie
what
omg
that is so f***** up
03:10Me
i think they do that from time to time.
there are also videos i could not watch from other regions in the world
but the first one i saw
03:13Donie
that’s really annoying all the links are channell 4
mad. they are afraid of upsetting people from your country
there are lots os catholics there yes?
03:17Me
yes
we are predominantly a catholic country
i will address that in my blog
03:17Donie
do
03:17Me
i guess they are just being careful…
03:18Donie
your all adults over there
im still surprised
03:18Me
that’s the sad thing about political correctness. it’s always that ‘ you cant do this or do that in fear of upsetting people’.
03:19Donie
here too but we have come a long way
03:19Me
i think american regulations decide what videos to be shown in what countries and since youtube is american owned then they do that
03:19Donie
but an english company made that
our RTE, was too afrid to make it
03:20Me
ic
03:21Donie
but an irish production with english money
chanell 4
is the best always push the boundaries
03:22Me
i guess it’s a long way to go
but i will try a proxy
aw proxy does not help
03:23Donie
you should write about that, religion is on the way out
people should understand about the Roman history and the biggest story ever told
03:25Me
indeed.
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Here is something from North Cregg. I mentioned them a couple of months ago and I think their music is interesting and really beautiful. Check this interview with Christy Leahy out:
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Another one is by Four Men and a Dog. Once again I owe this article to Donie Ryan who got me started. Anyway I love the rockin rollin feel of the music. “Hold On I’m Comin’ has a catchy tune over lively tempo.
Croatian Band The Skelligs Plus Nathan and Jon Pilatzke’s Step Dancing
The bodhran gives off a very distinctive Celtic sound. There is a haunting quality to it. Perhaps it is the collective instinct that reminds us of prehistoric sounds before written language was even invented. Somehow, association plays a big part in giving off a distinct flavor to the sound that the instrument produces. Let’s take for instance the sound of the viol. Though it is an instrument mainly associated with baroque or renaissance music, Jordi Savall made its Celtic debut. Even the balalaika can have infinite possibilities. It is the marriage of style with cultural identity in an instrument that makes something happen.
Well… we all know that sometime in the past everyone in Europe could have been Celts if not for the rise of Julius Caesar. Does it ever make you wonder what could have happened if instead of the Romans, Celts ruled the world instead? Does it make you shiver? Smile or inspire fear perhaps? We all know that history about the keltoi was written on accounts of Caesar’s own prejudice. THEY were after all the ENEMIES.
Now for the music.
Inspiration comes in the most unexpected places. No matter where you are, it is possible to feel a deep connection to a culture so different from your own. But to burrow from Loreena McKennitt, that there is more in us that can keep us together than tear us apart.
The Skelligs proved this point. A four-piece band from Split Croatia (Hrvatska), The Skelligs play a variety; mainly Irish traditional mixing it with jazz, blues, funk, classic, Latin-American and other traditional music. The result deserves a standing ovation. From clear acoustic rendition, they make the music fused and groovy, sometimes straight in style, sometimes very unexpected. Combination of composed and improvised music to burrow a description from their myspace page.
Band members:
Zasmina Pankova Pokrovac – fiddle and box
Goran Borovcic Kurir – guitar
Milan Pistalo – guitar
| From MySpace…
….In an environment where the knowledge about Irish music is extremely humble, further more, this same environment has never had the opportunity to listen live the Irish music; the performances of «The Skelligs» were seen with a mixture of skepticism, surprise and thrill. With no exceptions in the audience, either young either old, there wasn’t anyone who hasn’t been fascinated by this «new-found» music sound, even often taken to dancing, thanks to it’s catching rhythm.
Since the first public performance (2000.) the group has been frequently performing in clubs, open air stages, theatres and halls in Croatia, Netherlands and lately in Ireland. The national television (HRT) shoots 2004. a 25 minutes documentary about the group. «The Skelligs» recorded 2006. the soundtrack for Croatian première of “The Weir” by the famous contemporary Irish playwright Conor McPherson. |
If you love step dancing , then I am sure Nathan and Jon Pilatzke are familiar names. I first saw them on the Live in Nashville DVD of The Chieftains. I think they’re absolutely amazing. Originally from Toronto, Ontario. Both are good in step dancing(in the Cape Breton tradition) as well as playing musical instruments. They formed a 6-piece Celtic fusion ensemble called Quagmyre which is yet to give us news.
With Quagmyre…..
Hacking the Scene with the Pogues
Like Goth kids, You can’t hack the scene without naming bands like Bauhaus, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees or The Diary of Dreams. The same thing goes for Celtic Rock. Names like Dropkick Murphy’s, Seven Nations, Enter the Haggis and The Pogues are just few names that make up the entire umbrella of music. So , when you have the pass code, you’re in.
This music has never been more hip and relevant in today’s concert scene.
The Pogues have always served as an example of a band that never aims to please anybody for the sake of having a top 40 tune out there in the charts. They have created a style of their own without caring what critics say . There are even some song titles that can bring a shiver to anyone who thinks Celtic music is supposed to be polite and ‘safe’.
The scruffy voice of Shane McGowan is there to remind us , that what is Irish music if it’s just about glens and hills…and never about Guinness or Leprechauns. Surely , the naughty punk sensibilities should always remain if the spirit if the music has to survive. The Pogues along with other bands have brought the spirit of the music to the new century. And everyone keeps digging the scene, people of all races and geographical locations. This is the new age of Irish rock.
Celtic Music Fan 