Author's articles
Why so many cities claim the Irish song I’ll Tell Me Ma
By Michael Curran · 13 years ago
The Irish song I’ll Tell Me Ma has become well known in folk music circles across the world.
It is such a popular song that cities all over the Ireland and even some in England ...
Why the Irish love song Raglan Road was written
By Michael Curran · 13 years ago
The classic Irish song Raglan Road is one of the greatest love poems of the last century – yet it was a throwaway jibe about cabbages and turnips that led to it being written.
The ...
How Yeats borrowed an old song when writing The Salley Gardens
By Michael Curran · 13 years ago
The Irish love song Down by the Salley Gardens sounds like it has come straight out of the folk music tradition but in fact it was written by the classically educated poet W B Yeats. ...
The Wild Rover – an Irish drinking song or an English temperance song?
By Michael Curran · 13 years ago
When most people think of the Irish folk song, the Wild Rover, they immediately think of fun, laughter and above all, drinking.
However, this may not be the correct way to interpret the song. It ...
Why the Parting Glass is Irish music’s favourite song of farewell
By Michael Curran · 13 years ago
Irish music is littered with songs of farewell but few have endured and become so popular across the world as the Parting Glass.
Hundreds of years of emigration meant that Irish people got used to ...
How the Irish Rover lyrics use exaggeration for comic effect
By Michael Curran · 13 years ago
Irish music often uses exaggeration for comic effect but nowhere is it done on such a grand scale as in the song, The Irish Rover.
The lyric dates from the early 1800s and tells the ...
How robbery and rebellion make Whiskey in the Jar a classic Irish song
By Michael Curran · 13 years ago
When a country is occupied by a foreign power as Ireland was for several hundred years then music is often used as a way of poking fun at the establishment.
This is a large part ...
Spancil Hill - the personal tragedy behind the classic Irish song
By Michael Curran · 13 years ago
It’s often the case that great songs are written by people at a time when they are experiencing great personal tragedy in their lives.
The classic Irish ballad, Spancil Hill, is a perfect example of ...
Five tips for setting up a successful Irish Music Club
By Michael Curran · 13 years ago
Irish music has become increasingly popular over the last few years and has inspired many fans to set up their own Irish music clubs.
Sometimes, unfortunately, their expertise has not matched their enthusiasm and the ...
Danny Boy - the story behind the classic Irish song
By Michael Curran · 13 years ago
Danny Boy is one of the most famous and popular Irish songs of all time yet few of its fans know how it came to be written.
It’s a fascinating story which involved the melody ...