Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger - Jacobite Rebellions

"In the Jacobite songs every battle became a cry against oppression, and every leader wears the aspect of Ideal courage, boldness and strength, without blemish. The songs are glorious. Through them the Jacobites have won their rebellions, for the songs exist In posterity, moving us who are so far removed from the events, the causes, and the feelings, of the Fifteen and the Forty-Five; who live In other countries and pursue other destinies. As Ewan MacColl writes: "To a world which has become familiar with the concept of genocide, which has known fascism and two world wars, the Jacobite rebellions appear as no more than cases of mild unrest. They have grown dusty in history's lumber room along with all the other lost causes. The Stuart cause is forgotten and nothing, remains of it except the songs. "And what songs they are'. Witty, tender, proud, bitter, ribald, delicate, passionate; the songs of a people with a great zest and appetite for life; the songs of a people who are essentially optimistic and who, oddly enough, succeed In combining sympathy for a declining royal house with the most republican sentiments." [source Ralph Knight]

1 Ye Jacobites By Name

2 Such A Parcel Of Rogues In A Nation

3 Will Ye Go To Sheriffmuir

4 Wae's Me For Prince Charlie

5 Charlie He's My Darling

6 The Haughs Of Cromdale

7 The Bonnie Moorhen

8 Johnnie Cope

9 Cam Ye O'er Frae France

10 There's Three Brave, Loyal Fellows

11 This Is No My Ain House

12 The Piper O' Dundee

13 Donald MacGillavry

14 MacLean's Welcome

15 Will Ye No Come Back Again

link to the free album

Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger - The Jacobite Rebellions

Michael Dwyer - Traditional Music of Ireland

Recorded on his brother Finbarr's Silver Hill label in 1975, this is a lovely EP of Irish music played on the simplest of instruments by Michael Dwyer, and accompanied very tastefully by Kevin Taylor on piano. There was wear on the record, so there are some surface noises here and there, but this is a lovely recording of a great player, and it's well worth a listen. Sadly Michael died tragically a number of years ago, and there is very little of his sweet whistle playing left behind [source ceolalainn].

1. Richard Dwyer's/Seán Sa Cheo [Reels]
2. The Sunshine [Hornpipe]
3. The Flax in Bloom/The Castle [Reels]
4. The Laurel Tree/Speed the Plough [Reels]
5. The Kid on the Mountain [Slip Jig]
6. The Heather Breeze/The Chattering Magpie [Reels]

link to the free album

Michael Dwyer - Traditional Music of Ireland

Willie Clancy - Minstrel From Clare

The musicians who have truly influenced Irish traditional  music have not been many. Willie Clancy (1918-1973), piper, whistle-player and singer of Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, was indisputably one of them. He belonged to a strong tradition and left one after him. Clancy was born into a musical family. His parents both sang and played concertina, and his father, who had been heavily influenced by local blind piper Garret Barry, also played the flute.

Clancy started playing the whistle at the age of five, and later took up the flute. He first saw a set of pipes in 1936 when he saw Johnny Doran playing locally. He obtained his first set of pipes two years later. His influences included Leo Rowsome, Séamus Ennis, John Potts, and Andy Conroy. Clancy won the Oireachtas competition in 1947.

01. Langstern Pony

02. The Templehouse / Over the Moor To Maggie

03. Bruachna Carraige Báine (The Brink of the White Rock)

04. Erin's Lovely Lea

05. The Killavel Fancy / The Dogs Among the Bushes

06. The Family Ointment

07. The Dear Irish Boy

08. Caoineadh an Spailpín (The Spalpeen's Lament)

09. The Pipe On the Hob

10. The Gander

11. The Flogging Reel

12. The Legacy Jig

13. The Song of the Riddles

14. Spailpín a Rúin (Spalpeen, My Love)

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Willie Clancy - Minstrel From Clare

Kila - Kila Live In Dublin

The magnificent Kila recorded live in Dublin over four nights between 2002 and 2004. Celtic/Irish contemporary traditional music with a massive style injection.

1. Her Royal Waggledy Toes
2. Cabhraighí Léi
3. Dusty Wine Bottle
4. Tine Lasta
5. Wandering Fish
6. Bully's Acre
7. Grand Hotel
8. Glanfaidh Mé
9. Luna Park
10. Faoiseamh
11. Seo Mo Leaba

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Kila - Kila Live In Dublin

Josephine Keegan - Reels, Jigs, Hornpipes, Airs

Josephine Keegan Keegan was born of Irish parents in Dundee, Scotland, and at the age of four went to live with her family in South Armagh. She began to play piano and violin when she was about six, being taught by both parents at home, and later taking formal lessons. She studied classical music on both instruments as well as playing traditional music, and won many prizes at competitions throughout Ireland. She won a gold medal at the Feis Ceoil in Dublin, and later won the gold medal at the All-Ireland Fiddle Championship at the Oireachtas in 1955. After that, fiddle playing took a back seat and she concentrated on being a piano accompanist to other musicians, including Joe Burke and Seán Magure. She recorded her first of five solo albums in 1976; in 2006, after a gap of twenty-five years she recorded a new solo album. This 1980 album is one of five featuring Josephine Keegan's solo fiddle albums on which she double tracked her own piano accompaniment. There is some lovely playing as well as a very nice selection of tunes.

1. The Kylebrack Rambler/Gerry Cronin's [Reels]

2. The Queen of the West/Hasberry Howard [Hornpipes]

3. Cronin's Rambles [Jig]

4. Sliabh Geal gGua [Air]

5. Dancing Eyes/Eddie Kelly's [Jigs]

6. Music in the Glen/The Lass of Ballintra [Reels]

7. The Square of Crossmaglen/Coolderry Bridge [Reels]

8. To the Waters and the Wild/The Hazel Wand [Hornpipes]

9. The Lark in the Morning [Jig]

10. An Buinnean Buidhe [Air]

11. The Pear Tree/The Stranger [Hornpipes]

12. Jimmy McBride's [Reel]

link to the free album

Josephine Keegan - Reels, Jigs, Hornpipes, Airs

Andy M. Stewart - Songs Of Robert Burns

Andy M. Stewart is a Scottish singer and songwriter, formerly the frontman for Silly Wizard. Called one of Celtic music's most gifted singers and arguably the best songwriter in the entire folk tradition, Andy M. Stewart has been delighting audiences with his music and humour for more than three decades. Andy's voice gives rightful airing to some of the finest of Burn's songs. To hear the two together leaves no doubt that the singer is at his peak, and that "Rabbie Burrns wa'farr mare th' a lad wh' wrrote tha' New Year's song."

Musicians;
Andy M. Stewart: Vocals
Manus Lunny: Guitar and Bouzouki
Donald Shaw: Accordion and Keyboard
Charlie McKerron: Fiddle

1. Rantin' Rovin Robin

2. Ca' The Yowes To The Knowes

3. Is There For Honest Poverty (For A' That)

4. Green Grow The Rashes, O

5. Ae Fond Kiss

6. Hey, Ca' Thro'

7. Hey How Johnie Lad

8. The Lea - Rig

9. It Was A' For Our Rightfu' King

10. A Red, Red Rose

11. To The Weaver's Gin Ye Go

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Andy M. Stewart - Songs Of Robert Burns

Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem & Friends - The Irish Uprising [1916-1922]

This magnificent double album was released in 1966 originally as a book and vinyl record combination to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland. I'm re-releasing it for the 100th anniversary celebrations of this important event in the history of Ireland. The album is made up of songs by The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, Kay Hart, Anne Byrne, Poetry readings, Proclamations and interviews of many who fought in the rebellion. It's obviously aimed as much as at the American market as to those in Ireland but if you ignore the intro it all settles down to an excellent listen and a unique historical document.


A1a–Liam Clancy, The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - The Soldier's Song
A1b–Daniel Callahan - Padraic Pearse's Oration At The Grave Of O'Donovan Rossa
A1c–Breandan O'Duill - The Bold Fenian Men
A1d–Sean T. O'Kelly - From An Interview With Sean T. O'Kelly
A2a–Eamon DeValera - From A Speech By Eamon DeValera
A2b–Kay Hart - Lonely Banna Strand
A2c–Eamon DeValera - Eamon DeValera
A2d–Tommy Makem - From "The Rebel"
A2e–Anne Byrne - Tri-Colored Ribbon
A3a–Tommy Makem And The Clancy Brothers - The Rising Of The Moon
A3b–Donal Donnelly - The Proclamation Of 1916
B1a–Tommy Makem And The Clancy Brothers - Wrap The Green Flag 'Round Me Boys
B1b–Eileen O'Hanrahan Reilly - From Interviews With Mrs. Eileen O'Hanrahan Reilly
B1c–Rory Brugha - From Interviews With Rory Brugha
B1d–Sean Harling - From Interviews With Sean Harling
B2a–The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - Who Fears To Speak Of Easter Week
B2b–Tom Clancy - From "Easter 1916"
B2c–Tom Clancy - Tipperary So Far Away
B2c–Ed Golden - The Rose Tree
B3a–Kay Hart - Down By The Glenside
B3b–Liam Clancy - From "Drums Under The Window"
B3c–Anne Byrne, Breandan O'Duill And The Abbey Tavern Singers - The West's Awake
C1a–Daniel Callahan - Padraic Pearse's Surrender Order, April 1916
C1b–Pat Clancy, The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - The Foggy Dew
C1c–Tom Clancy - Sixteen Dead Men
C2a–Kay Hart - The Dying Rebel
C2b–Deirdre O'Maera - The Mother
C2c–Eamon DeValera - Eamon DeValera
C2d–Tommy Makem - The Grand Ould Dame Brittannia
C2e–Sean T. O'Kelly - From Interviews With Sean T. O'Kelly
C2f–Joseph Clarke - From Interviews With Joseph Clarke
C2g–Sean Harling - From Interviews With Sean Harling
C2h–Frank Sherwin - From Interviews With Frank Sherwin
C3a–The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - Johnson's Motor Car
C3b–Liam Clancy - The Valley Of Knockanure
C3c–Eamon DeValera - Eamon DeValera
C3d–Sean Mooney - From Interviews With Sean Mooney
C3e–Sean Harling - From Interviews With Sean Harling
C3f–Liam Clancy, The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - Green In The Green
D1a–Tommy Makem And The Clancy - Brothers Boys From The County Cork
D1b–Liam Clancy - Kevin Barry
D1c–Eamonn Kelly - The Manifesto Of Sinn Fein
D1d–Eamon DeValera - Eamon DeValera
D2a–Anne Byrne - Shall My Soul Pass Through Old Ireland
D2b–Rory Brugha - From An Interview With Rory Brugha
D2c–Sean Mooney - From An Interview With Sean Mooney
D2d–Liam Clancy, The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - An Durd Fainne
D2e–Sean Harling - From An Interview With Sean Harling
D3a–Donal Donnelly - From "The Fool"
D3b–Tommy Makem And The Clancy Brothers - A Nation Once Again
D3c–Eamon DeValera - From The Easter 1966 Message
D3d –The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - The Soldiers Song

link to the free album

Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem & Friends - The Irish Uprising [1916-1922]