Come to Carolan's Cottage -- You'll Like It

While the stone cottage seen on the CD cover may be drafty, the music should keep you warmed up!

01. Fanny Power (4:37)

02. Planxty Crilly (2:10)

03. Squire Wood's Lamentation on the Refusal of His Halfpence (3:50)

04. James Plunkett (1:50)

05. Carolan's Cottage (4:35)

06. Sir Festus Burke (2:31)

07. Bridget Cruise, Fourth Air (3:03)

08. Carolan's Quarrel with the Landlady (2:59)

09. Edward Corcoran (3:28)

10. Thomas Burke (3:16)

11. Morgan Magan (3:13)

12. Carolan's Receipt, or Dr. John Stafford (3:10)

It’s a 1986 release.  All of the Celtic charm, none of the Celtic irritating drone or whine!  Also included is a one-page catalog of sorts.

Carolan's Cottage

See you on Monday for some April Fun!

  

A Penultimate Song

This is the last of my albums of Mary O'Hara's beautiful singing and playing.

It's a 1982 release.

01. My Lagan Love (4:00)

02. Kitty of Coleraine (1:49)

03. A Soft Day (2:11)

04. Óró Mo Bháidin (Óró My Little Boat) (3:20)

05. Young Brigid O'Malley (2:39)

06. Danny Boy (3:13)

07. The Spanish Lady (2:19)

08. She Moved Through the Fair (3:15)

09. The Gartan Mother's Lullaby (3:26)

10. The Fairy Tree (2:11)

11. Ailiú Éanai (2:53)

12. Bring Me a Shawl from Galway (3:21)

13. Down by the Sally Gardens (2:54)

14. The Song of Glendun (4:08)

15. An Peata Circe (The Pet Hen) (1:26)

16. The Quiet Land of Erin (3:28)

A couple of tracks are repeats from earlier albums, but with different performances.  Enchanting!

A Song for Ireland 

See you on Thursday for the last of our Irish-tinged posts!

  

Why Isn't That Piano Sinking?

I mean, a grand piano sitting out on an Irish countryside, why aren't there any tracks from dragging the thing? Could this thing be staged? Perish the thought!

01. Danny Boy (3:58)

02. Spancil Hill (4:40)

03. The Bride's Return (4:38)

04. O'Neill's March (2:34)

05. Galway Bay (5:15)

06. From Clare to Here (4:34)

07. Only Our Rivers Run Free (5:46)

08. Tóg go bog é (Take It Easy) (3:35)

09. Dublin in the Rare 'Oul Times/ Molly Malone (4:26)

10. Star of the County Down (5:50)

11. Scenes of Antrim (4:16)

12. The Reel of Timothy O'Neill (2:24)

13. Carrickfergus (4:25)

14. The Town I Loved So Well (3:11)

15. The Meeting of the Waters (3:27)

A 1996 release that’s by turns beguiling and ponderous.  Mr O’Neill should not be singing (the overlong Track 7).  

The Meeting of the Waters

See you Monday!

  

And a Mighty Fine One It Is!

Well, top o' the morning to ya.  This here is a great collection of songs, played and sung by that wondrous lady.

01. An Crann Ubhall (The Apple Tree) (1:29)

02. She Lived Beside the Anner (3:05)

03. Cucuin A Chuaichin (Cuckoo Little Cuckoo) (1:43)

04. Kitty of Coleraine (1:48)

05. Roisin Dubh (Dark Rosaleen) (2:58)

06. Down by the Sally Gardens (2:24)

07. Luibin O Luth (2:28)

08. I Will Walk with My Love (2:22)

09. Seothin Seo (3:09)

10. The Parting (2:11)

11. s Ar Eirinn Ni N-Eosfhainn Ce H-I (And for Ireland I'd Not Tell Her Name) (3:35)

12. The Last Rose of Summer (3:55)

13. Sean 'Sa Bhriste Leathair (John and His Leather Breeches) (1:36)

14. Young Brigid O'Malley (2:34)

15. Deus Meus (My God) (2:22)

16. I Know My Love (2:58)

17. Sliabh Geal Gcua Ne Feile (Bright Mountain) (2:47)

18. Trotting to the Fair (1:48)

I think you'll think so, too.

Mary O'Hara's Ireland 

See you Thursday!

  

Sing Along If You're Still Sober!

Cheap shot, but playing to stereotypes with that one, I confess.

01. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (2:29)

02. Mother Machree (2:25)

03. Molly Malone (3:03)

04. A Little Bit of Heaven (3:48)

05. I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen (3:04)

06. Shenanigans (1:48)

07. Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's an Irish Lullaby) (2:38)

08. The Rose of Tralee (3:21)

09. Kerry Dance (2:44)

10. Come Back to Erin (4:20)

11. The Girl I Left Behind Me (1:39)

12. Christmas in Killarney (2:20)

There really was a Bill Shepherd Singers (I never heard of them).  Painted in reverb, this offering seems super-sincere, and therefore nowadays it comes off as very cheesy.  A men's-glee-club-type of jovial nightmare.

Irish Sing-Along 

Keep singin' 'til Monday!  See you then, with something a bit more heavenly.

  

A Voice Bringing Magic

I bought this LP at the OCU bookstore in 1974 and never repented for a second.  I fell in love with Mary O'Hara's voice and playing.  if you don't, then I scorn ye!

01. Haigh Didil Dum (1:11)

02. Carraig Donn (3:29)

03. The Frog Song (2:12)

04. Oro Mo Bhaidin (3:29)

05. Jackets Green (1:25)

06. Seoladh Na Ngamhna (Driving the Calves) (2:52)

07. Wexford Mummer's Song (2:17)

08. Sliabh Na Mban (The Mountain of the Women) (2:45)

09. The Gartan Mother's Lullaby (3:37)

10. Down by the Glenside (2:21)

11. Maidrin Ruadh (The Little Fox) (2:05)

12. Silent O Moyle (The Song of Fionnuala) (3:00)

13. Dia Luain Dia Mairt (Monday, Tuesday) (2:22)

14. Farewell, But Whenever (4:16)

15. The Leprechaun (1:23)

16. Na Leanbhai I Mveithil (The Children in Bethlehem) (2:00)

17. The Famine Song (2:20)

18. She Didn't Dance (1:50)

Songs of Ireland 

The album that won my romantic heart to her firm yet vulnerable voice and stark playing.  You'll be won over, too.

See you Thursday!

  

Unsatisfying Sampler

This is the worst kind of collection, only a few snippets of each song before changing to another one.  GRRRR!  Who is this supposed to appeal to?

Supposedly this accompanied a book with lyrics and guitar chords.  But what good is only thirty seconds of a song before the track segues to a different one?

After minutes of pains-taking research, I have come up with the titles of all the snippets included herein:

01 - Galway Shawl / Slievenamon / I Never Will Marry / Spancil Hill / Tied Up with a Black Velvet Band / Snowy Breasted Pearl / The Wild Colonial Boy / Love Is Pleasing

02 - Nora / Avondale / Danny Boy / The Winter It Is Past / The Dying Rebel / Bunch of Thyme

03 - The Minstrel Boy / Kelly of Killane / The Holy Ground / I'll Tell Me Ma / Risin’ of the Moon / Henry My Son / Dicey Reilly 

04 - Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore / An Old Man Came Courting Me / Shores of Americae / The Dear Little Shamrock / The Cliffs of Dooneen / The Connemara Cradle Song / Spinning Wheel / Zoological Gardens / The Wild Rover

05 - Whiskey in a Jar / Waxie's Dargle / Rare Old Mountain Dew / The Spanish Lady / The Star of the County Down / Old Maid in the Garret / 

06 - Sweet Carnlough Bay / Easy and Slow / James Connolly / The West's Asleep / The Maid from Buncloudy / Father Murphy / Believe Me, If All These Endearing Young Charms / The Rose of Tralee

07 - Galway Races / Old Woman from Wexford / Golden Jubilee / Home Boys Home

08 - Down by the Salley Gardens / Slieve Gallon Braes / The Butcher Boy / Banna Strand / The Rose of Mooncoin / The Mountains of Mourne / Tis the Last Rose of Summer

09 - Molly Malone / Down by the Glenside / Carrickfergus / Skibbereen / Twenty-One Years / The Boston Burglar / Three Lovely Lassies from Kimmage / Do You Want Your Old Lobby Washed Down

10 - Will You Come to the Bower / Let Him Go, Let Him Tarry / The Boys of Wexford / The Foggy Dew / The Merry Ploughboy / The Irish Rover / A Nation Once Again

Don’t hold this one against poor old Ireland!

An over-crowded collection

As you can tell by the printing on the cassette, this is the companion to a book.

Good Luck!  See you Monday for something divine.

  

Welcome to a Taste of the Aulde Sod!

Well, I ain't really that sentimental about me dear ol' (partial) native home of Ireland, but I came across enough material to fill up this month. So grin and bear it, fellow shamrock-sniffers!

This here's a 1963 LP ripped and coddled by meself.

01. Birthday of St Patrick (1:57)

02. Slattery’s Mounted Fut (3:01)

03. Rose of Arranmore (2:24)

04. Irish Jaunting Car (2:01)

05. Shamus O’Brien (2:16)

06. I’ll Remember You, Love, in My Prayers (3:22)

07. Killeater Fair (2:44)

08. The Wild Colonial Boy (3:10)

09. Typical Irishman (2:58)

10. Spinning Wheel (3:04)

11. Sweet Marie (2:27)

12. Cottage by the Lea (3:37)

13. Norah Dailey (2:03)

Rare Songs of Old Ireland 

Faith and begorrah, it’s a tear-evoking, over-emotional trip to memories you may never have had, either!

See ye Thursday!