Irish Songs: Sources

Subject: Irish Songs: Sources
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 06 Jun 97 - 01:53 PM

Several people have asked for suggestions on sources for Irish songs. The basic ones, in my opinion, are:

"Irish Street Ballads" and "More Irish Street Ballads" by Colm O'Lochlainn. Reprinted some years ago in paperback and reasonably available.

"Songs of the People" The Sam Henry Collection. Edited by Huntingdon & Hermann. Paperback was recently remaindered and is available through John Moulden, an enthusiast of the Ulster Song Tradition. He has a web site at: http://members.aol.com/jmoul81075/ulstsong.htm and email [e-mail]

Given the above, you'll find words and music to good versions of most Irish songs.

Regards

Subject: RE: Irish Songs: Sources
From: Barry Finn
Date: 06 Jun 97 - 03:22 PM

A couple more Ireland Sings by Dominic Behan, copyright 1965 Essex Music, LTD. London, England about a100 songs, with music Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, published something years,ago, and titled it "Traditional Songs And Singers" prepared and edited by Seamus Mac Mathuna A few songs are in Gaelic, a few Gaelic-English and the rest in English, 22 in all.There is alot of info of the songs and singers, people like Paddy Tunney, Geordie Hanna, Len Graham, Paddy Berry, Micheal O Suilleabhain,Una de Faoiteand, Tomas O Coisdealbha (Tom Phaidin Tom) and others.

Dan Milner, who'll be at Mystic this week and Paul Kaplan published a book "Songs Of England, Ireland & Scotland- A Bonnie Bunch Of Roses" put out by Oak Publications, copyright 1983. There's some info on the song, source, recordings or singers. This is a great collection by a great singer.

Subject: RE: Irish Songs: Sources
From: LaMarca
Date: 06 Jun 97 - 03:32 PM

Martin, are the slender paperbacks "Folksongs of Dublin" by Frank Harte, "Folksongs of Ulster" by Robin Morton, "Folksongs of Cork", etc still available? I think they were published by Ossian; I have them myself, but think they're nice little collections for folks that can't afford the Sam Henry.

Another collection more readily available in the US is:
"Soodlum's Irish Ballad Book" (pub. by Oak, I think) a mix of traditional and modern songs with tunes; it has scanty notes and some nice photos.

Subject: RE: Irish Songs: Sources
From: cleod
Date: 07 Jun 97 - 01:04 PM

I found a book in my library entitled "Folksongs of Britain and Ireland" by Peter Kennedy. It's huge, pretty old-looking and has probably been in the library since the American Occupation. If you can find it, this has songs in Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, English, songs for drinking, unrequited love, weddings, etc.etc. You gotta see this book...it's even got the notes (tunes) written down.

Subject: RE: Irish Songs: Sources
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 07 Jun 97 - 07:07 PM

LaMarca Yes, most of that set are reasonably available still. The point about the Sam Henry, really, was that, having been expensive, it is now quite cheap. As Moulden put it, "less than two pence per song!"

Cleod Kennedy's book is not all that old! Sixties? Great collection with lots of references.

Barry Agreed. Dan's book is excellent.

Regards

Subject: RE: Irish Songs: Sources
From: Alison
Date: 09 Jun 97 - 12:53 AM

Hi The "Folksongs and ballads popular in Ireland" (4 volumes) are good sources of songs. Much of the contents is probably duplicated in "Soodlums" and they are cheaper. Slainte Alison

Subject: RE: Irish Songs: Sources
From: Bo
Date: 09 Jun 97 - 11:16 PM

I think that "Folksongs and ballads popular in Ireland" (4 volumes) that Alison mentions is put out by Ossian Publications and edt. by John Loesberg.

Ossian has a Web Site and they take overseas orders by mail (if you are outside of Ireland.

http://www.synergy.ie/OssianSite/Entry.html

The books have 50 songs in each of songs _popular_ in Ireland. They are not all Irish songs by a long shot. Its a good hit parade of stuff.

Soodlums Irish Ballad Book (Oak Publications Co 1982) is far more authoritative and I think a better buy but the book is not as handy to take to gigs and such as it is not as portable.

I dont think Oak has a Web Site, I wish they did.

bo

Subject: RE: Irish Songs: Sources
From: Teru
Date: 10 Jun 97 - 07:32 PM

I should like to introduce "The Easter Rising in Song & Ballad" edited by C.Desmond Greaves. The first edition was published for the Workers' Music Association by Kahn & Averill, London in 1980.

This book contains more than 30 songs with notation concerning the 1916 rebellion including "A Rebel Song (James Connolly)", "The Soldiers of Cumann Na mBan (Brian O';Higgins)", "James Connolly", etc. You can learn not only the songs but the Irish history. I am not quite sure if this book is still available.

Subject: RE: Irish Songs: Sources
From: Virginia Blankenhorn
Date: 20 Jun 97 - 11:38 PM

Here's a couple more suggestions:

Hugh Shields, "Shamrock, Rose and Thistle: Folksinging in North Derry" Blackstaff Press (1981). This collection draws on the repertoire of singers from Magilligan Parish in the north of Co. Derry, the most famous of whom was the late Eddie Butcher. In addition to texts and airs (transcribed to reflect the actual twists of performance, thus not for the faint-hearted), Shields provides interesting notes about the songs themselves, performance practices, and the life of those who sang them.

Sean O Boyle, "The Irish Song Tradition," Gilbert Dalton, Dublin (1976). This book, which begins with an essay on Irish musical form, tonality, and metre (not all of which should be believed), contains 25 songs, six of them in Irish.

Paddy Tunney, "The Stone Fiddle: My Way to Traditional Song" Gilbert Dalton, Dublin (1979). Paddy has been much recorded; his book, which is primarily a book of reminiscences, contains texts and tunes to twenty-nine of his songs.