BS: Musical Travel in Ireland

Subject: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: GUEST,Mrrzy-at-work
Date: 12 Apr 00 - 03:45 PM

I searched first and didn't find any similar threads... but if there are any, please do the Cool Blue Clicky thing and show me.
My one trip to Ireland was a self-drive 7-day tour, in which I only spent the night in places I already knew from a song, thus:
Galway (As I rode into Galway town to seek for recreation); Castlemaine (he was born and raised in Ireland in a place called Castlemaine); Cork (and he swam like a man from Cork); Bandon (one evening of late into Bandon I strayed); Kilkenny (and if he'll go with me, we'll go rolling in Kilkenny); Waterford (I was the day in Waterford, and there was wine and pints on the table), and Dublin (on the rocky road to Dublin).
I was wondering, have any of y'all had followed any similar musical itineraries, not necessarily in Eire?

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: The Beanster
Date: 12 Apr 00 - 11:11 PM

Dear Mrzzy,

That sounds really wonderful! Never done that, never even heard of anyone doing that...where'd you come up with the idea? It'll be interesting to see if anyone else has meandered in a similar fashion. I'm planning to drive up to Canada this summer and I'm going to keep this idea in mind. Of course, being that I live in New York City, I suppose I'll have to spend my first night in Spanish Harlem (there is a rose in Spanish Harlem)...or maybe On Broadway somewhere or Strawberry Fields, in Central Park or....oh my god, I'll never get out of NYC! lol

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: alison
Date: 12 Apr 00 - 11:22 PM

Never used to do that to decide where to go.. but as we drove through the places at home.. I'd try to think of songs that mentioned the towns and villages

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: paddymac
Date: 12 Apr 00 - 11:53 PM

I have read that Irish folk music tends to be more "geo-specific" than comparable music in many other cultures. It's not an "absolute" by any stretch, just a strong tendency. The songs commonly tell about specific people or characters involved in specific things with specific others in specific places. That's especially true in the "rebel" genre. I imagine that "trait" was transported with the people in their diaspora. "Wild Colonial Boy" might be a good example. Though I'm less familiar with Scottish and English folk tunes, it seems the geo-specificity thing is strong there as well.

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: Judy Predmore
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 02:32 AM

I go to a weekly session at an Irish pub in Boston. One of the singers learned hundreds of "Irish Parlour" type songs, growing up in Ireland. I have never heard so many songs about specific places & geography. I've recently been trying to make some educated guesses why. One obvious reason is all the people who had to leave Ireland, their songs are about longing to be back in their homeland. The rural nature of life in Ireland over a hundred years ago, would make the people very close to the land. And being severely oppressed by another country (England), sometimes makes people more nationalistic, & more appreciative & proud of their land & their culture. Just some thoughts...

On the other topic, I know severeal people who went a little out of their way to see places named in American songs - they didn't plan a whole trip around it, but they said it was really neat to see the river, canal, town, etc. mentioned in a song.

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: AKS
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 04:40 AM

Be careful when choosing Irish songs to follow or you might get stuck where you start! Look at Dublin Jack of All Trades for instance: if you like to visit public houses along the way, you'd be lucky to get as far as Temple Bar;)

Or you could do the trip the other way round, pick up a song/tune from every place you visit!

AKS

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 08:27 AM

You might find this site of interest or help with questions on Irish music. Yours, Aye. Dave http://www.geocities.com/musicofireland

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: honestfrankie
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 02:51 PM

Driving down from Canada through the states to New orleans and Texas and to Santa Fe etc., I drove my non-musician type travelling companion crazy singing songs about every place we came to that I knew a song about ie. Memphis, Abilene, Miles and Miles of texas. There weren't many silent spots!

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: Kara
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 05:01 PM

Can anyone think of a town in Ireland that is not mentioned in a song?

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: GUEST,Mrrzy-at-work
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 05:02 PM

Dear Beanster: The reason we did it that way was two-fold. One was that it was our love of Irish music that had led us to want to honeymoon in Ireland anyway. And the other was, there were SOOOOOOOOO many places we wanted to see, there had to be SOME way of whittling the trip down to something we could afford, so we just kind of started settling on places based upon the songs we knew, and this is kind of how it ended up playing out... it was grand. Just grand.

And, if you ever get out of NYC on your way to Canada, you can at least go to Halifax (they all sailed out to Halifax)... I'll try to think of others!

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 06:29 PM

Mrrzy, I have never planned my Scottish tours in the way you've planned your Irish one (though I think it's a great idea and I'll have to give it more thought before I start again in June), but I have noticed that for about every other place I come through when I'm in Scotland a song title comes to mind. - Susanne

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From:
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 07:25 PM

As someone who is really a Londoner but half Irish and has spent a lot of time there I have a theory (well a bit more than a theory) that the reason for many Irish songs being about particular parts of Ireland is that they have a long history of leaving the land to find work or escape famine and naturally they want remember it or celebrate it. Also rebelion may have something to do with it in certain songs. My advice - go to Ireland, anywhere and they'll be the local people in a pub nearby making music as only they could.

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: The Beanster
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 11:10 PM

Mrrzy-at work,

Thanks for that answer--that's a lovely, romantic idea and it sounds like it must've been just wonderful. I was in Ireland in Dec./Jan. and I wish I had thought of that. Next time... (By the way, do you know of any songs about Carrick-On-Suir--that's where my friend is from...) And yeah, I'd LOVE to go to Halifax. Now I'll just have to think of songs that'll put me on a route up that way...don't think there are any songs about Connecticut are there? lol

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: alison
Date: 13 Apr 00 - 11:26 PM

Kara,

the one I never found a song for was Poyntzpass....

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: Kara
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 02:53 AM

The Milk maid of Poyntspass was a fair and bonny lass her eyes as blue as any sky in summer and many was the lad of her hand would be all glad there never was a one who thought to shun her till all on a fine spring day she upped and went away saying Poyntpass braes where fine,but she wished better here milking days all through her heart was set and true and the Poyntspass boys think never to forget her.

So the years went flying by and the lads forgot to sigh and they never hear a word dead or alive and sure Pontzpass got to changing all the young folk took to aging till up roll some folks in a 4 wheel drive. out steped their own sweet Mary with some long haired city hairy the milk maid of Poyntpass at last returned her accent slurred and funny with a huge amount of money to the place for which her heart had always yearned.

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: Kara
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 03:22 AM

sorry I will try that again with line breaks

The Milk maid of Poyntspass
was a fair and bonny lass
her eyes as blue as any sky in summer
and many was the lad
of her hand would be all glad
there never was a one who thought to shun
her till all on a fine spring day
she upped and went away saying Poyntpass braes where fine,but she wished better
her milking days all through
her heart was set and true
and the Poyntspass boys think never to forget her.

So the years went flying by
and the lads forgot to sigh
and they never hear a word dead or alive
and sure Pontzpass got to changing
all the young folk took to aging
till up roll some folks in a 4 wheel drive.
out steped their own sweet Mary
with some long haired city hairy
the milk maid of Poyntpass at last returned
her accent slurred and funny
with a huge amount of money
to the place for which her heart had always yearned.

they bought up the dear old farm
the place was oh so full of charm
and they set about a nice modern conversion
but all the Poyntpass Folk
everylad and every bloke
to their fair milk maid they took a new aversion
said she's bossy and shes rude
and she don't eat propper food
and the plumber says she's plans for a jakuzi
and although she once was fair
I don't like her newfound air
well I always did prefere her sister Suzi.

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: alison
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 03:25 AM

Is that for real????

hahahaha... love it... must drive through and sing.....

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: Kara
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 04:09 AM

it's real.

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: GUEST,Mrrzy-at-work
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 12:14 PM

Beanster, "The Black Cavalry" is the only song I can think of that actually mentions Carrick-on-Suir; also in their intro to their version of Anne Boleyn, the Clancy Bros (who are from C-on-S) mention the town, when talking about how the castle there is where Anne was born, in theory. Fair warning, though, if you are a CBros fan, don't mention that in that region, they are not exactly well-liked. Paddy actually lives in the area and is, not too cordially, despised. Apparently the feeling is (as it was explained to me by several people) that Local Boys Who Make Good should spend more of their hard-earned cash back amongst the locals. I'll search the DB for Black Cavalry, and if I can't find it, I'll do a Lyrics Add.

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: GUEST,Mrrzy-at-work
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 12:19 PM

It's in there, as they say. It has a similar theme to "Rothsea-O" (another song of fleas and bad beds), which I used to hear as "ROTC-O" (speaking of misheard lyrics).

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: Peter T.
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 02:46 PM

A little Canadian content: if you want a fine read, try David A. Wilson's book, "Ireland: A Bicycle and a Tin Whistle" (McGill-Queen's University Press, ppbk. ISBN 0-7735-1344-2) about one such recent journey. Full of music and travel. (I cycled around Ireland 30 years ago, and loeved every minute of it, including the rain). Had I only known something about the music then! yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: suze
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 02:57 PM

Hi there I found that at every turn in Ireland, there is the name of a tune or a song, every road sign is like a playlist!! You could spend the rest of your life with a list of tunes and songs and I don't think you'd run out of places, one day, one day...............

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: paddymac
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 03:32 PM

Seems like it might be a fun exercise to write a song about the people, places and things you encounter on a trip. "American Pie" strikes me as 'sort of' like that, but I imagine there are better exemplars out there. Ideas?

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: Kara
Date: 14 Apr 00 - 04:47 PM

I can think ofno better example of what the dude was feeling at the time them American Pie. A mystic voyage though a guy phychi indeed

Subject: RE: BS: Musical Travel in Ireland
From: alison
Date: 15 Apr 00 - 01:40 AM

Not music, but if you want another great read about travel in Ireland, pick up "Round Ireland with a fridge" by Tony Hawke (Ebury Press ISBN 0 09 186777 0).....

basically he accepted a bet that he couldn't hitch hike around Ireland with a fridge....... the book describes the adventures.....

slainte

alison