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GUEST,25 Feb 06 - 07:00 PM Songs to entertain the Irish Elders (42) RE: Songs to entertain the Irish Elders 26 Feb 06


The American list is pretty typical of what gets played at civic St Patrick's Day celebrations in the US, despite the popular fad traditional Irish music became in the US in the 1990s and early aughts, which is but a faded memory now.

I agree, the differences are quite interesting, and reflect very different cultural histories. The stuff masters and PhD theses are made of, to be sure. One day, the musicians will be performing selections from Riverdance to us seniors both sides the ponds, eh?

The Parting Glass is often performed in bars, but it is also used as a funeral piece for Irish Americans this side the pond, hence my suggestion it isn't appropriate in a nursing home setting here. Whether it would be appropriate at a St Paddy's Day luncheon at the senior center would depend upon the audience too.

Since many of the residents of nursing homes and elder guests at St Paddy's Day luncheons will not be Irish, the "Irishness" of the lyric (for want of a better description of the cultural differences in how the song is viewed in the US vs Ireland and Britain) wouldn't translate well, IMO. In other people's opinion, it might.


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