The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #65189 Message #1072350
Posted By: Celtaddict
14-Dec-03 - 06:22 PM
Thread Name: Good Songs You're Sick Of
Subject: RE: Good Songs You're Sick Of
Joybell, I agree that the predictability of the requests from those who ask for "Irish songs" when what they want seems to be "Danny Boy" or "The Wild Rover" can get a bit tiresome. I think you are onto something with your observation that they "think most songs are Irish" as the Irish have played such a large role in the origins of much American and Australian traditional music, not to mention bluegrass and cowboy and maritime. I suppose it has become used as a generic term for a particular type of song, often rooted in home/land/family/loss, all major topics in traditional music in general, often involving drink and courtship, ever popular topics, and also often involving choruses that invite (or demand) participation. No doubt a good deal of confusion arises from the highly prominent singers who sing from a variety of sources though they are known as "Irish" singers. The Clancy Brothers, the Dubliners, Mary Black, and a broad variety of pub-type singers come to mind. Why else would anyone think "The Unicorn" was Irish? On the other hand, though I love Irish and Scots songs, and a good deal of English balladry, and a number of contemporary composers, and in fact do know the provenance of the great majority of the songs I enjoy, I have to say that my enjoyment is neither increased nor lessened by knowing if a song or songwriter is "really" Irish or anything else.