Here are my favorite lines of poetry from Riverdance. How about
Out of the dark we came, out of the sea.
Where the long wave broke on the shore.
As the day broke
and the night roled back,
there we stood on the land we would call home.
Out of the dark we came
out of the night
the first of many mornings in this new place.
When the sun rolled back the mist
we role like a strong wave on land.
Now we were the people of this place.
What burns through the mist?
What banishes the dark?
What makes the children straight and great?
The sun is our lord and father.
Bright face at the gate of day.
Comfort of home, cattle and crop.
Lord of the morning, lord of the day.
Lifting our hearts we sing his praise,
dance in his healing rays...
Or,
No life is forever
We found and fought
we loved and died here
Wave after wave the sea of time beats against every shore
Whole generations live now to depart
The land has failed us
the dark soldiers appear against us
In dance and song we gift and mourn our children
They carry us over the ocean
in dance and song.
-The folk process?
-As for memorable airs, try "Lift The Wings" and "Corona" and "Caoineadh Cuchallain".
-I'm not sure, and I don't want to insult your intelligence, Mrb, but Silly Wizard is Scottish.
-I like Thistle & Shamrock, it's WAS the reason I got into folk music. I've listened to every single episode since January 1997. The most played artists? Battlefield Band, Maura O'Connell, Dougie MacLean, Kate Rusby, and William Jackson--hardly commercialized junk in my opinion.
--Also, Turlough O' Carolan isn't technically folk--he was a composed just as Bill Whelan is a composer. We'll see what people think of Bill in 400 years...I wonder if they will look back at his music for Riverdance as folk music, and modern 24th century Irish music total trash. Kinda makes you think. Go easy. Don't be so easily offended...let us enjoy our perverse fun, even though you might not agree. It's no good fighting over it...it won't resolve anything. And BTW the last thing I'll ever be is a folk head...--Mbo