Subject: RE: Gaughan on the nature of 'Tradition'
From:
Brendy
Date: 08 Jun 00 - 04:49 PM
Richard. I do not have a problem as such with the songs of the Ascendancy in Ireland, and I recognise these as part of the tradition. Many's the time I have given a rousing rendition of 'Biddy McDowell', but as a general rule songs like these don't suit what I 'do'. This 'selectiveness' in what I perform has no bearing on the fact that they exist, and in my humble opinion, have a right to exist.
I am hardly going to sing a song which goes against my 'principles' to satisfy some mythical need from a hypothetical audience, that our bearded friend would have us believe, demands the song. That is prostitution, and I have elevated above that 'need' to be accepted. This is really the crux of what Conrad's point is. He would have us sacrifice the 'wheat' for the 'chaff', and if that were to be done, the quality of the music would suffer. To suggest that I am not of the north of Ireland musical tradition; I come from the most troubled of it's towns, is ludicrous, and by association, to say that I don't sing a representative cross-section of the music is also inaccurate.
The songs that Conrad would have me, and others, sing, are hardly sang by their 'own people', except at times like this, as the 'Marching Season' starts it's yearly procession of hate. I do not sing songs of hate. The songs of the Irish resistance to English occupation are not laced with triumphalist gingoistic coat-trailing, as Orange songs are, and in that way cannot be differentiated from the songs, say, of the anti-Nazi faction of the French during WW2.
Songs of the Ulster-Scot Ascendancy, from the 'Battle of The Diamond' (8 miles from my home) onwards have nothing to do with love of one's neighbour, or how difficult it is to get the hay in.
These songs are incitement to riot - 95% of them are. It is to the credit of people like Bobby Hanvey and others who have focused on the tradition within the tradition, that have helped to popularise songs of Unionism; had they not done so, that 'tradition' would have stayed where it always had been, marginalised, except to a greater extent.
Unionist songs are, for the most part, factually untrue, musically weak, and socially unsingable.
Irish songs, and I use this term to denote songs written by those who classify themselves as Irish, whether they be conformist or non-conformist, on the other hand are generally none of the above. 'You can't beat a good song' they always say. And if 'Loyalist' songs can't cut the mustard any more, except during ritualistic shows of superiority, then less and less people will sing them. This is something You or I cannot influence. I have no more interest in being a reviver of the Orange song cycle as a philanthropic excercise, no more than I crave to highlight the plight of the Greater Spotted European Song Thrush, or whatever, and how life has been shitty to it in recent times. I don't define the music, I just play it. And north of Ireland traditional music is heavily Scottish influenced. Listen to a fiddle player from Corofin, and then to Paul Bradley, or someone. It's right there in the right arm. Listen to me accompanying Trad, and then to a guitarist from Cork. There is no mistake where we all come from. Take the north of Ireland accent, and regional dialects. And this includes the Irish language. He ain't debating, Richard.
He's involved in a bit of cyberspace masturbation. And he's lovin' every minute of it! B.
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