Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School

Subject: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Blackcatter
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 03:40 PM

Greetings all

Later this week I will be singing songs that Irish/Celtic (or close to it) to an elementary school for their arts day. I will be doing 20 minute sets throughout the day - 6 actually and each set will be for a different grade. I have a list of songs to do, but I could use some more suggestions. Or let me know if you think any of my choices might be inappropriate. (Try to think of songs that have little violence, sex and drinking and that aren't terrible sad - though a few sad ones would be appropriate.)

Mine so far:

Paper & Pins
Rattlin' Bog
Dear Boss (Paddy's Not At Work Today)
Chickens in the Garden Place in the Choir
Garden Song
She Didn't Dance
Little Beggarman
Fiddler's Green
Winds of Morning
Fields of Athenry
Red it the Rose
Loch Lomond
Gypsy Rover
Anne Boleyn
Mary Mack

thanks in advance!

Blackcatter

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Sorcha
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 03:44 PM

Molly Malone for the littlest ones.

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: GUEST,Karen
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 04:18 PM

"Rattlin' Bog" is always a crowd-pleaser with the younger set. I'm glad it's on your list.
When my husband goes to the elementary schools he also writes phonetically on a large piece of posterboard the chorus to a simple Gaelic waulking song. If you do any Gaelic singing this type of song works well since it's so repetitive and the kids think they're really something for singing in a foreign language.

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: GUEST,UB Dan
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 04:50 PM

I'll tell my ma
Uncle Noddy's ship (I know its uncle noddy's something...)
Wild Rover (despite the drinkig aspect...it's a great audience participation song)
The Unicorn (most performers dislike doing it...most audiences like hearing it...and another great audience participation one)

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 04:55 PM

The Garden song (David Mallett) and All God's Critters (Bill Staines) aren't Irish, but they're great songs. Sing them, but tell the kids they were written by American songwriters!

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Snuffy
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 06:59 PM

UB Dan. do you mean Uncle Nobby's steamboat? a bit of 60s Celtic psychedelia from the Wolftones of all people. I've got a tape somewhere and could post the words. Not really suitable for the tiny tots though - save it for the teachers!

Wassail! V

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 08:44 PM

A great list -Yes, Rattlin' Bog is a sure winner! Fiddler's Green is an English song, composed in the 1960's by John Conolly. No reason, though, not to still include it. It's sung internationally. The Irish-American song "Paddy Works On The Railway" is another to consider. It has an easy chorus that kids would enjoy.

-chanteranger

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Blackcatter
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 09:24 PM

Yeah, I know some of them aren't Irish - just using the tern loosly (I want to me Tommy Makem when I grow up.)

I like doing The Unicorn song, but my guess the topic of Noah's Ark might not be appropriate for public school. I'll ask my friend who is the librarian at the school and who invited me.

I really like the Garden song - because it gives me a chnace to sing the Anti Garden Song.

Wild Rover's a good song too because the drinking is cautionary and it'll give me a chance to let them all say "No! Nay! Never! - words they aren't allowed to say very often.

I sure with I could get away with Bogel's "He's Nobody's Moggy, Now." The boys would really like it.

Most of the Gaelic songs I know are slow & depressing (seemingly even without the translation) do you all have a suggestion of a song I might know that I can to the phonetic spelling for the kids.

Thanks for the suggestions - keep 'em coming!

Blackcatter

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Blackcatter
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 09:27 PM

By the way, speaking of the Irish/not Irish thing: My friend just spent a week in Dublin and it appeared to him as if "Dirty Old Town" has become somewhat of an anthem.

pax yall

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: paddymac
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 09:38 PM

Don't overlook the "Gypsy Rover". Kids can easily handle the chorus, giving you another "sing-along". My guess is that it would be best for the "older" kids. "Black Velvet Band" might also work for the older kids. Don't think I'd sell it as a "transportation" song though: perhaps better as to the perils of stealing. "Matt Hyland" and "Will ye Go, Lassie, Go" would probably also work well.

Good Luck. Let us know how it went and which songs did or didn't work.

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Peg
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 10:04 PM

They might like "Me Son in Americkay" about the guy whose mother addresses her son's letter this way and 20 years later he gets it when he asks the post office if they have any letters "from me mother in Ireland."

Patrick Street has a version of it on their last CD.

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: GUEST,Karen
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 10:13 PM

"Love and Freedom" sung by Geraldine McGowan on an old Oisin album has a nonsense chorus you could get them to sing and has a fairly happy tune and story line.
Also "William Taylor" is another happy song with nonsense chorus.
Both have choruses easy for groups to sing.

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: GUEST,Karen
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 10:23 PM

Ix-nay on the "William Taylor". It was recommended to me before I read the lyrics. Some girl shoots him near the end of the song. Sorry about that! The tune's lively though.

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Irish sergeant
Date: 23 Apr 01 - 11:17 PM

Blackcatter I wanted to be Tommy Makem when I grew up but with Hemingway's writing ability. O.K. to the task at hand. I would also include for the smaller set, "The Connemara Cradle Song" I would have added "Wellia Wallia" but that most certainly won't endear you to the parents and the imagery is rather strong stuff. "Shores of Americay" done by the Irish Rovers and "Orang Nickelodeon" By the same Kindest reguards, Neil

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: GUEST,UB Dan
Date: 24 Apr 01 - 09:09 AM

Snuffy...a bit of 60s Celtic psychedelia...first Puff the magic dragon and now Uncle Noddy's steamboat. I must be listening to these songs all wrong :)

Blackcatter, I don't think there is anything really religious about The Unicorn song. Noah's ark is a religious story...but it is also a very common folk story. I would be amazed if an athiest were offended by the song anymore than they would be by the movie "Clash of the Titans". As a guest, however, I understand that you want to be overly polite. It seems silly that even if people don't accept The Bible as a religious guide, they can't see the value of "The Bible" as a fascinating rich compendium of ancient literature.

Subject: Lyr Add: UNCLE NOBBY'S STEAMBOAT (Brian Warfield)
From: Snuffy
Date: 24 Apr 01 - 05:23 PM

It certainly sounds dopey to me, Dan - take a trip; grass; oblivion; reality fades. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more!

UNCLE NOBBY'S STEAMBOAT

(Brian Warfield)

Come for a trip on Uncle Nobby's steamboat
Where you can hide your worries on a high float
And we'll take a trip to leprechauns and shamrocks
And hide our minds and troubles for a while.

CHORUS
And we're going where the grass is growing green
To a mystic land that no-one else has seen
Where oblivion takes the mind's reality
And reality fades into a memory

Captain Bluebeard gives a smile, at the gangway side to greet you
The First Mate by his side with a work card if he needs you
They take you to your berth, your cabin's cool and cosy
Full steam ahead we're ready for to go.

Now we're off to Tir-na-nog, the goddess of love is Grainne
Cuchullain can't get it, in his coat he has no [fawnya]
The fairies and the witch, the banshees drinking brandy
Uncle Nobby, at last he's in command

Recorded by the Wolfe Tones. Copyright Morning Music 1986.

Wassail! V

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Irish sergeant
Date: 24 Apr 01 - 07:19 PM

Hope the list is going well. All The Pretty Little Horses might be good for the smaller sety but it may not be Irish. ANyone out there know? Kindest reguards, Neil

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Blackcatter
Date: 24 Apr 01 - 08:45 PM

Dan

You're probably right about The Unicorn song - I probably should be treated at the same level as a folk tale - few people Jewish or Christian really take it at face value anyhow. I love doing it and introducing kids to anothe Shel Silverstein poem is cool too! (Maybe I should do a little Dr. Hook!)

Thanks once for for the suggestions.

Blackcatter

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Wolfgang
Date: 25 Apr 01 - 04:32 AM

Snuffy,

thanks for Uncle Nobby's steamboat, it solves a few puzzles for me. Look at the mess I have made out of verse 4 in this thread. Well, my last two lines are not a mess but seem to be alternative lyrics, but the first two are.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Snuffy
Date: 25 Apr 01 - 08:39 AM

Wolfgang, I'm guessing at Grainne (it sounds like grawnya), and I've no idea what the word at the end of the next line should be, nor what it means. In that line it should also be "can't get in" not "it".

I think Brian Warfield is one of the Wolftones, but is it all his own work or an adaptation of an older song?

Wassail! V

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Wolfgang
Date: 25 Apr 01 - 08:50 AM

Snuffy,

your guesses look(sound) good. Brian Warfield is definitely one of the Wolftones and here's their line about the song on their homepage:

This is an anti-drug song written by Brian in 1968 asking why you send your mind in oblivion with drugs when you can stay in reality.

It still could be an adaptation, on second thought.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Irish songs for U.S. Elementary School
From: Blackcatter
Date: 25 Apr 01 - 09:21 PM

The gig is tomorrow - here's the final list of songs I'm going have in my ammo belt:

Anne Boleyn
Chickens in the Garden
Dear Boss (Why Paddy's Not At Work Today)
Fiddler's Green
Fields of Athenry
Garden Song
Anti-Garden Song
Gypsy Rover
Irish Rover
Kisses Sweeter Than Wine
Little Beggarman
Mary Mack
Paper & Pins
A Place in the Choir (All God's Critters)
Ramble of Spring
The Rattlin' Bog
Red is the Rose/Loch Lomond (I sing this together)
She Didn't Dance
The Unicorn Song

That should be more than enough - I'm doing 6 different 20 minute sets but each set is with different kids.

Wish me luck, I don't have a lot of experience singing to kids.

Pax & Thanks to all!