David Attenborough - music collector

[Padraig]

How long before we get here?

https://youtu.be/0m2ucObX_Xw

There's not much music in it, filmed in Ballycroy, and the quality is not so great but it's that era. From the story by William Trevor

Well it has : The Old Bog Road; Rosin the Bow; My Happiness; Scarlet Ribbons; Phil the Fluter's Ball; Galway Bay; Ghost Riders in the Sky; Hi Ho Me Dearie-O; A Strauss waltz; A Joseph Locke song; Irene Goodnight; The Yellow Rose of Texas; Dear Hearts and Gentle People; McNamara's Band; Whispering; Danny Boy; Goodnight Sweetheart and Yours.

Not a bad outfit - sax, accordion and very discreet drums - for the time and location.

William Trevor certainly made the ballroom a theatre for (was it just Irish?) rural culture in the fifties. A very evocative film, now that I'm more aware than when a teenager. Then most of the drama passed me by.

[Globaltruth]

Well it has : The Old Bog Road; Rosin the Bow; My Happiness; Scarlet Ribbons; Phil the Fluter's Ball; Galway Bay; Ghost Riders in the Sky; Hi Ho Me Dearie-O; A Strauss waltz; A Joseph Locke song; Irene Goodnight; The Yellow Rose of Texas; Dear Hearts and Gentle People; McNamara's Band; Whispering; Danny Boy; Goodnight Sweetheart and Yours.

Not a bad outfit - sax, accordion and very discreet drums - for the time and location.

William Trevor certainly made the ballroom a theatre for (was it just Irish?) rural culture in the fifties. A very evocative film, now that I'm more aware than when a teenager. Then most of the drama passed me by.

I said that from memory - now I think I should watch it again!
i don't know about global rural culture, for me it is quintessentially Irish, although I would be interested in John Corrigan's view of similar events in Scotland (that his parents went too obviously, him being a young whippersnapper)

As recompense for my stupid error here's an interesting article

https://www.rte.ie/culture/2016/1201/835857-eugene-obrien-on-the-ballroom-of-romance-documentary-on-one/

the original podcast from RTE should be here

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2012/0914/647186-documentarypodcastabackwardsglanceattheballroomofromance/

but it seems to have disappeared...

thank you Padraig, for the correction.

For those who don't click through on any of the links, here is the last paragraph from the William Trevor story

‘She rose, saying it was time to go, and they climbed over the gate again. "There's nothing like a Saturday," he said. :"Good night to you so, Bridie." He mounted his bicycle and rode down the hill, and she pushed hers to the top and then mounted it also. She rode through the night as on Saturday nights for years she had ridden and never would ride again because she'd reached a certain age. She would wait now and in time Bowser Egan would seek her out because his Mother would have died. Her Father would probably have died also by then. She would marry Bowser Egan because it would be lonesome being by herself in the farmhouse.'

[Padraig]

Global, less of that talk about 'corrections' and 'stupid errors'. You know that was the last thing on my mind.

[Globaltruth]

I think Sir George Ivan (sometimes known as Van) Morrison played with a showband or two in his early days too?

[Padraig]

Global, at the same time as yours truly was a member of a cool quartet, a group called THEM was making a noise in Belfast. Van went on to bigger things.

[johncorrigan]

I said that from memory - now I think I should watch it again!
i don't know about global rural culture, for me it is quintessentially Irish, although I would be interested in John Corrigan's view of similar events in Scotland (that his parents went too obviously, him being a young whippersnapper)

How kind, Global...but I'd say this is all Ireland. The Scots would never be so forward...the standard approach would be all the women dancing together to a wee accordion band with all the guys propping up a bar or a wall. Indeed I'm often surprised that the Scotsman ever managed to propagate at all and haven't died out as a breed...must've done it by braille.
Thanks...that was a delight of a film, like a great old Italian movie with a dash of Tati thrown in. And thanks for the reading from the book, GT. Must go look it out...wonder whatever became of Bowser and Brid...and I was delighted to find out from Mr Cusack that Tom Corrigan got married to Margaret Doherty's daughter in Chicago...we always did wonder what became of him!

[Lat-Literal]

Some posts that have been more of an interesting read than prompting comments from me which makes a pleasant change. Thinking aloud, I suppose I wonder if the spirit of the early showbands was carried forward by groups in the 1980s. However, I don't want to press on it in a clumsy way. What followed was probably a shadow of what went before.

If I may, I would like to pick up on JC's comments about the partial social separation of the genders in Scotland and to ask a couple of questions about a Scottish song. JC, on "Songs of Separation", there is as previously posted "S Trom an Direadh". I think I have decided that this is my favourite traditional Scottish tune next to "Aodann Sraith Bhain". It has the most beautiful melody. Are there any other versions of it? Also, I prefer the version in the clip of the women in Eigg's Cathedral Cave than the version on the CD. Is it a different person taking the lead vocal? Finally......I am full of questions tonight......I assume that the Sraith Bhain in the other song is the Strathbane in Sutherland but am I right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l027P3WzlrI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxpG5jD2QP0

[johncorrigan]

Some posts that have been more of an interesting read than prompting comments from me which makes a pleasant change. Thinking aloud, I suppose I wonder if the spirit of the early showbands was carried forward by groups in the 1980s. However, I don't want to press on it in a clumsy way. What followed was probably a shadow of what went before.

If I may, I would like to pick up on JC's comments about the partial social separation of the genders in Scotland and to ask a couple of questions about a Scottish song. JC, on "Songs of Separation", there is as previously posted "S Trom an Direadh". I think I have decided that this is my favourite traditional Scottish tune next to "Aodann Sraith Bhain". It has the most beautiful melody. Are there any other versions of it? Also, I prefer the version in the clip of the women in Eigg's Cathedral Cave than the version on the CD. Is it a different person taking the lead vocal? Finally......I am full of questions tonight......I assume that the Sraith Bhain in the other song is the Strathbane in Sutherland but am I right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l027P3WzlrI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxpG5jD2QP0

That's Karine Polwart leading in the cave, Lat. I thought Mary McMaster led on some of the Gaelic songs though I'm not entirely sure that's Gaelic. Re Sraith Bhain...I don't know. Beautiful songs.

[Lat-Literal]

That's Karine Polwart leading in the cave, Lat. I thought Mary McMaster led on some of the Gaelic songs though I'm not entirely sure that's Gaelic. Re Sraith Bhain...I don't know. Beautiful songs.

That makes sense.

I like her voice.

[johncorrigan]

That makes sense.

I like her voice.

Here's a clip of Karine opening 2017 Celtic Connections with another Donald related song following her wonderful 'Cover your Eyes' of four or five years back - 'I Burn But I Am Not Consumed'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04q5cmf

It opened Wo3 last night too.