Irish Fridays

[Lat-Literal]

Gloriously mind-numbingly awful.
Enough to drive a person to drink.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPpGp_J3z2A

[note the way the video is suitably blurry and doesnt end quite right...authentic]

Excellent - thanks.

Theme - Late Junction:

Jimmy Cake - Observatory Destroyer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckx27MC94A4
Mary O'Hara - The Famine Song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd-UDwDk-bQ
Solas - Girls On The Line - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKFobwy4F_E

Booka Brass - Chilled Milk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK4TXZC8AM4
Fearing and White - Mothership - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_-C5TFo_7Y
Republic of Loose - The Steady Song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxCUYtQ19d0

I saw Mary O'Hara in WH Smiths in Croydon in the mid 1970s - a chance lunchtime encounter but I liked her and why not?

Without wishing to go down the religion route, I have always had a bit of a thing about Lulu. The woman rather than the music. Thought the "Who Do You Think You Are" on her last night was very interesting. A little of each in her and although it was fairly clear she had Protestant leanings for family reasons, I thought on balance the show was reasonably fair-minded. And it was very interesting to me from a historical perspective. There have been so many great episodes of this programme. Motivational and educational. Recommended.

[johncorrigan]

Another pair of Fogarty Brothers here - one called John - but this is Seamus Fogarty and 'Carlow Road'. Love it...not sure about the vid, mind you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8nVgBfWz_o

Happy Irish Friday!

[Lat-Literal]

Velly Joonas - Stopp, Seisku Aeg (Clannad) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEb68L-3UWY
Duke Special - Why Does Anybody Love? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z7Y_7zxeJQ
Rosemary Clooney - I Wish You Love '93 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GGRjxSJF4M
Granny's Intentions - Nutmeg, Bitter-Sweet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2kPaU4GXK8

[johncorrigan]

Great version of her father's song, 'Forty Shades of Green' by Roseanne Cash with a host of fine talent backing her up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-kXrEisqb4

[Lat-Literal]

Great version of her father's song, 'Forty Shades of Green' by Roseanne Cash with a host of fine talent backing her up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-kXrEisqb4

Yes indeed.

Roseanne Cash, a rare example of a famous family member who would have made it in her own right.

Van Morrison was 72 yesterday:

Van Morrison - Flamingo(e)s Fly - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5ZRIlgjaIc

A Gil Evans reference, I guess.

Gil's album was recorded in 1971 but not released until 1981; Van's song was written in 1973 and first recorded in 1977.

This version is on The Philosopher's Stone which was released much later but it's mainly early recordings, some outtakes.

If I could only take eight discs by one artist to a desert island......difficult to the point of impossible but, yes, it's this one.

[Padraig]

I'll put in a word for a one-time friend and colleague. He's Irish, from Derry - the town he loved so well - and a very successful producer and composer. Here he is introducing and singing one of his songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XgpoAs9We4

[Lat-Literal]

I'll put in a word for a one-time friend and colleague. He's Irish, from Derry - the town he loved so well - and a very successful producer and composer. Here he is introducing and singing one of his songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XgpoAs9We4

Now, Padraig, that is very interesting to me. I posted the Sinead O'Conner version who took it on to a new level in my humble opinion, almost certainly with Phil Coulter's involvement or so it seems now. Coulter straddled pop and other forms of music in a varied way. Personally, I think Sinead's is the definitive version of what is an absolute long term Irish classic. She was the right person on the right song at the right time and the "Universal Mother" album which didn't have great sales figures had many other highlights. Was it the third or the fourth? Anyhow, initially about Downs Syndrome in the early 1970s, it is to me an early 1990s song about naivety and much else. I'd say that it had a worldly application. Here is Luke Kelly:

Luke Kelly - Scorn Not His Simplicity - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTBC7ckTWpo

(It is a truly fabulous song)

[johncorrigan]

Van Morrison was 72 yesterday:

Seems like no time since he turned 70. 'Philosopher's Stone' is a great record, Lat - often gets to come with me for an outing in the motor. Here's one I really like, 'Western Plain'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXdy-SV7gYo

[johncorrigan]

I was going to leave this till April the 3rd next year but I worried it might not be a Friday so I thought, 'What the hell! September the 8th'll work just fine'. Donal Lunny and friends:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NezGhSYGW00

[Padraig]

John, with friends like...... I mean, great number that!

Here's one from primary school days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8jlCedM-cE

[Padraig]

Len Graham, one of the North's folk artists.The link provides some information on 'Show More'

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

the opening photo shows some interesting people of days that are gone. Can you name them?

Did anyone recognise the people in the opening photo? It was taken nearly 50 years ago and they are still with us. At least two of them were household names even in England!

PS The song featured is one where Len Graham is accompanied. He usually prefers to sing unaccompanied.

[johncorrigan]

Did anyone recognise the people in the opening photo? It was taken nearly 50 years ago and they are still with us. At least two of them were household names even in England!

PS The song featured is one where Len Graham is accompanied. He usually prefers to sing unaccompanied.

Were they politicians, Padraig? One looks like Bernadette Devlin, the old firebrand - I always found her a bit scary - and the guy on the left looks like John Hume.

[Padraig]

Were they politicians, Padraig? One looks like Bernadette Devlin, the old firebrand - I always found her a bit scary - and the guy on the left looks like John Hume.

Correct, John. The other two men were Austin Currie and (his name escapes me) all SDLP members. Bernadette was a young firebrand then, and her own woman. Being a musical thread and not political all I can add is that John Hume did a very good Danny Boy (both verses).

[johncorrigan]

Scottish folk revival had some Scottish crews learning songs from the Clancy Brothers and performing them. Here's a pretty rousing version of the Mountain Dew by the Corrie Folk Trio with the rather excellent Ronnie Browne's whistling...always like a spot of whistling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gbifo8Ga_U

[johncorrigan]

'Wayfaring Stranger' is a three-part series that charts the musical links between Scotland, Ulster and the United States. It would seem that the programme, fronted by the genial Phil Cunningham aired earlier in the year on BBC Northern Ireland. I was glad to have caught the first part of this most interesting programme this evening. Contributions from the excellent Rhiannon Giddens, the wonderful Karine Polwart, and the Van-lookylike Paul Brady, among many others made this a programme well worth a watch and ideal for an Irish Friday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08lnlhz

...and while you're waiting for the programme to load, here's Paul Brady and Phil with 'Heather on the Moor'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04yxdx0

By the way, Len Graham's in the programme too.