About Me

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Lake Mathews (Perris), CA, United States
Born in Illinois, I grew up in Wilmette, a northern suburb of Chicago. I have one sibling, an older brother. I am married, for the 2nd time now, to Butch & got 4 children in the deal. They have gone on to make me grandmother 25 times over & great-grandmother to over 20!. After many years working in industry, I got my bachelors and masters degrees in speech communication, & was a professor in that field for 13 years. I retired in 2001 & returned to school & got my doctorate in folklore. Now I meld my two interests - folklore & genealogy - & add my teaching background, resulting in my current profession: speaker/author/entertainer of genealogically-related topics. I play many folk instruments, but my preference is guitar, which I have been playing since 1963. I write the "Aunty Jeff" column for the Informer, newsletter of the Jefferson County NY Gen. Soc. I work in partnership with Gena Philibert-Ortega & Sara Cochran as Genealogy Journeys® where we focus on educating folks about Social History. More about that: genaandjean.blogspot.com. More on our podcasts: genjourneys.podbean.com. More about my own projects: Circlemending.org.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Irish Music: The real stuff!

It is officially the month when we can all play and sing Irish songs, whether or not our ancestry includes Ireland. The very existence of St. Patrick's Day automatically allows us the liberty of suddenly becoming Irish musicians. I will be doing 2 Irish music programs this month just to prove the point (note: to the best of my knowledge, I have not a single drop of Irish blood in my veins).

What songs do you think of when you think of Irish music? "When Irish Eyes are Smiling"? "Danny Boy"? "Kathleen Mavoureen"? "Irish Washerwoman"? Or do you think of "The Gypsy Rover," "Red is the Rose," or "Dark Island"? What's difference? That first grouping is like "pop" music, not the traditional material (with the possible exception of "Irish Washerwoman") that one is likely to hear in the Irish pubs.

One of my favorite Irish songs is "Red is the Rose," the Irish version of "Loch Lomond." Of course, if you ask an Irishman, he will tell you that "Red is the Rose" came first and that the Scots stole the melody, but if you ask a Scotsman, he'll tell you just the opposite. The songs have different "flavors" and, personally, I prefer the song of unrequited love that the Irish sing so convincingly. Check my CD of Irish Immigrant music on CDBaby to hear a short clip of the song.

To see this song performed by one of the best Irish musicians, Liam Clancy, who left us this past year, check his performance on YouTube. Liam was the last of the performing Clancy Brothers (best known for their career linked with Tommy Makem). Liam, at age 74, died on 4 December 2009. He was performing up until just a few short months before his death. A version of the lyrics can be found on the web, for those interested in the words.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the very nice post. I guess I am getting old, all the people I enjoyed listening to from years ago are dying off.

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  2. That's a good blog. Dave loves Irish music and I like it too. I will donate my Irish blood to you.

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