the band that best addrsses 'Irishness' and the subject of Ireland

Christy Moore is a good nomination, for this thread. Probably the best I can think of.

I dunno about "Irishness" - it seems to be a basic element of human nature that people of all nationalities become increasingly anxious to develop and cling to an increasingly romantic and idealised version of their homeland the longer they're away from the dreary realities of it, yes.

I imagine that if I were forced to spend the rest of my days on some horrible Caribbean island right now, within a couple of years I'd probably start singing mournful songs about how much I miss the joys of driving 'round the M25; the efficiency of South West Trains; the exemplary levels of cleanliness, service and excellent cuisine at the Moto services on the M4; and the wonderfully refreshing rain that occasionally interrupts the glorious sunshine than glints enticingly off the abandoned shopping trolleys that have been dumped in the Kennet canal.

There again....

This makes it sound like Ireland needs a Manic Street Preachers.

I'm saying we don't need a house band at all. My thesis is that we no longer have any stories worth singing about.

Actually, there's a native comedy troupe who occasionally appear (Mighty Wind-style) as fake-folkie balladeers, satirising the whiny, recriminatory self-pity that pervades so much of Ireland's "trad" songbook.
They're called The Hairy Bowsies*, and their songs tackle Perfidious Albion (Ye Dirty English Bastards) and sacred cows such as the 1916 Rising (The Craic We Had The Day We Died For Ireland) and the Potato Famine (Jaysus, The Spuds Aren't Lookin' The Best).

(*"Bowsie" is a Dublin slangword connoting a man of low breeding and unpleasant personal habits.)

philomena begley

I always wondered if "the ambulance . . . took little Jim away" in the Undertones' song because he committed suicide or because a bomb got him.

What, no-one's mentioned The Cranberries yet :-)

No Foster and Allen? It's a disgrace, so it is.

Re: The supposed Irishness of the Pogues. The line-up in their mid-80's heyday was as follows:

Shane McGowan who was born in Tunbridge Wells
James Fearnley who was born in Manchester
Spider Stacey who was born in Eastbourne
Jem Finer who was born in Stoke
Andrew Ranken who was born in London
Cait O'Riordan who was born in Nigeria (before moving to London)
Darrell Hunt who was born in Hampshire

but(although he didn't join till Rum, Sodomy etc)....
Phil Chevron was born in Dublin YAAAAAY!

A lot of 19th century National Romantic composers, painters and authors preferred to live outside their home countries.

Their "home country" is England.

Bap Kennedy has a few songs that help this Yank relate to living in difficult times in Ireland.

The Divine Comedy - Sunrise

I was born in Londonderry
I was born in Derry City too
Oh what a special child
To see such things and still to smile
I know that there was something wrong
But I kept my head down and carried on

I grew up in Enniskillen
I grew up in Inis Ceathlain too
Oh what a clever boy
To watch your hometown be destroyed
I know that I could not stay long
So I kept my head down and carried on

Who cares where national borders lie
Who cares whose laws you're governed by
Who cares what name you call a town
Who'll care when you're six feet beneath the ground

From the corner of my eye
A hint of blue in the black sky
A ray of hope, a beam of light
An end to thirty years of night
The church-bells ring, the children sing
What is this strange and beautiful thing
It's the sunrise
Can you see the sunrise?
I can see the sunrise

the band that best addrsses 'Irishness' and the subject of Ireland ...inna reggae song?

Christy Moore was still the best answer on this thread, but it asked for a band, so it would probably have to be Planxty whose first three albums (at least) were pretty much peerless.

planxty was such a good band, and pre-MOR paul brady was even better than christy moore imho (lol i just remembered luka bloom, christy's brother - is he still "around")

Mary Coughlan: "My Land Is Too Green" (abt sentimental self-mythologising alcoholics ect)

No mention of Clannad or Enya?

the Virgin Prunes, see especially the song "Down The Memory Lane" or most of Heresie for example.

Actually, there's a native comedy troupe who occasionally appear (Mighty Wind-style) as fake-folkie balladeers, satirising the whiny, recriminatory self-pity that pervades so much of Ireland's "trad" songbook.
They're called The Hairy Bowsies*, and their songs tackle Perfidious Albion (Ye Dirty English Bastards) and sacred cows such as the 1916 Rising (The Craic We Had The Day We Died For Ireland) and the Potato Famine (Jaysus, The Spuds Aren't Lookin' The Best).

must look these guys up, those titles are pretty sharp.

There's always the Horslips.

I vote for Primordial. Easily the greatest Irish band of the last 20 years.

The Craic We Had The Day We Died For Ireland

lol

so beautiful...

There's clearly a gap in the market for a band of young(ish) men full of righteous anger spewing venom about falling house prices, the income levy, and the loss of Ranelagh's Michelin star restaurant.

There's clearly a gap in the market for a band of young(ish) men full of righteous anger spewing venom about falling house prices, the income levy, and the loss of Ranelagh's Michelin star restaurant.

or career rebirth for the Thrills, to give vent to the anger of their class....

I used to play football (soccer) with the lead singer of Primordial when I was a kid. He's one of my best friend's cousins.

my best mate was introduced to his GF by one of the thrills at a wedding, and subsequently given the use of his posh room to consummate said meeting.

that pic from the youtube primordial is five mins from me.

i got nothin else.

that was actually my dad

seriously tho, first sentence, are you saying your mate slept with guy from primordial's gf? or the dude from the thrills? i saw the thrills in aladdin's on brick lane last thurs. the circle is complete.

introduced to his own future gf, not a gf of any of the thrills. that i am aware of.

ah okay, now i understand. the dublin indie scene is pretty small. a lot of bands/artists i thought were irredeemably shite turn out to be v nice and good fun and into techno.

their music still shite tho...imo

certainly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7NV52UApGY
Women from the UK/Ireland area have the most soothing songs/voices. This girl, Enya, Leona Lewis, Dolores O'Riordan from the cranberries to name a few.
Just something about celtic women singing that calms the soul.
Jarsia 1 year ago 34

has never heard Dolores O honk like a sealion on "Zombie" i take it

the band ronan was looking for singing about young posh middleclass upwardly mobile ireland (but well aware of cultural nationalism's importance to edge in the celt angle) are probably bell x1 tbh, cf reacharound

but i mean the chieftains were suckin diesel last night on jools holland and if we can go back to the dubliners, those are good answers too.