Category: Songs

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Did Wild Rover have a raunchy English cousin?

One of the great fascinations with Irish folk songs is that they almost certainly went through numerous versions, towns and even countries before emerging in the form we know them today. The Wild Rover is …

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Is the Wild Rover an anti-drinking song?

With St Patrick’s Day coming, thousands of Irish music fans will be polishing up the old vocal chords in readiness for a session of hard drinking and hearty singing. The Wild Rover will no doubt …

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The folk hero appeal of Whiskey in the Jar

Because of its title, Whiskey in the Jar is often seen as a drinking song, celebrating the wild life. That doesn’t really do it justice though. Whiskey in the Jar isn’t really about drinking at …

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Fields of Athenry – Irish song and football anthem

Video of The Dubliners performing Fields of Athenry It’s strange how songs can suddenly develop a life of their own and go off in directions never expected by the people who wrote them. The Fields …

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How Raglan Road came to be written

The story behind the writing of a song can often be as interesting as the song itself. Raglan Road is a good example. It was written, of course, by Patrick Kavanagh, and given the lofty …