A St. Patrick’s Day Treat
In the mid seventies I was putting myself through college playing in a band called Wickentree, a semi-traditional Irish group that made a fairly meager living in venues like the Celts Room, Molly McGuire’s, Paddy’s Place, and hotels up the Ottawa Valley in places like Eganville and Quyon. Like every “Irish” band that needed to eat, we played about 40% pub tunes like “The Black Velvet Band”, 40% Clancy Brothers songs, and a mix of airs, jigs and reels. We thought we were pretty good.
Our lead singer was Charles DeLint (who went on to become a pretty well known fantasy writer). One night in 1975 we arrived at practice and found Charles pacing, almost manic. He had just picked up a new album. “This”, he said,” Is going to change Irish music. This is what we should be doing.”
The album had a plain purple cover, with a single blurry polaroid picture in one corner of an attractive young woman and a pretty rough looking guy. Scribbled in marker was the title “Bothy Band 1975″. The first track was called the Kesh Jig. Here’s a film clip of that tune and arrangement recorded a year later.
The Bothies were Matt Molloy, flute and tin whistle, who later joined the Chieftains; Paddy Keenan, uilleann pipes and tin whistle; Dónal Lunny (the guy who introduced this tune) on bouzouki, guitar, and production; TrÃona Nà Dhomhnaill, harpsichord, clavinet and vocals; and MÃcheál Ó Domhnaill, guitar and vocals; and Tommy Peoples on fiddle. They fused rock and roll energy, traditional spirit, and brilliant musicianship into what I think is the best Irish band ever. After three studio albums they split up: every one of those albums (The Bothy Band 1975, Music In the Glen and Out of the Wind, Into the Sun) is a masterpiece.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all!
Slà inte mhath, balbulican. (That’s Scots Gaelic, but I think it translates.)
I’d go with sla/inte chugat and/or sla/inte mhaith chugat
– depends….. is there a drink of anything involved
The / indicates one of those ‘wee accents over the letter it follows – and someday I may even learn how to make it appear there
I can make it work here, but it really screwed things up at JJ’s place. I’m just using Character Map.
Everyone is aware that St. Patrick didn’t actually drive the snakes out of Ireland aren’t they?
… just making sure that that whole snakes as symbols of evil being driven away by a Christian holy man didn’t get in the way of a good drink’en day
“Everyone is aware that St. Patrick didn’t actually drive the snakes out of Ireland aren’t they?”
Of course not. They didn’t even have automobiles then. How could he drive them anywhere?
I figure he got them into some kind of evolutionary upgrading program.
“I figure he got them into some kind of evolutionary upgrading program.”
If that’s the program that transformed all the snakes into politicians, I’m not sure it was an upgrade.
Bothy Band video: Great stuff! Brings back fond memories of yesterday, when Steafan Hannigan and Stephanie Cadman hosted a ceilidh in one of the local pubs, to wind up the CelticFest here in Vancouver, and some of us managed to sit in…
U2 is the greatest band in the history of the universe, I’m pretty sure that includes Ireland.
U2? ROTFL. Do you guys up there like Mary Jane LaMond? I’m fond of her music. I’ve seen her a couple of times when she came to University of Texas to perform.
Loved the Bothy Band video. Lovely toe tapping music.
Erin go bragh.
Or if Erin’s a dedicated feminist, she can go braghless.
There are some great musicians to come out of Texas… the good Rev. Horton Heat comes immediately to mind.
Mary Jane Lamond is a wonderful singer…I’ve lost track of her, though. She doesn’t seem to be recording or touring much.
Karen, here’s one you might enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NePqHDneooo
Rev. Horton Heat
I saw them open for The Sex Pistols in Toronto in ‘03. Great band. Dropkick Murphys were better though.
Oh, my, Balbulican, you are so right. I have an album by Mary Black and one by Emmylou. But not that one. I love both singers. In Emmylou voice and songs, it becomes very obvious that the roots of American bluegrass & country music is purely Irish and Scots.
My favorite song by Mary Black, though, is “Both Sides the Tweed”.
By Emmylou, it’s “One of These Days”. There is so much heartbreak in that song, and her voice is perfect for it.
Both Sides the Tweed
One of These Days