Skip to main content
Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath / Dublin City Council

Main navigation

  • Residential
  • Business
  • Your Council
Menu
Menu
Advanced Search

Main navigation (mobile)

  • Residential
  • Business
  • Your Council
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Libraries
  3. blog
Language switcher
  • English
  • Gaeilge

Folk, Folk, Folk!

Back to blog

Published on 16th May 2012

Share
  • Share via Twitter
  • Share via Facebook
  • Share via WhatsApp

Martin CarthyA quick blog for Musical Books, just want to tell you that I went to an amazing gig in Belfast last week to see Martin Carthy. This folk singer sings ancient songs from Irish, English and Scottish descent. His unusual and rhythmic guitar playing coupled with a distinctive voice keep ancient sea chanty and tales of war, woe and love alive in their purest form. His music has influenced Bob Dylan and his arrangement of Scarborough Fair was used by Simon and Garfunkel. His no nonsense stage presence and self-deprecating humour was a refreshing cherry on the top of an amazing performance. Check out this amazing album by him in the Music Library, Signs of Life.

Irish Folk, Trad and BluesNow here is the twist, before the gig started in the tiny basement of a rustic bar, I struck up a conversation with the people sitting beside me and it turns out that one of them was Colin Harper. He has written for Mojo and Uncut music magazines and a biography of Burt Jance. He is also the author of a very important book Irish Folk Trad & Blues. The book investigates the influence of American blues on Irish folk and trad. It includes interviews and first hand accounts of live performances and pays recognition to the unsung heroes of Irish music, including Terry and Gay Woods from Sweeney's Men and Ottilie Paterson, (an amazing Irish blues singer way before Mary Coughlan!). 

And the final entry is Green Beat, The Forgotten era of Irish Rock by Dara O'Halloran. This book is a testimony that during the showband time in Ireland there was another kind of music blooming. This has an interesting piece of information, a cult hit of the original garage scene in the US was written by John Byrne who moved to the USA from Drimnagh in Dublin and set up a band called The Count Five. The hit was called Psychotic Reaction and was recorded in 1965.

Maybe you could leave a comment with more information on the Irish music scene of that time? You just might know someone who was almost famous.

Tags:
biographies
music
non-fiction
Share
  • Share via Twitter
  • Share via Facebook
  • Share via WhatsApp
0 Comments

Add new comment

Genre

action-adventure
crime-thriller
fantasy
historical fiction
horror
mystery
romance
science fiction
war
western

Recommended Tags

archives
author spotlight
author visits
biographies
book awards
book clubs
books & reading
business & employment
children
children's books
Citizens in Conflict (series)
Comics
creative writing
Culture Night (podcasts)
digitised works
Dublin Remembers 1916
DVDs
eResources
events
family history
gilbert lecture (podcasts)
graphic novels
history (podcasts)
image galleries
Irish fiction
learning
libraries & archive news
local studies
music
non-fiction
photographic collections
podcasts
publications
reviews
staff picks
talking books
teens
text version
travel
videos
websites
work matters
Close

Main navigation

  • Residential
  • Business
  • Your Council

Footer menu

  • About Us
    • Careers
    • Who Does What
    • News and Media
    • Policies and Documents
  • Using dublincity.ie
    • Website Accessibility
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Sitemap
  • Statutory Obligations
    • Freedom of Information
    • Data Protection
    • Access to Information on the Environment
    • Protected Disclosures
    • Lobbying
    • Official Languages Act
    • Ethics
    • Public Sector Duty
    • Bye Laws
    • Sell to government
  • Get in Touch / Feedback
    • Contact Us
    • Make a Service Request
    • Make a Payment
    • Make a Complaint
    • Public Consultations

Customer Services Centre

Address

Civic Offices
Wood Quay
Dublin 8
D08 RF3F
Ireland

Telephone Number
01 222 2222
Email Address
[email protected]

Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath / Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council
Visit our other sites

© 2023 Dublin City Council