Poetry & Pushpins

~ The Writings of S.L. Woodford

Poetry & Pushpins

Tag Archives: Ireland

Favorite Irish Folk Songs: The Minstrel Boy

16 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by poetryandpushpins in Literature, Poetry, Pushpins (Daily Life), The Creative Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

folk songs, history, Ireland, New Haven, poetry

Today is the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade here in New Haven. In a matter of hours, the Green will crowd with lawn chairs as politicians, veterans, and Irish step dancers walk the ways once inhabited by downtown traffic. Upon the breeze will dance the sour smell of beer with the gamey smell of porta-potties…

…and bands of bagpipes and fifes and drums will all play the same arrangement of “The Minstrel Boy.”

If you’re like me, you’ll start to feel a berserker-like rage, rising from the depths of your gut, after hearing the same damn version for the twentieth time. In a row. Without any breaks.

No need to give in. Instead, just listen to this lovely and very different arrangement of the song by Irish folk great Tommy Makem. I promise that it will sooth your ear fatigue and refresh your soul! And most importantly, it will give you a chance to hear the beautiful verses, written by Thomas Moore. Many believe he wrote it to honor his Trinity Dublin classmates who participated / died in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Enjoy today’s merriment! Tomorrow, we look at a quieter group of folk songs, to help sooth the inevitable hangovers you’ll get from today.

Advertisement

Recent Posts

  • The Natural Sequel of an Unnatural Beginning
  • Late Summer Spiders
  • Hawks and Walks
  • Process Learning and Pavement
  • Saying Goodbye to Terry Pratchett

Archives

  • September 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013

The Cloud of Unknowing: Tags

Advent Anne Elliot is the best books botany Bronte bashing Burberry Women C.S. Lewis Captain Wentworth Chanel No. 5 Charleston Christian community churches community contra dancing cooking countryside cozy apartment empathy England favorite recipes fiction folk songs friendship gardening grief hawks Henry Tilney Highland Schottishe history human nature Ireland Jane Austen laundry adventures learning patience Lent librarians libraries making mistakes Midwest MIss Fisher Mr. Selfridge Neil Gaiman New England New Haven New Year New York PBS Dramas poetry resiliency Rowan Williams running spiders technology Terry Pratchett the creative process Toupee von Pear vintage fashion World Cup writing

Amazing Writers

  • BeyondWhy.org
  • Daisy C. Abreu
  • Jenny Blair, Freelance Writer
  • Kimberly B. George. Feminst. Writer. Bridge Builder.
  • The Local Yockel

Creators of Beauty: Art & Music

  • Elisa Berry Fonseca
  • Ordinary Time
  • Stella Maria Baer
  • Tawnie Olson, Composer

Publications

  • Hartford Faith & Values
  • Lillian Goes Vintage: The Tumbler
  • The Living Church
  • The Vincent Librarian's Blog
  • Young Raven's Literary Review

Sites of Whimsy

  • Ask the Past: Advice from Old Books
  • The Productive Librarian
Follow Poetry & Pushpins on WordPress.com

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Poetry & Pushpins
    • Join 60 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Poetry & Pushpins
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar