òran mór

This coming Sunday is Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day…when thoughts of love fill the hearts of people, the windows of the chocolate shops, and the card aisles at CVS. We’ll be performing again at The Port Tavern in Newburyport with Sligo Road, so in preparation, I’ve been going through the ol’ songbook to make sure we have a few choice love songs to play.

Not that Irish love songs end particularly well, mind you. Seamus Eagan from Solas once opined that the relationships in Irish love songs “either never get off the ground, or they end particularly badly.”

Anyway, we recently had a few requests for a particular love song that I hadn’t heard in years, called “Grace”…so I went ahead and learned it. Now that I’ve done a bit of research about the song, I thought I’d share the history of this lovely classic.

This isn’t some kind of sentimental saccharine of this Hallmark holiday…this song made famous by Jim McCann tells a true story of love that is directly tied to the fight for Ireland’s independence.

Grace Gifford

At the turn of the last century, there was a young Irish woman named Grace Gifford. A cartoonist by trade, she was engaged to a poet and journalist by the name of Joseph Plunkett. They were supposed to be married on Easter Sunday in 1916 in University Chapel on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin.

Now those who know about the Easter Rising in 1916 will recognize Plunkett’s name. He was one of the leaders of the rebellion and, at age 28, was the youngest to sign the Proclamation of the Republic that Patrick Pearse read at the General Post Office in Dublin.

In planning the revolt, the secrecy required meant that Joseph couldn’t tell Grace that their wedding plans would be replaced by the Easter Rising.

Joseph Plunkett

Following the failed revolt, Plunkett and the other leaders were sentenced to death by firing squad at Kilmainham Jail. When Grace learned that her darling Joseph was to be killed the next day, she bought a ring and rushed to the jail at night. She and Joseph were married in the chapel in the early morning of May 4 under guard from 20 soldiers and, as soon as the ceremony ended, Plunkett was taken back to his cell. Later that morning, he was marched to the courtyard and shot.

I can’t imagine what it would have been like for Grace to look into his eyes and pledge her undying love, knowing that he’d be taken from her in just a few hours. As the last line of the song’s chorus says: “There won’t be time to share our love, for we must say goodbye.”

Some people may point to Romeo and Juliet as a great love story, but that was fiction. The true story of Grace and Joseph takes my breath away. I don’t view the song a republican anthem, it’s a terrific reminder that we should always let those we love know how we feel every chance we get.

Kevin Dolan as he looked when I first met him in the early '90s

I was psyched the other day when I got an email from an old friend of mine, Kevin Dolan. For anyone who’s read my bio on this site, you’ll know that Kevin was a big influence when I was first considered moving from the punter’s seat to the stage. He and Marty Quirk were extremely supportive when I would show up at The Wild Rover in Manchester, bodhran in hand. Not only did they let me join in on the occasional song, but we had many long conversations about music, songs, and life in general.

Anyway, when I got Kevin’s email, it had been a while since we had last spoken. But he was excited to send me a link to a YouTube video that his bandmate Simon Crawford had put together for one of Kevin’s songs. Called ‘Freedom Road,’ it’s a tribute to the men and women in uniform that serve our country. I thought it was definitely worth sharing…

I’ve always been a fan of Kevin’s songwriting and I even do one that he wrote called ‘Kings Highway‘ — I got that one from a bootleg called “Kevin is Dead.” Long story behind that name…and I dare not get into it here.

As you may know, I don’t usually suggest CDs here, but you might want to check out one of the albums Kevin did with his band, Acoustic Nuisance. Our friends at Ossian USA can hook you up with their first one, and the live album they did a few years ago is on CD Baby.

Of course, nothing beats seeing Kevin perform live. I’m trying to get him to have him come down to Portsmouth to sit-in with Dave and I on a Monday night at Ri Ra, but that hasn’t worked out yet. In the meantime, if you’re up north for a ski weekend, he plays every Sunday at The Shannon Door Pub in Jackson, NH. You should definitely pop-in for a pint, a bite and a song from himself.

Great hearing from you, Kev. Freedom Road is a fine song. Good on ya, me ol’ china!

Just a quick note to let y’all know that we’ll be performing with Terry Weir this Sunday (1/24) as Sligo Road at The Port Tavern in Newburyport. We always have a great time, the people are great, and the food and drink are excellent.

However, if you were planning to stop by RiRa’s on Monday night (1/25) to see us, you’ll be out of luck. They’ll be closed for a private function, so we get the night off. We’ll be back the following Monday, of course.

Such is the life of musicians…which reminds me of a joke, which should tide you over until we see you in-person again:

We're not getting in, no how...

With Christmas approaching, we’ve been throwing in a few holiday songs into the mix. Some are songs we’ve sung for years. Others are relatively new. This year, I decided it was time to learn a modern classic — “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues and Kirsty McColl.

In doing a little homework, I came across a fantastic documentary that the BBC did about “Fairytale” which as been posted on YouTube. The hour-long show is posted in six 10-min chunks…definitely worth watching.

Hope you’ll come out to RiRa’s tomorrow and will shout back “Well so could anyone” as we give “Fairytale” it’s last run before Christmas.

BTW, I tried recruiting our friend Sue Young to sing Kirsty McColl’s part in “Fairytale,” but unfortunately her schedule this fall didn’t allow us to rehearse too much. While I’ve been doing the song solo, Sue will be joining us at RiRa tomorrow, so I may have the lyrics printed for her to jump into Kirsty’s role. 

Liam Clancy, 1935-2009

If you’re a fan of Irish music, I’m sure by now you’ve heard the news that Liam Clancy, the youngest and last surviving Clancy brother, passed away on Friday (Dec. 4). He finally lost his long battle with pulmonary fibrosis, the same disease that claimed his brother, Bobby, in 2002.

A lot of the media reports are quoting Bob Dylan, who described Liam as the “best ballad singer I’d ever heard in my life.” When you think about how many ballad singers Dylan has met, and that statement is fairly mind-blowing.

The praise for Liam’s contributions have begun. Brian O’Donovan did a spectacular tribute show yesterday on WGBH’s Celtic Sojourns, during which he and his guest made the case that Liam’s approach to singing — especially as a solo artist — redefined how Irish folk music is sung and that all modern performers can draw a line from him. I don’t know if that’s true, I’m no expert…but I have no reason to doubt it.

Liam Clancy’s voice was part of the soundtrack to my childhood. I am forever grateful for the stories, poems and songs he introduced to me through his records.

I’m saddened that we’ll never hear him sing again unless it’s a recording. This YouTube post seems as good as any to remember him by.

RIP Liam Clancy