Library Music Irish culture and customs

The Music Library

Evelyn - Movie Score

Composer Stephen Endelman leans on traditional Celtic folk touches and skillfully weaves them into an orchestral context that ranges from the gently pastoral to emotionally detached minimalism. Anchored by vocal performances from Van Morrison and Sissel, and featuring a couple of good-natured pub songs by Brosnan himself, it's an inviting soundtrack rooted in Irish traditions, yet one savvy enough to contrast them against a more modern emotional landscape. Edited from a review by Jerry McCulley.
Click here for Evelyn.

Irish Songs of Rebellion, Resistance and Reconciliation

From the haunting speeches of Easter 1916 and Robert Emmet's last words to the finale of “A Nation Once Again”, all of the performances on this superb recording are both stirring and thought-provoking. As one reviewer said - buy this with confidence.
Click here for Songs of Rebellion.

Mother: Songs Celebrating Mothers & Motherhood
by Cathie Ryan, Robin Spielberg, Susan McKeown

Mother is a lovely recording of Celtic traditionals, lullabies, and original compositions. All of the reviews on amazon give it 4 stars or more and the audio samples are a treat to listen to.
Click here for Mother: Songs.

Shots
by Damien Dempsey

Known to his many fans as "Damo", Dempsey’s earthy, satirical, wrong-side-of-the-Liffey, tell-it-like-is style remains intact as he addresses the bitterness of poverty, teenage angst, drug addiction and other urban ills that so often afflict working class people. The USA release features three live bonus tracks, "Negative Vibes", "Factories" and "It's All Good", taped during his sold-out 2005 Olympia Theater (Dublin) performances and accompanied by an impromptu chorale of audience members who have clearly committed every single word to memory.
Click here for Shots.

Dancing at Lughnasa
Music by Bill Whelan

Bill Whelan's orchestral soundtrack for "Dancing At Lughnasa" is simply gorgeous. The music aptly conveys the feelings of longing, alienation, sadness, and uncertainty, as well as times of joyful exuberance, as revealed by the film's endearing characters.
I find that the music also perfectly suggests the transition of the winding-down of summer and the coming of autumn, just as the film's characters also face a severe change of season in their personal lives.
Even without the wonderful film, the music that Bill Whelan has created here stands on its own as a cohesive, moving, emotive work.
Highly recommended! Amazon reviewer
Click here for Dancing at Lughnasa.

Thu, Mar 27, 2008

Irish Furze

Called whin in the north and gorse in the east, furze was once a symbol of wealth and fertility of land as is emphasized by the saying: "gold under furze, silver under rushes and famine under heather."

As indigenous to the early summer landscape as rhododendrons, it is despised by farmers because of its invasive properties; but in the past, it had many good uses.

It ignites quickly, so it was used for starting the fire: it was also used for cleaning the chimney, tilling the soil, dyeing wool and fabric, and as a flavouring for whiskey (which may have improved its rating with the farmers!). It had medicinal powers and its magical powers were undisputed in preventing the good people from stealing the butter on May day. And, at mid-summer, blazing branches were carried round the herd to bring good health to the cows for the coming year.

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Can't Find it?!

Our Library is compiled from what we know and like. If you can't find what you're looking for read on.
• First: go to Amazon -
There's no escaping the fact that they are the largest catalog.
Note: There are multiple Amazons and they do not carry exactly the same items. Any one of the U.S., U.K. and Canada sites may not have the item but another Amazon will. Each site will ship anywhere in the world. Try them all before you give up.
Click here for Amazon.US.
Click here for Amazon.UK.
Click here for Amazon.Canada.
• Second: Amazon doesn't have it? Try BMG. They are one of the largest Music stores - period. Click here for BMG Music.
We recommend you search for artist or title words.
• Third: Still can't find It? Alright, try ALibris they are the place for 'books you never thought you'd find'. They now carry music (even vinyl). The prices vary, since they are offered from various sources.
Click here for ALibris.
• Fourth: Is it in print, at least?
Try Irish Music International, they'll go out of their way to obtain any item currently available.
Click for Irish Music International.
• Last: Nothing Worked?
E-Mail us, we'll give it a go. Click for Russ & Bridget.

This Web Site Bashed, Kicked & Glued together by Russ Haggerty.