For a good part of the last decade I’ve spent serious time getting in touch with my Irish roots. Mostly through music. I’ve tried studying the politics of Ireland and her history, the folk legends and stories, all of which I find facinating, but nothing has taught me the story of Ireland more than her music. From drinking and folk songs to the Irish rebel songs of the early 20th century, I’ve found a string of music that somehow moves through my veins in ways rock and roll never could.
About a year ago, I started to try my hand at singing and playing Irish music. I even made a CD at one point in my recording studio where I played all the instruments myself (www.myspace.com/logueandthebanshee, a rather crude attempt) and have started playing live. I’ve found this all to bring a balance to my art that I didn’t expect. At some point with rock and roll, I think I was getting burned out. There is only so much creative energy I can get out by playing saxophone in a rock and roll band. However, playing folk music I found that, even though I’m not actually writing my own music, I’m able to satisfy my creative cravings.
I find that it’s easy to balance my folk music with rock and roll, probably because they’re two very different styles of music with very little over lap. I also think that I’m exploring an area of music that will stay with me much longer than rock and roll ever will. What I mean by this is, when my rock and roll days are long gone and I’m old and gray, I will still be able to pick up a guitar or mandolin and play the Irish folk music I play now. It’s also creating a rich heritage that I’ll be able to pass on to my children. My grandfather’s parents died when he was very young and my grandmother’s family have been in the country for so long that our Irish roots were all but forgotten. I feel like I’ve been able to dig a lot of my heritage back up and it’s something I’ll be proud to pass on to my children.
So what does this all have to do with Calvinism? Not a whole lot really other than the fact that many of my ancestors were Scots who were sent to Northern Ireland during the Ulster Plantation. Both the Ulster Scots and the Irish Catholics suffered under the Church of England, giving them a common bond and a common thread in which to take up arms against the English in Northern Ireland. It makes me smile a little bit to think of the Presbyterians and Catholics struggling together for once instead of against each other!
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The School of Hard Knox 
Again, I love the tunes! I kept hoping it would bust off into a Dropkick Murphys rage but I can be mellow from time to time. Have you listened to Natalie MacMasters?
My granny was a Scotch immigrant who married and Italian immigrant. Talk about explosive.
I have to say, when I first heard the Murphys when I was 18 or so, it really was a spark that got me interested in Irish folk music. I worked my way back from them really. Murphys led to bands like The Pogues which led to bands like The Dubliners which took me back to groups like The Clancy Brothers and whatnot. The temptation to take it into an “Irish Punk” realm is always there but I choose not to go there. So many people doing that now. I really wanted a sound that I could take into pubs and whatnot. Places that a full band would be out of place in. Nobody…and I mean NOBODY in Lancaster PA plays traditional Irish folk music. There’s celtic bands and whatnot, but not pure Irish pub stuff. I think I could probably make some serious buckage doing this stuff and I would never have to leave town ha!
A lot of my mom’s sisters married Italian guys. There’s a lot of wine and whiskey at family get togethers…
When I first hear the Pistols, I thought Johnny Rotten was punk rock. Forget it, Shane MacGown IS punk rock!
I agree. I could do a thread on the “real punk rock” and the heroes I would list would not be who you’d expect hah!
JESUS YOU AMERICANS MAKE ME LAUGH YOU WOULDN’T KNOW AN IRSH SESSION IF YOU TRIPPED OVER ONE!
YOURE IRISH ROOTS? HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO IRELAND? AND I DON’T MEEN YOUR THREE DAY TRIP TO THE NEW TEMPLE BAR ALL YOU F………ING DO IS TRASH TRADITIONAL TUNES AND SONGS WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVEING BEEN THERE OR UNDERSTANDING WHAT WENT ON! ISNT IT FUNNY ON ST.PATS DAY YOU ALL CLAIM TO HAVE IRISH ROOTS F….K OFF!, YOU ARE EITHER IRISH OR YOUR NOT!
PS GOD HELP ME YOUR PLAYING IS SHITE AND YOU WOULD BE LAUGHED OUT OF GALWAY! AND THAT IS NO WHERE F…….ING NEAR AMERICA!
Wow all caps. Are you 12? Seriously though, that was a pretty judgmental post for not knowing a thing about me or my past.
Are you implying that you can only understand history by going to the places the events happened? I mean, I’ve never been to Normandy but I would say I have a pretty strong understanding of what went on there. Yes, maybe different things would hit home to me were I to see things w/ my own 2 eyes, but I’m still fairly certain I can understand things w/out making a pilgrimage.
What does St Patrick’s Day have to do w/ anything? This post was written on Jan. 29, 2008. That’s almost 3 months before St Patrick’s Day my friend.