Good Irish songs?

Question:Instrumentals, drinking songs, ect.

I find Irish music so pretty - I just discovered the song "Cliffs of Dooneen" sung by Paddy Reilly and it's beautiful.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Instrumentals, drinking songs, ect.

I find Irish music so pretty - I just discovered the song "Cliffs of Dooneen" sung by Paddy Reilly and it's beautiful.

Argueably the best song is called "There where roses" There Were Roses
by Tommy Sands
sung by Mick Moloney

So my song for you this evening, it's not to make you sad
Nor for adding to the sorrows of our troubled northern land
But lately I've been thinking and it just won't leave my mind
I'll tell you of two friends of mine who were both good friends of mine

Isaac Scott from Banagh, he lived just across the fields
A great man for the music, the dancing and the reels
McDonald came from South Armagh to court young Alice fair
And we often met on the Ryan Road and laughter filled the air

-Chorus-
There were roses, roses
There were roses
And the tears of a people ran together

Now Isaac he was Protestant and Sean was Catholic born
But it never made a difference, for the friendship it was strong
And sometimes in the evening when we heard the sound of drums
We said it won't divide us, we always will be one

For the ground our fathers plowed in, the soil it is the same
And the places where we say our prayers have just got different names
We talked about the friends who'd died and hoped there'd be no more
It was little then we realized the tragedy in store

-Chorus-

It was on a Sunday morning when the awful news came round
Another killing had been done just outside Newry Town
We knew that Isaac danced up there, we knew he liked the band
But when we heard that he was dead we just could not understand

We gathered round the graveside on a cold and rainy day
The minister he closed his eyes and for no revenge he prayed
And all of us who knew him from along the Ryan Road
We bowed our heads and said a prayer for the resting of his soul

-Chorus-

Now fear it filled the countryside there was fear in every home
When late at night a car came prowling round the Ryan Road
A Catholic would be killed tonight to even up the score
Oh Christ it's young McDonald they've taken from the door

Isaac was my friend! he cried, he begged them with his tears
But centuries of hatred have ears that do not hear
An eye for an eye, it was all that filled their minds
And another eye for another eye till everyone is blind

-Chorus-

So my song for you this evening, it's not to make you sad
Nor for adding to the sorrows of our troubled northern land
But lately I've been thinking and it just won't leave my mind
I'll tell you of two friends of mine who were both good friends of mine

Now I don't know where the moral is or where this song should end
But I wonder just how many wars are fought between good friends
And those who give the orders are not the ones to die
It's Scott and McDonald and the likes of you and I

There were roses, roses
There were roses
And the tears of a people ran together
There were roses, roses
There were roses....

i like antrim hills. my friend is always playing the song sppeded up on his viola lol

Whiskey in the Jar!

Also, the Unicorn song...

My mamma used to sing this drunken irish song to us

Two irish men, two irish men were diggin' in the ditch
one called the other a dirty son of a Peter Murphy had a dog and kept it very well he gave it to his girly friend to keep her company she fed she fed it she taught it how to jump it jumped up her dress and it bit her on her cocktail ginger ale five cents a glass if you ever get hit with a bucket of S H I T be sure to close your eyes!!!!

Or you can always check out my favorite hardcore Irish punk band Dropkick Murphys!

Some of my favorites:

Carrickfergus
Barbara Allen
She Moved Through the Fair
Peggy Gordon
The Parting Glass
The Rose of Tralee
Molly Malone (In Dublin's Fair City)
The Sally Gardens
The Rose of Allendale
Shanagolden
The Foggy Dew

If you want to find some good recording of Irish/Celtic music, you should look for some of the following:

Lunasa (all instrumental, gorgeous, great live show)
The Chieftans
Sinead O'Connor (esp the album Sean-Nos Nua)
Altan
Solas

There are many many good Irish artists and groups, and there are plenty more songs, but those will keep you busy and happily listening (or singing!)

Erin go Bragh!

ummm, i'm surprised no one has listed this- DANNY BOY! duh!

anywhoo, there's also:
irish eyes
black and tans
tuesday mornings

I am Irish but I really hate that Irish ballad/drinking song tradition, it's basically vaudeville, and has little to do with what true Irish traditional music is like.

Real Irish music is much older and stranger than stuff like that. Check out albums of good Irish instrumental music. The classic instruments are the uilleann pipes (pronounced 'illan', to rhyme with fillin'), and the fiddle, although people sometimes play guitar, concertina, mandolin, bouzouki and other things like the bodhran, which is a small drum that basically nobody plays except tourists.

Some great Irish pipers whose work you can easily get on CD are:

Seamus Ennis
Willie Clancy
Johnny Doran
Ronan Browne
Robbie Hannan
Liam O'Flynn
Paddy Keenan

Some great fiddle players are:

Kevin Burke
Tommy Peoples
Eileen Ivers
Tommy Potts
James Burke
James Kelly
James Morrison
Michael Coleman

These are just to get you started. Irish music at its best is more than pretty - it'll break your heart and/or get your heart pounding. Look beyond the tourist stuff and there is a wealth of fabulous stuff there.

One clue: the best record label for Irish music is probably Claddagh Records. They are a legend in the field. There's a link below. (No, I don't work for them and they are not paying me to say this - I've just never bought a bad recording by them.)

Danny Boy or another name for it Londenairy Winds