Irish music (old, new)--any recommendations?
 

I just got my Gaelic Storm CD 'Herding Cats' from amazon yesterday--has anyone else heard of them? They were in the Chicago area for St. Pat's and I didn't know or else I'd have tried to get tickets. Such up-beat music! I've been a fan of the Clancey Brothers for years now (especially their work with Tommy Makem) and I'm trying to get a good mix of Irish music for my trip this fall. Any suggestions? I love the traditional music but also U2. I'd like to fill my MP3 player with Irish tunes for the trip as a kind of soundtrack for my vacation. Folk, pop, rock, punk-what have you got!?!

Well, I do like Solas and Karan Casey, their female singer, as a soloist.

However, this St Patrick's Day I heard The Cassidys (Na Casaidigh) who gave a wonderful performance in a church near where I live (in Washington DC). I had never heard of them, but they were outstanding, so now I want to buy one of their CDs. They are a group of brothers (seems to be a common theme) and have been around some years doing traditional Irish, but a lot of interesting and creative stuff. They often add someone else in their group for some songs.

This is their website www.thecassidys.com
and you can get one of their CDs on Amazon or similar sites (Singing from Memory).

Their stuff is also sold on
www.cassidyclan.org
and they offer more CDs, but I haven't used them.

you

The Saw Doctors - great on CD and give one of the best live shows of any group!
www.sawdoctors.com

I love just about all Irish music. But my favorites are probably Planxty, Danny Doyle and Clannad. Amazon has several Planxty CDs. I'd recommend the one titled just "Planxty".

Unfortunately, they don't have a great selection of Danny Doyle. My brother gave me a copy of his live in New Orleans CD that I really like. But I suspect my brother got it at the bar where it was recorded. My husband and I used to see Danny Doyle often at the Dubliner when we lived in D.C. back in the early 80's. And we saw him once here in the Chicago area shortly after we moved here. Sure would love to see him again!

Amazon also has a good selection of Clannad CD's. I'm more familiar with the older ones. But I'm sure they're all great if you like the "new agey" kind of stuff.

Years ago I had some really nice anthology albums of a mixture of traditional bands. I'd love to find CDs of some of those.

Oh, and since you're from Chicago, are you familiar with the Drovers? They are (or at least were) a Chicago band. Their music was featured in the movie "Blink". I don't know whether they're still together. But Amazon has some of their CDs.

Ah, a woman after my own heart!

Most everything I listen to all day is Celtic/Irish/Scottish music. Old/new, trad/modern. You won't go wrong with any of them, IMHO.

I have a Gaelic Storm CD, too (self-titled).

Many of these I first heard on www.live365.com, which is a free live-stream radio station. They have about 3 dozen Irish/Celtic radio stations, and they list the artist/song/album, so you can buy them. Royalties go to the artists. I have bought many of these due to some of the stations I listen to, like Celtic Pub Radio, Celtic Melt, Highlander Radio, Celtic Stream, etc.

Some of my other favorites:

Lothlorien (Album: Greenwood Side; NZ band, mostly trad GREAT haunting sound)

Afro Celt Sound System (Celtic + Senegalese house music - very upbeat!)

The Cranberries - modern rock

Black 47 - modern rock but less mainstream :)

Stormy Finish - see Black 47

The Dubliners - trad

Enya - modern new age

Grainne Hambly -- Irish Harp

Altan (more trad)

Andy Stewart/Silly Wizard - king of Trad

Capercaillie - trad

Clannad - trad mixed with modern (Enya's family, she used to sing with them. Clannad means 'family')

Great Big Sea - modern rock mixed with trad

Jethro Tull/Ian Anderson -- has a wonderful celtic flute music CD out called Language of the Birds

Loreena McKennitt -- modern new age with some trad tunes

Maire Brennan -- another of Enya's sisters, very ethereal

Off Kilter - Elton John style rock with bagpipes and kilts (more scottish than irish, but fun and cute)

Old Blind Dogs -- traditional

Sileas - trad harp music


Steve McDonald - scottish trad mixed with new age

I'm definitely showing my age with this list but you need to include: the Pogues, Elvis Costello, the Cranberries, Sinead O'Connor, the Waterboys (technically Scottish?), U2, and the Saw Doctors.

The soundtrack from the Commitments (rent the movie if you haven't seen it already) could be a fun addition and James Galway's Bach Sonata's are wonderful.

Mary Black---"Babes in the Woods" and "No Frontiers."

Anything by Van Morrison.

For instrumental Celtic music try Lunasa (http://www.lunasa.ie/home.php). For vocal I like Paul Brady (http://www.paulbrady.com/) and Dougie Maclean (
http://www.dougiemaclean.com/dougie.htm).

Check out Frances Black or Mary Black
they are sisters and both just wonderful as the whole Black family,

Of course: The Chieftans

From a similar thread here not long ago I found Planxty - got one of their discs from the library and enjoyed it a lot.

When we were in Dingle we saw and heard Eoin Duignan - fantastic - got a couple of his CDs there. Harder to get here.

As I mentioned in other thread, don't go with too many preconceived ideas as you may or may not hear that music, instead keep an open mind and pick up CD souvenirs.

Check out the 'Green Linnet'(record company) compilations. I have 3 of them and they are great. (You can order right off their website.)

Flogging Molly - http://www.floggingmolly.com/
fun fun fun stuff!

Carolsc, thanks for the Green Linnet info. Looks like they've got some good stuff. And their prices look good too!

I enjoy Damien Rice, but he's definitely not upbeat, if that's what you're looking for.

This thread has great suggestions. I'm a big fan of all types of Irish music. Love the Saw Doctors - seen them 3 times now and each show is pure fun.
Chieftains are great - love when they mix in other music types - Santiago is my favorite CD.

But there is nothing better than the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. I've been listening to them since I was a baby. Wonderful music.

Also got to throw in a suggestion for the Drop Kick Murphys - Boston based band - more punk but with an Irish flare - remakes of The Fields of Athenry etc. Red Sox fans know them for their song that became an anthem during the fabulous 2004 World Series season.

Don't forget the Irish Tenors - such beautiful voices. Ronan Tynan's version of the Town I Loved So Well is so passionate.

The Dubliners, Solas, Mary Black, Paddy Reilly, Cherish the Ladies. Plantxy, Clannad, Enya - its all good and all in my IPod!

Natalie McMaster is Cape Bretton fiddler. Cape Bretton fiddlers have a Celtic tradition. She is such fun in concert. Another Canadian fiddler that I love is April Verch - more ecletic than Celtic but a tremendous player. She is a little shy in concert, not the powerhouse personality of McMaster but an extremely talented peformer nonetheless.

And somewhat obsecure band that takes certain sentiments of the Clancy Brothers (if you know what I mean) to an even higher level is Charlie and the Bhoys.

Forgot to mention the Prodigals - based in NY I believe, another punk rock/trad band - excellent stuff.

I didn't notice that anybody mentioned "Cherish the Ladies", an all-woman group. Try their CD, "The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone". Also, Van Morrison and the Chieftains "Irish Heartbeat", the Chieftains "An Irish Evening" and "Long Black Veil", Mary Black, for sure, on the CD that has "Both Sides the Tweed" and "Hard Times". Also, "Common Ground", a great CD collection with several artists.

starfish1, good call on Flogging Molly. Also check out the Dropkick Murphy's if you want Irish rockers.

Harry O'Donoghue hosts an hour of Irish music each Saturday night, the Green Island Radio Show, at 9 pm EST on central Georgia's public radio stations. www.gpb.org or http://www.wsvh.org/giarchive.htm

You can have the playlist emailed to you each week.

If you can, listen to this on the internet (I'm assuming you are not in Georgia, but rather Illinois) as all different kinds of new Irish music are played, and new versions of old standbys. It's a fun hour, he (O'Donoghue) is very low-key. %%-

CountryRed, how could I forget the DropKick Murphy's?! Seems we like the same kind of music.