I’ve been in plenty of them as well, you are still more likely to hear Wonderwall than Danny Boy.
There are plenty of tourist traps around Dublin that put on trad music, if I went to a few of them I might eventually hear some of the songs listed in this thread but outside of that you won’t be hearing “When Irish eyes are smiling” anywhere.
The Fields of Athenry, now thats a different story…
Oh, I agree. Maybe occasionally something by the Pogues (or, here in Chicago, maybe something by the Tossers or Dropkick Murphies or Irish Rovers) if we’re going the Irish music route. I confess, the only song I listed from that Family Feud episode that I’m musically familiar with is “Danny Boy.” I just found it interesting, because everyone I was watching with had no idea of any of those songs beyond the first two. (I only know “When Irish Eyes are Smiling” by name, and “Wild Irish Rose” is a cheap hobo wine to me. The other two, I have no clue about.)
As for Irish songs I’ve actually heard in “Irish” bars: Both “Finnegan’s Wake” and “Whiskey in a Jar” I’ve definitely heard. One not mentioned yet is “The Belle of Belfast City.” And that’s probably the extent of my folk Irish music knowledge.
I’m familiar with the first three, but really only know the first line of When Irish Eyes. And FWIW, here’s the backstory on my request in the OP. A club owner is hosting a show the day before St. Pat’s Day. It’s not an Irish music show, but the club owner is conspicuously of Irish heritage, travels to Ireland regularly, and hosts several Irish concerts during the year. He also enjoys playing with stereotypes, and wanted the concert announcement to mention that he didn’t want the audience to be full of drunk Irishman. I thought it would be more interesting to ask the Irish in the audience to not scream out requests for (the Irish equivalent of) Free Bird.
So I was looking for the Irish bar equivalent. Making it a song that would be known more to fans of Irish music – rather than known to the everyone (such as Danny Boy, or Wild Irish Rose) – would make the joking nature of the ethnic remark more obvious. My first impulse was Raglan Road, cause I know it and like it from the Van Morrison/Chieftains versions, but didn’t know if it was sufficiently overplayed… in the way Stairway to Heaven is overplayed.
“The Unicorn” was a hit for Will Millar and the Irish Rovers, who were Canadian citizens originally from Ireland.
But the song was written by Shel Silverstein, an American Jew who also wrote “A Boy Named Sue” for Johnny Cash.
Bit of a hijack here, but Shel Silverstein was quite the polymath.
Not only did he write “The Unicorn” and “A Boy Named Sue,” but he wrote “Cover of the Rolling Stone” and “Sylvia’s Mother” for Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Along with some songs that were definitely not for children (“Freaker’s Ball” comes to mind).
And “Queen of the Silver Dollar,” which has been covered by any number of country artists (most notably, to me, Emmylou Harris).
He was a successful cartoonist, publishing his cartoons in Playboy for years.
He also wrote the massively best-selling children’s book “The Giving Tree.”
He was a screenwriter (he co-wrote “Things Change” with David Mamet) and a playwright.
Interesting guy.
Tom Lehrer’s The Irish Ballad.
I’m surprised that nobody else has mentioned “The Minstrel Boy”, as that and “The Washerwoman” were the first two I thought of. Maybe “The Beggerman”, too.
You haven’t lived until you’ve been in an Irish Pub in Flensburg (N.Germany) listening to a German folk singer with a sort of brogue singing “Whisky in the Jar”. Utterly surreal, especially with the bar full of drunk Canadians and Germans singing along.
Oh, and it’s not a single song, but given the context, you might use “I don’t want any requests for Tommy Makem songs”.
If I never hear “I’ve Been A Wild Rover” again I will be a happy happy girl.
Not quite relevant to the OP, I just have noticed that in the past 5 years or so, the standard “Here Be Irishmen/Irish Americans” theme song is the Dropkick Murphys version of “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” especially the opening instrumental part.
Never, ever heard of any washerwomen.
Regarding the songs in the title, aren’t this supposed to be about more modern songs in general?
Something by The Pogues, say. A Pair of Brown Eyes. (Note: not my favorite Pogues song. That goes to Haunted. Favorite song period. But not nearly as well known.)
OP here. It was time to send out the email – it mentioned that the club owner didn’t want a passel of besotted spud-masticators yelling at the band to play The Wild Rover or Raglan Road.
Wild Rover (suggested by Ms. Ocelot… I think, there are several rover songs) seemed like it could get annoying real fast. And I just wanted to plug Raglan Road, since the melody is pretty and the words are poetry. And it was on BeagleDave’s list of popular Irish songs.
Thanks for all input, and carry on if you wish.
But we didn’t get around to Rory Gallagher yet!