# Recommendations for good Irish music? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2000, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002 "2000-12-17T08:20:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dr.Pinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dr.Pinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Pinky)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2000, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/41 "2000-12-22T19:12:22Z")
Let’s get granny a couple Boiled in Lead cd’s - the greatest Irish/Gypsy/Middle Eastern Rock Band to come out of Minneapolis for some time now… & whoever did Donald Magallifry (sp) although that may well be Scottish. Still makes ya wanna go out & kill a lot of Englishmen. My main problem with the Pogue’s is, when they’re lame, they’re very very lame, and when their great, they’re fantastic. Random geniuses, what can you do with them. I didn’t list “Bottle of Smoke” among the songs I wanted played at my funeral, as it would be somewhat disconcerting for the onlookers to see me rise from my coffin doing a jig. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2000, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/42 "2000-12-22T19:34:35Z")
Oh yeah!!! "_Donald McGillavry_ by **Silly Wizard** : > [@](#): > > Donald’s gane up the hill hard and hungry, > Donald comes down the hill wild and angry; > Donald will clear the gouk’s nest cleverly, > Here’s to the king and Donald Macgillavry. > Come like a weighbauk, Donald Macgillavry, > Come like a weighbauk, Donald Macgillavry, > Balance them fair, and balance them cleverly: > Off wi’ the counterfeit, Donald Macgillavry. > > Donald’s run o’er the hill but his tether, man, > As he were wud, or stang’d wi’ an ether, man; > When he comes back, there’s some will look merrily: > Here’s to King James and Dnnald Macgillavry. > Come like a weaver, Donald Macgillavry, > Come like a weaver, Dnnald Macgillavry, > Pack on your back, and elwand sae cleverly; > Gie1 them full measure, my Donald Macgillavry. > > Donald has foughten wi’ rief and roguery; > Donald has dinner’d wi’ banes and beggary, > Better it were for Whigs and Whiggery > Meeting the devil than Donald Macgillavry. > Come like a tailor, Donald Macgillavry, > Come like a tailor, Donald Macgillavry, > Push about, in and out, thimble them cleverly, > Here’s to King James and Donald Macgillavry. > > Donald’s the callan that brooks nae3 tangleness; > Whigging and prigging and a’newfangleness, > They maun be gane: he winna be baukit, man: > He maun hae2 justice, or faith he’ll tak it, man. > Come like a cobler, Donald Macgillavry, > Come like a cobler, Donald Macgillavry; > Beat them, and bore them, and lingel them cleverly, > Up wi’ King James and Donald Macgillavry. > > Donald was mumpit wi’ mirds and mockery; > Donald was blinded wi’ blads o’ property; > Arles ran high, but makings were naething3, man, > Lord, how Donald is flyting and fretting, man. > Come like the devil, Donald Macgillavry, > Come like the devil, Donald Macgillavry; > Skelp them and scaud them that proved sae unbritherly, > Up wi’ King James and Donald Macgillavry! That is high on my “crank up the volume” songs ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/43 "2000-12-23T02:09:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MikeG \* > **Re: Kate Bush, Check out _The Sensual World_. It has some Uilleann pipes and whistle on it and has a bit of Celtic sensibility.** I know Kate’s stuff pretty well … true enough that _some_ of it has _some_ Celtic influences but calling it “Irish music” is a huge stretch IMHO and I think she’d be the first to object to that description. This is the woman who wrote a song called “Oh England My Lionheart” remember! Anyway I can’t believe I forgot to mention Luka Bloom’s _Riverside_. I’m not usually a big fan of the Irish-rock-crossover genre but that’s a really great record. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/44 "2000-12-23T02:15:10Z")
Agreed **ruadh** , that’s why I didn’t say outright she was doing Irish music. Rather, This album (arguably her most well known at least here in the US) _could_ tend to give one that impression though. BTW I saw Luka play here in Chicago in a little bar -there were maybe 15-20 people, he played all kinds of bizarre requests and great craic was had by all into the late hours of the morning! ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/45 "2000-12-23T03:02:01Z")
speaking of Chicago…The Drovers 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Pinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dr.Pinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Pinky)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/46 "2000-12-23T06:45:08Z")
[hijack]First he has the demonstrable good taste to flirt with wildelf, then he posts the lyrics to Donald McGillavry. Is there nothing this man cannot do? Thanks, MikeG. That was a swell, early Xmas present.[/hijack] * * * Dr. Pinky, accordianist for the Discordians ---
**Author:** ![silent\_rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/47 "2000-12-23T07:22:18Z")
Some great bands named. Though I can’t believe nobody mentioned **The Waterboys**. Well, not the biggest Irish band, but they’re great. If you’ve seen _Waking Ned Divine{/i], they used **The Waterboys’s** song Fisherman’s Blues_. Definitely give them a listen. Oh, and I gotta second **Great Big Sea** as a non-Irish Celtic band to check out. Great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/48 "2000-12-23T09:17:39Z")
About two years ago, Gaelic Storm played a couple shows at our university. At the time I didn’t know who the heck they were, but now, after having heard the _Titanic_ soundtrack, I really wished I’d gone. I have to second **silent\_rob** on The Waterboys, especially because he introduced me to them. 🙂 I’ve got quite a few of their songs, which I listen to all the time. They’re great. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/49 "2000-12-23T10:49:32Z")
I’m sure I’m starting to be a pain in the arse here but the Waterboys are actually Scottish 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2000, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/50 "2000-12-23T11:58:36Z")
Well, they’re worth mentioning anyway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tomas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tomas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomas)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2000, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/51 "2000-12-24T12:33:37Z")
If you are making a disc for your grandmother, do a search for John Gary in Napster. He was a vocalist in the 50’s and 60’s. I made a disc of his music for my father for christmas. I reemembered him listening to John Gary’s music when I was growing up. He has a lot of the traditional Irish tunes plus alot of the old 60’s tunes. I would bet your granny remembers him. Download a tune called Cockles and Mussles–beautiful! It will show you just how good a vocalist he is. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2000, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/52 "2000-12-24T21:58:30Z")
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the **Irish Rovers**. Great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2000, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/53 "2000-12-25T03:12:19Z")
:rolleyes: [Frank Patterson] “when irish ayes…” [/FP- R.I.P.] … ack, I can’t even type it! ---
**Author:** ![mongrel\_8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002/54 "2001-01-02T15:53:16Z")
I was reading through everyone’s suggestions, which I love, and noticed that **Flogging Molly** was kinda left out. They are an Irish rock band that is now in America. All of their songs are heavily Irish and packed full of energy. I live in Missouri and saw them touring with Mighty Mighty Bosstones about 2 monthes ago. If you ever get a chance to see them I would heartily suggest it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-good-irish-music/46002.md?page=2)