This haunting ballad is a firm favourite with folkies the world over, especially in Ireland. It tells of the horror of a young Australian man who enlists in the military and is sent to fight in the First World War, only to suffer horrifically in the slaughter that took place at Suvla Bay in Turkey […]
This wonderful folk classic is about the highwayman, Willie Brennan, said to be from Kilworth just outside Fermoy in County Cork. Brennan robbed the rich and sometimes gave to the poor at the end of the 18th and start of the 19th centuries. There are numerous theories about Willie Brennan and his exploits, but it […]
Luke Kelly was a member of the globally renowned Irish folk band, The Dubliners. His strong vocals and intense passion for, and belief in, the songs he sang made him one of the foremost folk singers of his or any time. In this offering, he regales us with a ballad about a Scottish lifeboat named […]
This haunting song was composed and written by Scottish folk singer, Ian Campbell, and first released in 1963 but made famous by Simon and Garfunkel, who included it on their first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., one year later. It tells of the horrors of a nuclear blast and was written at a time when the […]
Carrickfergus (Gaelic for The Rock of Fergus) is a coastal town in the Occupied Six Counties of Ireland. The origins of this particular song are subject to much speculation, but the melody is believed to be from a Gaelic song titled, “Do Bhí Bean Uasal” (There was a Noble Woman) which has been attributed to the […]
The Eagles must rank as one of the greatest musical acts of all time. Their back catalogue is sensational. Standards such as Hotel California, Take it to The Limit, Tequila Sunrise and New Kid In Town can be heard across the world as fans try to emulate their Americano heroes. One of the most poignant […]
Here’s a wonderful piece of street rhyme from working class Dublin band, A Lazarus Soul, relatively new to the wider music scene. The emotive lyrics speak of life in the tenement flats of inner city Dublin before they were demolished in an ongoing program of gentrification. Rose-tinted spectacles are all-too commonplace, and its certain that […]
Recently, a poll was launched by RTE, the broadcaster for the Irish Free State, to find the ‘nation’s’ favourite folk song. Rebel Voice is unsure if the 1.8 million Irish people in the Occupied Six Counties (OSC) are considered part of the ‘nation’ by the Blueshirts who command RTE as insidious moves are underway to […]
Here is an Irish ballad to get your spirits soaring. It speaks of the famous horse races at Galway that begin on the last Monday of July each year. It’s there that fortunes are lost and few if any ever made. There are fine ladies galore and drinkers and thinkers and stinkers and creeps. There […]
John Spillane is a renowned singer-songwriter from the beautiful city of Cork in Ireland. He is a popular constant on both TV and radio on the Emerald Isle. Here is one of his better known ballads. The lyrics in this track are poetry and when set to the haunting melody serve to take the listener […]
Here’s a popular song from the sweatiest troubadour in Kildare. Christy Moore has been performing for a very long time. He has been in various bands, from Planxty to Moving Hearts to The Bothy Band. He has also carved out a successful career as a solo performer, and more recently has toured with the virtuoso […]
Here’s a timely ballad from a relative unknown, and up and coming star, of the Irish folk scene. If you like this, you can say that you heard this fine performer here first. If you don’t like it, then tell others that you heard it on the BBC… (ya gotta like his name if nothing […]
Rebel Voice 