Celtic Folk Music With A Difference!
In the theater, on the stage, what a nice place to unbox our new record together. Not everything goes as planned of course but you can clearly see how happy we are with this beautiful piece of Vinyl. Dieb made a wonderful design, what would you like to know about how our record was created?
On sale in our webshop from Friday 18 September at 20:00
Rapalje released this great song on the CD Clubs in 2012, in 2020 this is still one of our favorite songs. This video was recorded during our concert at the Liberation Festival in Zwolle.
Galway Girl is a song written by Steve Earle. It was released in the year 2000. It is about the semi-autobiographical story of Steve Earle and his reaction to an encounter with a beautiful girl, Bodhrán player Joyce Redmond with black hair and blue eyes. The meeting is of course in Galway, Ireland. In 2007 the song was also used in the romantic movie P.S. I Love You.
Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
on a day -I-ay-I-ay
And I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
on a nice soft day -I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what’s a fella to do
Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I took her down and I givin’ a twhirl
‘Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl
Well we were halfway there when the rain came down
on a day -I-ay-I-ay
And she asked me up to her flat downtown
on a nice soft day -I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what’s a fella to do
Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl
When I woke up I was all way down
on a day -I-ay-I-ay
With a broken heart and a ticket home
on a nice soft day -I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you friend, what would you do
If her hair was black and her eyes were blue
I’ve been around all over the world, boys
But I ain’t never seen nothin’ but a Galway girl
David has made a nice picture of the album and the record, will you be the first to have it at home? Friday September 18 at 20:00 the record and the matching T-shirt will arrive in our shop.
Support us at https://rapalje.com/stream
Help David support the cultural sector: https://rapalje.com/donation
Shop for beautiful Rapalje products: https://rapalje.com/shop/
Come and see us in person: https://rapalje.com/agenda/
Spin the black circle! We always wanted to have our music on Vinyl, because we love old records and record players. After a 3 year long labor of love we finally have the first album in our hands. Here is David out in the park showing you just how happy he is with this record and the new T-shirt that goes along with it.
Soon you can order Scotland’s Story on vinyl! We also have a special deal, the album and a unique T-shirt, with all the tracks from Scotland’s Story.
David Myles – “It took us a long long time, but I really believe next week we can start sending this amazing record to our fans”
We are playing our Celtic Folk Night in Drachten (NL) on Saturday the 26th of september 2 times on 1 evening, will you join us? Tickets available here Continue reading “Celtic Folk Night – Drachten”
William brought this song to the Rapalje repertoire. He heard a song during a nice evening in his favorite Pub, part of the lyrics just stuck in his head and even his dreams, eventually Home is Where my Friends Are came out of this. We found the original song played in Williams pub, this was “Back to Donegal” by Rory McLoad, so this was the inspiration for Home is Where my Friends Are
The tune we play in this song is called Pride of Petravore, other songs have also been written for this.
As far as we know, William Houston Collisson (1865-1920) is the writer of Pride of Petravore and is a traditional hornpipe tune. Percy French (1854-1920) wrote the lyrics to the song, which means it is now also called Eileen Og. The two were friends, stage partners, and college composers. In our CD “Into Folk” we have written the musical notes.
sheet music Pride of Petravore
I’d like to introduce you to the band that’s playing
All the way where we came from, you don’t want to know
Going down to Tager, play for pints of lager
I’m just following the road, I go to Donegal
Home is where my friends are
You are all part of me
I leave you with this song
Are you comming, are you going, are you trying to stop me
Play six and reels and jigs at one time, I just think I’m going fine
I don’t care what’s going on and I could be alone
Coming through St. Prady’s and all the pretty ladies
But none of them is as beautiful as down in Donegal
I love ladies, I can’t get enough I dance with them ’till my legs fall of
Pretty ladies I see them and side by side we go
I’m drinking ’till I’m pissed of, going ’till I have to mud down
In the bars of Rotterdam I dream of Donegal
I love you true Alida but I think I’m gonna leave you
I don’t want to sit at your place watching years go by
Sitting with your fatty on your ugly satty
I’m dreaming away the plans I’ve got when I return in Donegal
The barman rings the bell, in announcement to everybody:
“Have you got no homes to go to”
And I sing: “I ain’t got no home in this world anymore
I’m just passing through”
(You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here)
An old Scottish national anthem. The melody dates from 1870 and the text we sing is from 1892, written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Since the hit series ‘Outlander’ it became even more popular and we always love the reaction of the audience when they recognise the first notes.
The first contact with the song was back in 1995 when David Myles had to practice it in bagpipe class. An old traditional that has already been sung by several artists. David wanted to play The Skye Boat Song within the band and persuaded the other members to play along, shortly before a performance after William had the lyrics in his head, Dieb came up with the idea to play the song on Uilleanpipes instead of the Scottish bagpipes and a structure was devised. An hour later “The Skye Boat Song” was presented to the public and it remains one of our favorites. Even the front cover of the CD “Scotlands Story” is based on this.
The song is about Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) ‘s journey from Benbecula to the Isle of Skye during an escape after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
Stevenson’s version is more about the inner feelings of the defeated prince. Ambition and optimism have been replaced by a feeling of tired loss.
Sir Harold Edwin Boulton’s original 1870 song ends with a sense of heroic failure and a romantic expression of future victory. Stevenson’s ending, however, is poignant and realistic. In the song, he realizes that he has lost everything, even his own identity: “All I was is gone.” The “boy” he once was is gone and will never return.
Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye.
Mull was astern, Rum on the port,
Eigg on the starboard bow;
Glory of youth glowed in his soul;
Where is that glory now?
[Chorus]
Give me again all that was there,
Give me the sun that shone!
Give me the eyes, give me the soul,
Give me the lad that’s gone!
[Chorus]
Billow and breeze, islands and seas,
Mountains of rain and sun,
All that was good, all that was fair,
All that was me is gone.
We planned a livestream at Dieb before but had to cancel it as Dieb was not feeling well yet, but now we are for sure going to be playing and talking with you in Diebs wonderful home, do you have any special requests for this stream?
See you at on October 3rd at 20:00! Live on Facebook & YouTube
Support us at https://rapalje.com/stream
Help David support the cultural sector: https://rapalje.com/donation
Shop for beautiful Rapalje products: https://rapalje.com/shop/
Come and see us in person: https://rapalje.com/agenda/
Aftermovie of our trip from Pieterburen to release seals in the Wadden Sea. Our live stream opening song was “Long May You Run”. With this song we have added images from our tour into a very nice compilation. We really enjoyed this experience and really appreciate the work Pieterburen does for the seals. Unfortunately our violinist is missing during the recording due to illness.
Originally written by Neil Young, our singer William thinks it’s a great song and wanted to play him with our band Rapalje. This gives the song its own sound and it is fantastic for us to play.
Neil’s beloved Buick hearse, “Mort,” was the inspiration for this song. Neil drove “Mort” from Toronto to Los Angeles, where he met Stephen Stills and founded Buffalo Springfield. Later Neil drove a Pontiac hearse “Mort 2”
Neil was on his way to Sudbury in Canada when ‘Mort’ broke down in Blind River, Ontario in June 1965. (the lyrics in the song are, “well, it was back in Blind River, 1962, when I last saw you alive”) the year is incorrect, but the song is about this story.
Neil Young is pictured here in the middle in front of his Mort.
Both Rapalje and Pieterburen are Groningen crowd favourites who have been able to reach thousands of people with various live streams in recent months. During this, a combination of live acoustic music and conversations about seals and the mudflats will be broadcast. The combination of seals and music is not very far-fetched. This summer, the Sealcenter will open an exhibition dedicated to the language and sense of rhythm of seals.
The cooperation between the Sealcenter Pieterburen and Rapalje is a striking one, but there are two nice similarities. First, both of them had been able to reach thousands of people through live streams of music or seals being cared for throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Second, seals and music have more in common than people generally assume. Seals have been proven to have a sense of rhythm and can “parrot”!
Precisely now pups are born at a certain location in the Wadden Sea that require intensive care from their mother for a few weeks. This bond is often broken due to disruption. Rapalje would like to make sure that these animals get well again.
We’ve been through some things together
With trunks of memories still to come
We found things to do in stormy weather
Long may you run.
Long may you run. Long may you run.
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining in the sun
Long may you run.
Well, it was back in Blind River in 1962
When I last saw you alive
But we missed that shift on the long decline
Long may you run.
Long may you run. Long may you run.
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining in the sun
Long may you run.
Maybe The Beach Boys have got you now
With those waves singing “Caroline No”
Rollin’ down that empty ocean road
Gettin’ to the surf on time.
Long may you run. Long may you run.
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining in the sun
Long may you run.
Ours gigs at MPS Skulpturenpark in Bückeburg are amazing! It really is fantastic to see all of our MPS family and friends. An unforgettable time and we will be back at MPS Skulpturenpark at 19 september! If you like to see what’s going on there: Check our Watchparty on 11 September!
We will be back at MPS Skulpturenpark on 19 September, see you there?
Watch the Bückeburg complete Vlog 2 with us on 11 September 20:00