with special guest stars Denny, Mark, Ricky & Marnix as the “Silent Brothers”!
Two Scottish tunes that have made their way onto the Irish session repertoire
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Tag: celtic festival music
Video: Caledonia at Castlefest – Celtic Folk Music from Scotland
Caledonia is the Latin name given by the Romans to the land in today’s Scotland,
north of their province of Britannia, beyond the frontier of their empire. The etymology of the name is probably from a P-Celtic source. Its modern usage is as a romantic or poetic name for Scotland as a whole, comparable with Hibernia for Ireland and Cambria for Wales.
The exact location of what the Romans called Caledonia in the early stages of Britannia is uncertain, and the boundaries are unlikely to have been fixed until the building of Hadrian’s Wall. From then onwards, Caledonia stood to the north of the wall, and to the south was the Roman province of Britannia (consisting of most of what is now England and Wales).During the brief Roman military incursions into central and northern Scotland, the Scottish Lowlands were indeed absorbed into the province of Britannia, and the name was also used by the Romans, prior to their conquest of the southern and central parts of the island, to refer to the whole island of Great Britain.
The modern use of “Caledonia” in English and Scots is either as a historical description of northern Britain during the Roman era or as a romantic or poetic name for Scotland as a whole.
In music, “Caledonia” is a popular folk ballad written by Dougie MacLean in 1977 and published in 1979 on an album of the same name; it has since been covered by various other artists, including Amy Macdonald
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Video: The Craic was 90 in the Isle of Man @ Castlefest – Rapalje Celtic Folk Music
“The craic was 90”: A fantastic, brilliant time.
The craic, pronounced crack, refers to the laughter and banter that goes with having a good night out with friends. If the craic was 90 it means it was exceptionally good and you were having the time of your life!
The phrase became well known from the late sixties onwards because of the song, The Craic was 90 in the Isle of Man..
Video: The Skye Boat Song – Outlander Theme Song
The Skye Boat Song” is a modern Scottish song which has entered into the folk canon in recent times.
It can be played as a waltz, recalling the escape of Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) from Uist to the Isle of Skye after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
The text of the song gives an account of how Bonnie Prince Charlie, disguised as a serving maid, escaped in a small boat after the defeat of his Jacobite rising of 1745, with the aid of Flora MacDonald. The song draws on the motifs of Jacobitism although it was composed nearly a century and a half after the episode it describes.It is often supposed that it describes Charles’s flight from the mainland, but this is unhistorical. The only time Charles was in Skye was when he left Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides to avoid the increasingly thorough Government searches.
(Wikipedia)
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Video: Bodypaint dancers at Zomerfolk – Celtic Music – Butterfly – Kid on the Mountain
The 6th edition of the Rapalje Zomerfolk Festival was fantastic!
Thanks to everyone who made this possible like our wonderful volunteers, exhibitors, caterers, artists, family, friends and of course you, our visitors. We’d love to see everyone back on June 15th & 16th 2019!
Video: “I’m Into Folk” from Bart Peeters, The Radios
Bart Peeters komt op de proppen met I’m into folk.
Tijdens een optreden van The Pogues op Pinkpop had Bart Peeters gezien hoe een duidelijk door de folk geïnspireerde groep als The Pogues het publiek kon begeesteren, beter nog dan de Red Hot Chili Peppers. Als het mij nu eens zou lukken, dacht Bart, al die folkclichés in één liedje te vatten. Hij ging op zoek naar een geschikt doordeweeks riedeltje op zijn gitaar, zo eentje, of het nu folk is, of flamenco of wat dan ook, dat vlot in het gehoor ligt. Daarmee zou de song moeten beginnen en dan zouden de clichés de revue mogen passeren. I’m into folk moest , dat wou Bart , cabaretesk klinken, grotesk zelfs. Het nummer werd uiteindelijk een pastiche, een doelbewuste slechte nabootsing van de oerdegelijke Ierse folkmuziek. Begin 1989 geraakten The Radios met I’m into folk tot in de staart van de BRT Top 30
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Video: Mrs. McCloud Irish reel
“Miss MacLeod” was popular as long ago as 1779 in Ireland
as its playing is mentioned in an account by a foreign visitor named Berringer or Beranger of a “cake” dance (i.e. where the prize was a cake) he participated in while visiting in Connacht. O’Neill (1913) relates Beranger’s observations somewhat differently and gives that it was one of six tunes played by Galway pipers in 1779 for the entertainment of the traveler. Irish violinist R.M. Levey includes the reel (as “Miss M’Cloud”) in his first collection of Irish dance tunes (1858), but notes its Irish provenance is “doubtful.” In modern times in Ireland the tune was included in a famous set of the late Donegal fiddlers, brothers Mickey and John Doherty, who played it as the last tune after “Enniskillen Dragoon” and “Nora Chrionna” (Wise Nora), though sometimes they substituted “Piper of Keadue (The)” for “Miss McLeod’s.” The whole set was played in the rare AAae tuning, which required playing in position (Caoimhin MacAoidh). See also “Foxhunter’s Reel” and “Grey Plover” for a related tunes in O’Neill. (Wikipedia)
Also known as Dance For Your Daddy My Little Laddie, Did You Ever Meet The Devil, Uncle Joe?, The Dun Cow, Eighthsome, Hop High Ladies, Iníon Mhic Leóid, May Day, McCleod’s, McCloud’s, McLeod’s, Miss MacLeod, Miss McCleod, Miss McCleod’s, Miss McCloud, Miss McCloud’s, Miss McLeod, Miss McLeod’s, Mrs MacLeod Of Raasay, Mrs Mc Leod’s, Mrs Mcleod Of Raasay, Mrs McLeod’s, Mrs McLeods, Mrs. MacLeod’s, Mrs. Mc Cloud, Mrs. McCloud, Mrs. McCloud’s, Mrs. McClouds, Mrs. McLeod, Mrs. McLeod Of Rasay, Mrs. McLeod’s, Mrs. McLeods, Ms McCloud’s, Old Mammy Knickerbocker, Uncle Joe’s.
Video: Busindre Reel (Hevia) – Odin’s Krieger Festival, Brazil
Busindre Reel (from Hevia) on Bagpipes by David Myles at Odin’s Krieger Festival, São Paulo, Brazil
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Video: The Galway Girl @ Odin’s Krieger Fest, Brazil
“Galway Girl” is a song written by Steve Earle and recorded with Irish musician Sharon Shannon originally as “The Galway Girl”.
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Video: Dunmore Lassies at Folk im Schlosshof with dancers Rosalie en Koosje
Dunmore Lassies at Folk im Schlosshof with dancers Rosalie en Koosje
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