St. Patrick's Day Music Blog: 03/2009

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009 Wild Rover Ah... "Wild Rover"! I know some people who hate this song because it seems like one of the most-popular Irish drinking songs ever. The chorus is simple, and there's a nice clapping part in it which adds to that interactivity that goes so well with Irish drinking songs. Personally, I love the song. The only real problem with me is that after I wrote "Wild Kitty"for Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers, I kept screwing up the original lyrics in favor of the cat version. But here it is in it's simplest form without the meowing. "Wild Rover" Listen: LoFi Recorded by Marc Gunn Read Lyrics: "Wild Rover" Lyrics From: Irish Drinking Songs Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Visit MP3 Store: Buy Irish MP3s Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post 17 Free St. Patrick's Day MP3s for 2009 Every year for St. Patrick's Day, I compile a new list of St Patrick's Day MP3 downloads that are 100% free and legal. Many of these artists are played regularly in the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. And ALL of these artists were generous enough to offer their music for a brand compilation CD entitled the Best of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. This compilation CD benefits the podcast as well as a Celtic non-profit. I've donated over $6,000 to Celtic non-profits around the United States. So when you buy a CD, you support both this podcast and your fellow Celts. But please don't stop there! The main point of this compilation and these free MP3s is to help promote independent Celtic music. If you find an artist that you really love on this compilation, then head over to the artist website, drop them an email to let them know you found them through the CD. Then buy their CD. While you're at it, if you want to find out what it's like getting an annual subscription to Song Henge, you'll get a good idea when you download this free zip file of 17 Free St Patrick's Day MP3s for 2009. Download "17 Celtic Music Downloads for St. Patrick's Day" (64 MB) (p.s. these MP3s will only be up for a month, so download them soon) 17 Free Irish & Celtic Music Downloads for St. Patrick's Day "Sweeney's Buttermilk" by FIMM from Roiboos e Disappunti "The Whiskey Never Lies" (Burns, ASCAP) by Sligo Rags from The Whiskey Never Lies "The Girls Set" by Banshee in the Kitchen from Live at Painted Sky "Star of the County Down" by Jed Marum with Hugh Morrison and Mason Brown from Sands of Aberdeen "Hot Days" (Siegl/Brabec/Trad.) by Poitin from Hot Days "Chi Mi Na Morbheanna/Sleepy Maggie" by MacTalla Mor from The New Colossus "Almost Irish" (Halloran) by Ceann from Almost Irish "Considine's Grove" by Anne Roos from A Light in the Forest "Boys Of Tandragee/Tuesday Morning/Checkered Blanket" (Trad./Lewin-Tiarks) by Athas from Athas "Ye Jacobites By Name" (Burns) by Beth Patterson from Hybrid Vigor "Loch Lomond" by Jesse Ferguson from Old New Songs "The Mason's Apron" by Rattle the Boards from The Parish Platform "Jig Jag" by Jamie Laval and Ashley Broder from Zephyr in the Confetti Factory "Rocks of Bawn" by Maidens IV from Emerald Fire "Auld Triangle" (Behan) by Patrick's Head from Arse Biscuits "Ormond Sound/Liberty Joe's/Broken" (O'Brien/Hurley/Trad.) by Pitch the Peat from Far From Home "Wild Mountain Thyme" (McPeake) by Marc Gunn from Slainte! Well, I hope you have a brilliant St. Patrick's Day. Drink responsibly and Slainte! Marc Gunn is an Irish and Scottish folk singer with a strange affinity for Celtic ballads, drinking songs and cats. He is also Celtic music podcaster and promoters as well as publisher of Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Monday, March 16, 2009 Gypsy Rover One of the first songs I ever learned at faire was "Gypsy Rover". I heard another musician at Excalibur Fantasy Faire sing the song and vaguely remembered the chorus. "Ah di do ah di do dai day". That night, I went home and looked up the lyrics on the net. I printed them out and started memorizing. It wasn't until a year later though that I realized I pronounced the "Ah do DOH" different than others. But that's folk music for you. The song is a popular Childe Ballad and when I started thinking of songs to parody for my Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers CD. I thought this one would be great one to base on Johnny Cash's song, "A Boy Named Sue". So I wrote "A Cat Named Rover". "Gypsy Rover" Listen: LoFi Recorded by Marc Gunn Read Lyrics: "Gypsy Rover" Lyrics From: Irish Drinking Songs Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Visit MP3 Store: Buy Irish MP3s Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Sunday, March 15, 2009 Patriot Game This song was written by Dominic Behan, brother of Brendan. It tells the story of Fergal O'Hanlon from Ballybay, Co Monaghan, who tried to abolish the border between the Six Counties and the Republic. He was killed during the Brookborough attack at the age of 17. The song has become world famous. Undoubtedly one of the best ballads ever to come out of the Irish struggles. During our first year together, we were introduced to a wide variety of music. One of the first tapes someone lent me was a tape of I.R.B. tunes. Well the very first task we had to figure out was what I.R.B. stood for? Irish Republican Brotherhood. The Irish Republican Brotherhood was formed on Saint Patrick's Day in 1858. It was an underground organization designed to remove the English from Ireland. The song was recorded by numerous artists including Bob Dylan and the Kingston Trio. Our version came from the aforementioned I.R.B. compilation. I think it may have been the Wolfe Tones who sang it, but I'm not sure. In any case, it was the first rebel song we learned, and still one of our most popular. "Patriot Game" Listen: LoFi Recorded by Marc Gunn Read Lyrics: "Patriot Game" Lyrics From: Irish Drinking Songs Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Visit MP3 Store: Buy Irish MP3s Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Celebrating St Patrick's Day Celebrating St Patrick's Day St. Patrick's Day is typically celebrated on the 17th of March. St. Patrick's Day is characterized as a day where people of all faiths and national origins dress in green, get together with friends, and attend events such as St. Patrick's Day parades. St. Patrick's Day is in celebration of the life St. Patrick and the 17th of March is believed to be the date of this saint's death. St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday for the people of Ireland. Although it is celebrated in several other countries, including the United States, these countries do not recognize St. Patrick's Day as an official holiday. St. Patrick's Day is also celebrated by people of both Christian and non-Christian denominations. In Ireland, the celebrations of Saint Patrick's Day are much more subdued than they are in North America. Generally there are religious services and reverent moments that are taken to reflect on the life of Saint Patrick and his contributions to the church. Traditional Celtic and Irish crosses are worn to show ones devotion to their Irish upbringing and heritage and also their devotion to their religious beliefs. St. Patrick himself was a Christian missionary and became the patron saint of Ireland in the eighth century. St. Patrick was captured by English raiders when he was only sixteen and when he escaped and returned to his family he entered the church. There is not a lot of evidence to give exact details into the life of St. Patrick including the exact date of his birth and time in the church. However, the evidence that does exist supports that St. Patrick was active as a missionary in Ireland during the second half of the fifth century, implying that he lived from roughly 373 to 493 A.D. and that his ministry in Ireland started in roughly 433 A.D. While the Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day with historical reminiscence and religious importance, in the United States St. Patrick's Day is generally celebrated by wearing the color green, eating Irish foods, drinking traditional Irish drinks and attending local festivities such as fairs and parades. Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched. And the "traditional Irish drink" usually provides opportunity for Americans to be free flowing with their libations. St. Patrick's Day parades are common in the United States. The first public and civically recognized celebration of Saint Patrick's Day took place in the city of Boston, Massachusetts in the year 1737. Since that time parades have been common and even during war time, Irish Americans were relieved of their duties by General Washington in 1780 in order to take part in the celebrations. Some cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green in honor of the celebrations. The city of Chicago, Illinois even dyes its river green. Savannah, Georgia dyes its downtown city fountains green. Indianapolis, Mississippi dyes its Central Canal green. And there are many more cities that roll out the green welcome mat, so to speak, in order to make the streets as green and festive as possible. Some recent trends in the methods by which St. Patrick's Day is celebrated include the making and selling of green bagels and popcorn on and near the 17th of March. Irish Americans typically take the opportunity to proclaim their pride to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day and take place in traditional celebratory events with family and friends that share the same heritage. Whether you are celebrating St. Patrick's Day as a celebration of your heritage, religion or love of partying, March 17 th is a fun time to dress up and have a good time. L Maher is a content writer who writes and researches about gorgeous and extraordinary Celtic jewelry, as well as Irish culture and history. Get more information regarding Irish Celtic jewelry Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leigh_Maher --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Thanks for joining the St. Patrick's Day Music Party. --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Saturday, March 14, 2009 Beer, Beer, Beer I played this song for a number of years with the Brobdingnagian Bards. Earlier this year, I got bored with my original version of it. I wanted a new rhythm. So I re-arranged the song with swing. When I started playing it Ireland, it quickly became the most-popular song on the trip. T'was then I knew I wanted to add it it a new CD. For now, it's on my Marc Gunn's Free CD, a short EP that you can only get for free. "Beer, Beer, Beer" Listen: HiFi Recorded by Marc Gunn From: Marc Gunn Free EP Read Lyrics: "Beer, Beer, Beer" Lyrics Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99 cents: 192 kbps or iTunes Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Join my Street Team. Buy my CDs! Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License. If you enjoy the music, please purchase the MP3, buy the CD, post a review, repost this blog, or tell a friend. Every little bit helps to make to keep these free MP3s coming. Thanks! Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast now. Originally published at Irish-Song-Lyrics.com. Find lyrics, free MP3s, and chords to Irish folk songs. --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Friday, March 13, 2009 Monahan's Mudder's Milk It all began three years ago when I was introduced to Firefly, a Sci Fi Western by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I became a huge fan. The TV series is still one of my most-watched DVDs. One of my favorite episodes is "Jaynestown" where the ruffian Jayne Cobb becomes a folk hero with his own folk song, "Hero of Canton". I loved it so much, I wanted to write my own Firefly song, but I was too busy watching the show to really spend any time writing about it. Then I was inspired to write "She Said Her Name Was Saffron" for a contest last year. I hoped more songs would come. It didn't until a couple weeks ago. I finally decided I was gonna write a song about mudder's milk, the alcoholic drink from "Jaynestown". The song evolved into a worker's rights folk song ala Woodie Guthrie. I recorded it, and for the icing on the cake, I got a bunch of Firefly fans to sing back up in the chorus, the way a good drinking song should be sung. "Monahan's Mudders Milk" Listen: LoFi Recorded by Marc Gunn From: Firefly Drinking Songs (or some other yet to be named CD) Read Lyrics: "Monahan's Mudders Milk" Lyrics Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99 cents: 192 kbps or iTunes Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Join my Street Team. Buy my CDs! Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License. If you enjoy the music, please purchase the MP3, buy the CD, post a review, repost this blog, or tell a friend. Every little bit helps to make to keep these free MP3s coming. Thanks! Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast now. --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Thursday, March 12, 2009 Star of the County Down This is probably one of the first Irish songs I heard in my first year playing Celtic music. Just about everyone has a recording of this song. It took me years to create an arrangement that I liked. That's a shame, because it really tells a beautiful, visual story. I think that's the reason it is so popular with so many musicians. I'd love to find more songs like this one. "Star of the County Down" Listen: LoFi Recorded by Marc Gunn From: A Tribute to Love Read Lyrics: "Star of the County Down" Lyrics Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Visit MP3 Store: Buy Irish MP3s Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Tuesday, March 10, 2009 St Patrick Never Drank Isn't it kinda funny how St. Patrick's Day is now synonymous with getting plastered on March 17th? What a shame! There's so much more to the Irish than getting drunk. Listen to the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast--www.celticmusicpodcast.com, and you'll know what I mean. Now in all historical honesty, St. Patrick probably did drink. Beer was often used to kill bacteria. But that doesn't mean that his song with lyrics by the great comedic lyricist Spaff--www.spaff.com--are any less true. This is Irish satire at it's finest. Find out more about Marc Gunn at www.marcgunn.com. This song can be download for free from Marc Gunn at The Funny Music Project. ST. PATRICK NEVER DRANK Lyrics (c) 2008 by M. Spaff Sumsion, spaff@spaff.com The 14th day of February's for Saint Valentine September 29th is when Saint Michael's faithful dine On April 23rd we hail Saint George without restraint And come November 1st we cheer for EV'RY bloody saint But none of those can claim the very BEST day of the year 'Cause on March 17th we praise the patron saint of BEER! [Cheers: "Hail St Patrick!" "Slainte!" etc.] But wait! Don't cheer for greenish beer or Irish cream liqueur Be-cause the man you toast was one devout tee-to-tal-ER! Saint Patrick never drank! (Hey!) Saint Patrick never drank! (Hey!) 'Twas only clear, unleaded stuff he poured into his tank! He'd take the cash YOU spend for drafts and stash it in the bank! (Hooray!) Heroic, true, but STOIC too! Saint Patrick never drank! He strode with ancient war-ri-ors from coast to plain to highland His staff he'd shake till ev'ry snake was banished from the island He taught his fans the shamrock stands for Father, Son, and Spirit But don't break out the Guinness Stout - the man would not go near it! Saint Patrick didn't drink! (Hey!) Saint Patrick didn't drink! (Hey!) He never tossed a bracer back or teetered on the brink! So pour another tall one, lad, then pour it down the sink! (Hooray!) With piety, SOBRIETY! Saint Patrick didn't drink! Saint Patrick never drank (Hey!) Saint Patrick never drank (Hey!) So let's be frank: When asked his fav'rite beer, he drew a blank! By gosh, if he could see you sloshed, he'd give your tush a spank! (Hooray!) The guy was swell - but DRY AS HELL! Saint Patrick never drank! No, SAINT - PAT - RICK - NEV - ER - DRANK --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post St Patrick's Day and the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast St. Patrick's Day is upon us in just eight more days. I'm hoping to put together my first St. Patrick's Day special today or tomorrow. I need your help in getting the word out about the podcast. Here's what you can do to help. 1. Post the following link in your blog, on twitter, facebook, myspace. Or better yet. personalize the description and tell people why YOU love the show. Irish & Celtic Music Podcast http://www.celticmusicpodcast.com The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is a free, bi-monthly, downloadable radio show of independent Irish & Celtic music. 2. Post a banner. If you haven't gotten a banner yet. You can find a bunch listed at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/banners.shtml. Nice friendly banners for your website. There's also a quick promo that you can play in a podcast. Send it to your other favorite podcasts and ask them to play the promo. 3. Burn the shows to a CD and give to a friend or Celtic business. That's right, I give you full permission to burn the shows to a CD and give them to your friends. Or take them to a pub, Celtic store, a DJ, community center and ask them to play the CD over their loud speakers. 4. Tell your favorite band about the podcast. The more Celtic groups who know about it the better. It is after all about them. 5. Listen and enjoy! Many thanks for all your support. Slainte! - Marc Gunn Celtic MP3s Music Magazine http://www.celticmp3s.com http://www.reverbnation.com/label/celticmp3smusicmagazine --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post St. Patrick's Day Tis Himself... With Irish Gifts Celebrate your Irish heritage on St. Patrick's Day. In my hometown, huge family reunions occur on March 17, uniting Mother's and Sisters, Fathers and Brothers, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. In my hometown, we rejoice our Irish Heritage with fun and affordable celebrations for the whole family. All St. Patrick's Day festivities originate in St. John's Cathedral beginning with a 7 AM morning Mass offered by the Bishop. We cheer on our Irish Firefighters, Policemen and local Irish Dance Clubs marching in the St. Patrick's Day parade. At night we gather in dance halls, party centers or friend's houses to relish Corn Beef & Cabbage Stew, Shepherd’s Pie, served with warm Irish Soda Bread. This St. Patrick's Day, remember your favorite Irishman with a wee Irish gift Tis himself... with all things Irish. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with wee green shamrock gifts. Send a votive candle holder to your favorite Irish charmer, shamrock collector, or bring to your hostess for St. Patrick's Day. Crafted of white frosted glass and green painted shamrocks, a votive candle holder makes a great Irish gift! Kiss me ... I'm Irish ...have fun this St. Patrick's Day with rubber message bracelets. All the rage with school age kids, these message bracelets bring your Irish Heritage to life. Packed in sets of 6, these rubber Irish message wrist bracelets greet your friends with Kiss me I’m Irish, Irish Forever, Luck of the Irish, God Bless the Irish, Irish at Heart and 100% Irish. Fire up your dinner party ... with Irish Shamrock shaped taper candles. Looking for an unusual hostess for your favorite Irish Leprechaun? We found shamrock shaped taper candles to liven up any party. 4-inch tall featured in Emerald Green. Tea Time? Aunt Coletta knows how to warm us on a cold winter's day. Anytime you visit Aunt Coletta's house, her tea pot whistles, sugar cubes tumble into your tea cup, and the day's troubles begin to melt away. Look for matching shamrock plates and Teapot. Sweet Shamrock Sensations! ...your turn for the neighborhood coffee? Invite your entire street over for an afternoon tea, cookies and conversation. Meet the newest neighbor, celebrate birthdays or simply give thanks Spring has sprung. Crafted of white porcelain china with embossed raised features and gold trim, our Irish Shamrock Teapot features hand painted shamrocks. Look for matching shamrock plates, tea cup and saucers. "May your friends be many and your flower garden lush" ...surprise your favorite Irishman with a darling shamrock flower bud vase. Crafted of white porcelain and trimmed in gold, a pretty Irish Shamrock Bud Vase will dress up any Irish home. Irish wit lights up a room ...keep your home fires burning bright with a wee Irish Shamrock Votive Candle Holder. Crafted of white porcelain, with hand painted shamrocks sprinkled throughout. Luck of the Irish! We found a wee bit of Irish charm to liven up St. Patrick's Day. Crafted of solid white wax, a pretty Irish Shamrock round candles come s packed in cello wrap with tied with gold ribbon. Display on your breakfast table while dining on green pancakes and green milk. When Irish eyes are smiling ...Invite an Irish Shamrock Angel to shine pretty shades of green through your Kitchen windows. We found a glass shamrock Angel sun catcher which features Irish Shamrocks, Halo, and wearing a darling floating Angel dress. Crafted of glass and wire, her milky white Angel dress holds green glass shamrocks. Each piece of glass is soldered together with wire, with green shamrock wings to protect Angel's clear glass face. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with wee Irish gifts! Until next time, Eileen Brady, 47, founded Bay Village Store in 1997 and built the business on core values: honesty, integrity and reliability. She provides kitchen, home and garden gifts to the online community. She remains dedicated to keeping alive the spirit of adventure and friendship in her customers. http://www.BayVillageStore.com delivers creative kitchen, home and garden gifts to the online community. We ship to addresses within the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii from our Bay Village, Ohio location. Bay Village Store specializes in unusual entertaining gift items including lobster claw oven mitts, magnetic spice jars, whimsical tea kettles, bath & body spa treatments, personalized gifts plus much more. We promise honest service, quick delivery, mixed with our passion for family and fun. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eileen_Brady --- What better gifts than the gift of music on St. Patrick's Day. Check out the Celtic Music CD Store or Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician for more. Thanks for joining the St. Patrick's Day Music Party. --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Monday, March 9, 2009 Danny Boy (Irish Songs for Cat Lovers) No. This is not your typical "Danny Boy". The original "Danny Boy" was written by Frederick Weatherly, an English lawyer, using a traditional Irish melody called "Londonderry Air" in 1910. The song was popularized by opera singers at the turn of the century, and my guess is that it entered into the Music Hall scene where a lot of Irish were performing. They picked it up, and it became an Irish American anthem, and the dread of many contemporary Irish traditional musicians who are asked to play it every St. Patrick's Day. I didn't learn the original song until the summer of 2000. So I missed the dread part, and the Brobdingnagian Bards recorded it for our CD, Songs of Ireland. When I started writing songs for Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers, I decided I had to parody this classic song, and wrote it about my cat, Jasper, who kept me up at night, followed by a wise lesson on how to keep cats from keeping you up all night... Play with them before you sleep. Wear them out. They'll sleep. "Danny Boy (For Cat Lovers)" Listen: LoFi Recorded by Marc Gunn From: Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers Read Lyrics: "Danny Boy (Cat Song Parody)" Lyrics Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps or iTunes Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Visit MP3 Store: Buy More of My MP3s Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License. Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast. --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Sunday, March 8, 2009 Molly Malone... Cat's Perspective/Planxty Hewlett One of the great ghost stories of Ireland is that of Molly Malone, the fishmonger who died in Dublin and who's ghost is reputed to wander the streets still selling fish. My friend Emilee Rush seems to think the cats were just as disappointed with the death of this wonderful human. Because the cats see the ghost too! "Molly Malone... Cat's Perspective/Planxty Hewlett" Listen: LoFi Recorded by Marc Gunn From: Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers Read Lyrics: "Molly Malone... Cat's Perspective" Lyrics Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps or iTunes Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Visit MP3 Store: Buy More of My MP3s Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License. Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast. --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Saturday, March 7, 2009 Fun Reasons To Give Gifts On St Patrick's Day St. Patricks Day might not be known as a traditional gift-giving holiday, but that does not mean you cannot make it so. In fact, there are some incredible reasons to give gifts on this particular day. From very small gestures to rather large ones, this holiday does offer great opportunity to surprise a sweetheart, family, friends and even colleagues. The ideas for holiday appropriate gifts do abound. From simple Kiss Me buttons to elaborate and sophisticated gift baskets full of holiday cheer, there really is no shortage of ways to spread a little fun and show people you care. So, why should you turn this holiday into a gift giving occasion? There are plenty of reasons. Some of the best include: The surprise factor. Most people expect to receive gifts on Christmas, their birthdays and even Valentines Day. They do not expect anything on March 17th. Giving gifts when there are no obligations or stings attached adds a surprise factor to the proposition you will not otherwise be able to achieve. Plus, this is simply a great way to show you care. Gifts that are given just because are often appreciated even more than those that arrive on traditional special occasions. Adding to the atmosphere. There are some fantastic gifts to give sweethearts, friends and family for St. Patrick's Day that can add to the festive nature of this holiday. Gift baskets brimming with holiday fare, special clothing, buttons and more can just help add to the fun this holiday has to offer. Plus, there are even some spectacularly romantic gifts you can give a sweetheart while still enjoying the spirit of this holiday. Just for the fun of it. Giving a gift to a special someone or dear friend or family member is always a personally rewarding experience. There is something special about seeing a face light up at the mere thought of a surprise. The truth is St. Patrick's Day gifts can be as much fun to give as they are to receive. The selection. There are some excellent ideas for St. Patrick's Day gifts. Looking them over and choosing presents for friends, family or a sweetheart can be fun in and of itself. You are likely to find that present options range from kitschy to very classy. From Irish green horns and traditional derbies to diamond shamrocks, you will find them all if you look around. Just because St. Patrick's Day is not a traditional gift-giving holiday does not mean you cannot make it so. In fact, doing so can be very rewarding and a whole lot of fun, too. Use your imagination and open your eyes, you are more than likely to find some fantastic ideas for anyone in your life. Randy Gardner is Romeo-Your Romance Resource and is the exclusive writer for Got To Have It Romantic Gift Creations. Visit Ask Romeo Blog to read more of Romeo's articles about dating, romance, relationships and romantic gifts. To find that perfect unique St. Patrick's Day gift for that special someone who is Irish at heart, go to Got To Have It Romantic Gift Creations St. Patrick's Day Party and Gift Baskets. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Romeo_Gardner --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Thanks for joining the St. Patrick's Day Music Party. --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Friday, March 6, 2009 Botany Bay I think I first learned this song from The Wolfe Tones when I first started learning Irish songs. It captured my imagination as it told the story of an Irishman who immigrates to Australia. The song was collected in Australia in the 1950s by H.P.C. 'Duke' Tritton. This version is sung with an Irish pirate brogue for my CD, Going for Brogue. "Botany Bay" Listen: LoFi Recorded by Marc Gunn From: Going for Brogue: Irish Pub Songs and Sea Shanties with an Accent Read Lyrics: "Botany Bay" Lyrics Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps or iTunes Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Visit MP3 Store: Buy More of My MP3s Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Join my Street Team. Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License. Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast. --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Thursday, March 5, 2009 A Drop of Nelson's Blood Legend says that after Lord Nelson fell in the Battle of Trafalger, his body was sealed ina cask of rum to preserve it. When the sailors heard of this, they drank their fill. Thus, grog became known as "Nelson's Blood". This walkaway shanty is also known as "Roll the Old Chariot Along" or "Roll the Golden Chariot Along." I arbitrarily chose the later just for the heck of it. The song was also taken up as a hymn for the Salvation Army. The tune is very catchy. Feel free to make up verses as you go. It's great for that. "A Drop of Nelson's Blood" Listen: LoFi Recorded by Marc Gunn From: Going for Brogue: Irish Pub Songs and Sea Shanties with an Accent Read Lyrics: "A Drop of Nelson's Blood" Lyrics Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps or iTunes Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Join my Street Team. Buy Marc Gunn MP3s. Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License. Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast. --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Kitty's Rambles/Dowd's 9 Lives/Jenny's Chickens When I decided to put together my cat CDs, my goal was to serve up a delicious blend of traditional Irish music, but make it about cats. So I picked some of the best Celtic musicians in Austin to help me record these albums. This set of tunes starts was picked by fiddler Christopher Buckley of The Tea Merchants. It starts with a bouncy jig and busts into a couple rockin' reels. Even with an autoharp it comes across sounding totally tradlicious. "Kitty's Rambles/Dowd's 9 Lives/Jenny's Chickens" Listen: LoFi Recorded by Marc Gunn From: Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers Read Lyrics: n/a Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps or iTunes Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Join my Street Team. Buy my CDs! Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License. If you enjoy the music, please purchase the MP3, buy the CD, post a review, repost this blog, or tell a friend. Every little bit helps to make to keep these free MP3s coming. Thanks! Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast now. --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Tuesday, March 3, 2009 10 Facts You Might Not Know About St. Patrick's Day The tradition of St. Patrick's Day began hundreds of years ago when a boy in Roman England was captured and taken to Ireland as a captive where he found God. It is said that St. Patrick could hear from the angels, and that he had raised people from the dead. He was a very active missionary throughout Ireland for 30 years, and that is why he is called the patron saint of Ireland. There have been many legends attached to this saint, and they have lasted throughout the centuries. This holiday began as a Holy Day in the Catholic Church, but over the years this religious Catholic saint's day has turned into a more secular celebration of the upcoming new spring. Here are a few facts for St. Patrick's Day: - March 17th, the day of celebration, is the day of Patrick's death. - St. Patrick, the patron saint of the Irish, was not from Ireland. - Patrick was an old time missionary in Ireland during the 4th century. - He brought many people to conversion and into the Christian religion. - The Shamrock, symbol of St. Patrick's Day, was a plant with three leaves that Patrick used to demonstrate to the pagans the trinity of God -- Father, Son and Holy Ghost. - Maewyn is the name St. Patrick was born with. His name was changed by the Bishop in a monastery in France, after he escaped his captivity. He was not religious at all when he was a child. - The first St. Paddy's day parade in America was in 1737, 40 years before the Revolutionary War. - The first day of spring is March 21st and this could be the reason St. Patrick's Day celebrations have caught on so big. - Everyone turns Irish for a day -- just wear green, the sign of life. - Irish dishes include Corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, Irish cream pie, Irish soda bread, scones, Irish cheese bread, and all of these would be a good choice on St. Patrick's Day. There are many traditions and legends that have been passed down through the generations, so even the barest of facts have gotten confused. It is not even certain exactly when Patrick was born, the actual date varies about 30 years in early 300 AD but the day of his death is certain, March 17, and that is the important day. So whether you are celebrating the life of a glorified Catholic saint or the oncoming spring and all the new growth and new life possibilities that a new life can encompass, it really doesn't matter. Wear something Green, grab a green hat, give someone a shamrock and join in the parade. Good luck and Blessings are meant for all! Niall Cinneide loves to celebrate St Patrick's Day. He publishes news, views and information about St Patricks Day at St Patricks Information. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright http://www.Your-Holiday.info Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Niall_Cinneide --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Thanks for joining the St. Patrick's Day Music Party. --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Monday, March 2, 2009 La' Fhe'ile Pa'draig - St. Patrick's Day Most of you know this as the celebration of all things 'Green' and 'Irish', but there's much more to this day than just nasty food colorants and shamrocks. So what is all the fuzz about? Well, St. Patrick's Day is all about, of course, Saint Patrick. Over here in Ireland it is a national holiday (hooray!), and festivals and parades can be found in all major cities. Though celebrated all over Ireland it is probably more popular in the United States as a festival. So why all that green? Well, most people will say that green is the national colour of Ireland. It had to be green for all the rain that falls around here! But green wasn't always the colour associated with Paddy or Ireland. In fact, BLUE was the colour of the saint. 'Wearing the green' referred to the wearing of a shamrock during this holiday. The national colour's change to green began around 1750. And why all this shamrock business? Well according to legend, St. Patrick used this humble three leaved icon to try and explain the theory of the Holy Trinity to the Pagans. Legend also has it that St. Paddy chased all the snakes away from Ireland. This probably refers to the Pagans and Druids, using the snake as a important symbol, that were converted by St. Patrick. Real snakes never really returned to Ireland after the last glacial period. And there you have it :) A wee bit more information about the day so you know what it's all about. Of course, don't let me hold you back from drinking a pint or two. Unless it's green... can't be good for ya. And in the meantime, to prepare for the up and coming St. Patrick's Day why not support yours truly by wearing the shirt I designed for this happy holiday; Rock Those Roots! --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits This song was based on a true story. I think it was 2004 when I was invited to go drink with a bunch of people dressed as hobbits from West of the Moon, a fan fiction website about hobbits. It was Thursday night of DragonCon weekend when I met up with them. We drank till the wee hours of the morning and I awoke the next day with a sore throat. By Sunday, I had laryngitis. I couldn't sing a lick and felt like crap. Andrew sang and stalled through the Brobdingnagian Bards Sunday evening filk show. After that, I swore I'd never go drinking with hobbits again. Last year, I finally wrote the song about the event for my new CD What Color Is Your Dragon?. "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" Listen: LoFi Recorded by Marc Gunn From: What Color Is Your Dragon? Read Lyrics: "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" Lyrics Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99 cents: 192 kbps or iTunes Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Join my Street Team. Buy my CDs! Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License. If you enjoy the music, please purchase the MP3, buy the CD, post a review, repost this blog, or tell a friend. Every little bit helps to make to keep these free MP3s coming. Thanks! Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast now. Originally published at Irish-Song-Lyrics.com. Find lyrics, free MP3s, and chords to Irish folk songs. --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post Sunday, March 1, 2009 Wild Mountain Thyme This is one of the earliest songs I learned when I began playing Celtic music. The Brobdingnagian Bards recorded it on A Faire to Remember, and it never ceased to capture someone's attention. I rearranged the song a couple years ago to make it more sing-alongable. And I love this recording of this classic song by Francis McPeake. "Wild Mountain Thyme" Listen: HiFi Recorded by Marc Gunn From: Marc Gunn Free EP Read Lyrics: "Wild Mountain Thyme" Lyrics Download MP3: 128 kbps Buy MP3 for 99 cents: 192 kbps or iTunes Donation: Make a Donation Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Join my Street Team. Buy my CDs! Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License. If you enjoy the music, please purchase the MP3, buy the CD, post a review, repost this blog, or tell a friend. Every little bit helps to make to keep these free MP3s coming. Thanks! Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast now. Originally published at Irish-Song-Lyrics.com. Find lyrics, free MP3s, and chords to Irish folk songs. --- Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Labels: free mp3 --posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast links to this post	Recent Posts Wild Rover 17 Free St. Patrick's Day MP3s for 2009 Gypsy Rover Patriot Game Celebrating St Patrick's Day Beer, Beer, Beer Monahan's Mudder's Milk Star of the County Down St Patrick Never Drank St Patrick's Day and the Irish & Celtic Music Podc... Archives 02/2008 03/2008 01/2009 02/2009 03/2009 Current Posts

Wild Rover

Ah... "Wild Rover"! I know some people who hate this song because it seems like one of the most-popular Irish drinking songs ever. The chorus is simple, and there's a nice clapping part in it which adds to that interactivity that goes so well with Irish drinking songs. Personally, I love the song. The only real problem with me is that after I wrote "Wild Kitty"for Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers, I kept screwing up the original lyrics in favor of the cat version. But here it is in it's simplest form without the meowing.

"Wild Rover"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
Read Lyrics: "Wild Rover" Lyrics
From: Irish Drinking Songs

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Visit MP3 Store: Buy Irish MP3s
Want to see Marc Gunn perform?

Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License

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Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician.

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Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician.

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

17 Free St. Patrick's Day MP3s for 2009

Every year for St. Patrick's Day, I compile a new list of St Patrick's Day MP3 downloads that are 100% free and legal. Many of these artists are played regularly in the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. And ALL of these artists were generous enough to offer their music for a brand compilation CD entitled the Best of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

This compilation CD benefits the podcast as well as a Celtic non-profit. I've donated over $6,000 to Celtic non-profits around the United States. So when you buy a CD, you support both this podcast and your fellow Celts.

But please don't stop there!

The main point of this compilation and these free MP3s is to help promote independent Celtic music. If you find an artist that you really love on this compilation, then head over to the artist website, drop them an email to let them know you found them through the CD. Then buy their CD.

While you're at it, if you want to find out what it's like getting an annual subscription to Song Henge, you'll get a good idea when you download this free zip file of 17 Free St Patrick's Day MP3s for 2009.

Download "17 Celtic Music Downloads
for St. Patrick's Day" (64 MB)
(p.s. these MP3s will only be up for a month, so download them soon)

17 Free Irish & Celtic Music Downloads for St. Patrick's Day

"Sweeney's Buttermilk" by FIMM
from Roiboos e Disappunti
"The Whiskey Never Lies" (Burns, ASCAP) by Sligo Rags
from The Whiskey Never Lies
"The Girls Set" by Banshee in the Kitchen
from Live at Painted Sky
"Star of the County Down"
by Jed Marum with Hugh Morrison and Mason Brown
from Sands of Aberdeen
"Hot Days" (Siegl/Brabec/Trad.) by Poitin
from Hot Days
"Chi Mi Na Morbheanna/Sleepy Maggie" by MacTalla Mor
from The New Colossus
"Almost Irish" (Halloran) by Ceann
from Almost Irish
"Considine's Grove" by Anne Roos
from A Light in the Forest
"Boys Of Tandragee/Tuesday Morning/Checkered Blanket" (Trad./Lewin-Tiarks) by Athas
from Athas
"Ye Jacobites By Name" (Burns) by Beth Patterson
from Hybrid Vigor
"Loch Lomond" by Jesse Ferguson
from Old New Songs
"The Mason's Apron" by Rattle the Boards
from The Parish Platform
"Jig Jag" by Jamie Laval and Ashley Broder
from Zephyr in the Confetti Factory
"Rocks of Bawn" by Maidens IV
from Emerald Fire
"Auld Triangle" (Behan) by Patrick's Head
from Arse Biscuits
"Ormond Sound/Liberty Joe's/Broken" (O'Brien/Hurley/Trad.)
by Pitch the Peat
from Far From Home
"Wild Mountain Thyme" (McPeake) by Marc Gunn
from Slainte!

Well, I hope you have a brilliant St. Patrick's Day. Drink responsibly and Slainte!

Marc Gunn is an Irish and Scottish folk singer with a strange affinity for Celtic ballads, drinking songs and cats. He is also Celtic music podcaster and promoters as well as publisher of Celtic MP3s Music Magazine.

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

Monday, March 16, 2009

Gypsy Rover

One of the first songs I ever learned at faire was "Gypsy Rover". I heard another musician at Excalibur Fantasy Faire sing the song and vaguely remembered the chorus. "Ah di do ah di do dai day". That night, I went home and looked up the lyrics on the net. I printed them out and started memorizing. It wasn't until a year later though that I realized I pronounced the "Ah do DOH" different than others. But that's folk music for you.

The song is a popular Childe Ballad and when I started thinking of songs to parody for my Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers CD. I thought this one would be great one to base on Johnny Cash's song, "A Boy Named Sue". So I wrote "A Cat Named Rover".

"Gypsy Rover"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
Read Lyrics: "Gypsy Rover" Lyrics
From: Irish Drinking Songs

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Patriot Game

This song was written by Dominic Behan, brother of Brendan. It tells the story of Fergal O'Hanlon from Ballybay, Co Monaghan, who tried to abolish the border between the Six Counties and the Republic. He was killed during the Brookborough attack at the age of 17. The song has become world famous. Undoubtedly one of the best ballads ever to come out of the Irish struggles.

During our first year together, we were introduced to a wide variety of music. One of the first tapes someone lent me was a tape of I.R.B. tunes. Well the very first task we had to figure out was what I.R.B. stood for? Irish Republican Brotherhood. The Irish Republican Brotherhood was formed on Saint Patrick's Day in 1858. It was an underground organization designed to remove the English from Ireland.

The song was recorded by numerous artists including Bob Dylan and the Kingston Trio. Our version came from the aforementioned I.R.B. compilation. I think it may have been the Wolfe Tones who sang it, but I'm not sure. In any case, it was the first rebel song we learned, and still one of our most popular.

"Patriot Game"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
Read Lyrics: "Patriot Game" Lyrics
From: Irish Drinking Songs

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

Celebrating St Patrick's Day

Celebrating St Patrick's Day St. Patrick's Day is typically celebrated on the 17th of March. St. Patrick's Day is characterized as a day where people of all faiths and national origins dress in green, get together with friends, and attend events such as St. Patrick's Day parades. St. Patrick's Day is in celebration of the life St. Patrick and the 17th of March is believed to be the date of this saint's death.

St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday for the people of Ireland. Although it is celebrated in several other countries, including the United States, these countries do not recognize St. Patrick's Day as an official holiday. St. Patrick's Day is also celebrated by people of both Christian and non-Christian denominations. In Ireland, the celebrations of Saint Patrick's Day are much more subdued than they are in North America. Generally there are religious services and reverent moments that are taken to reflect on the life of Saint Patrick and his contributions to the church. Traditional Celtic and Irish crosses are worn to show ones devotion to their Irish upbringing and heritage and also their devotion to their religious beliefs.

St. Patrick himself was a Christian missionary and became the patron saint of Ireland in the eighth century. St. Patrick was captured by English raiders when he was only sixteen and when he escaped and returned to his family he entered the church. There is not a lot of evidence to give exact details into the life of St. Patrick including the exact date of his birth and time in the church. However, the evidence that does exist supports that St. Patrick was active as a missionary in Ireland during the second half of the fifth century, implying that he lived from roughly 373 to 493 A.D. and that his ministry in Ireland started in roughly 433 A.D.

While the Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day with historical reminiscence and religious importance, in the United States St. Patrick's Day is generally celebrated by wearing the color green, eating Irish foods, drinking traditional Irish drinks and attending local festivities such as fairs and parades. Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched. And the "traditional Irish drink" usually provides opportunity for Americans to be free flowing with their libations.

St. Patrick's Day parades are common in the United States. The first public and civically recognized celebration of Saint Patrick's Day took place in the city of Boston, Massachusetts in the year 1737. Since that time parades have been common and even during war time, Irish Americans were relieved of their duties by General Washington in 1780 in order to take part in the celebrations. Some cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green in honor of the celebrations. The city of Chicago, Illinois even dyes its river green. Savannah, Georgia dyes its downtown city fountains green. Indianapolis, Mississippi dyes its Central Canal green. And there are many more cities that roll out the green welcome mat, so to speak, in order to make the streets as green and festive as possible. Some recent trends in the methods by which St. Patrick's Day is celebrated include the making and selling of green bagels and popcorn on and near the 17th of March.

Irish Americans typically take the opportunity to proclaim their pride to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day and take place in traditional celebratory events with family and friends that share the same heritage. Whether you are celebrating St. Patrick's Day as a celebration of your heritage, religion or love of partying, March 17 th is a fun time to dress up and have a good time.

L Maher is a content writer who writes and researches about gorgeous and extraordinary Celtic jewelry, as well as Irish culture and history. Get more information regarding Irish Celtic jewelry

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leigh_Maher

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Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Thanks for joining the St. Patrick's Day Music Party.

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Beer, Beer, Beer

I played this song for a number of years with the Brobdingnagian Bards. Earlier this year, I got bored with my original version of it. I wanted a new rhythm. So I re-arranged the song with swing. When I started playing it Ireland, it quickly became the most-popular song on the trip. T'was then I knew I wanted to add it it a new CD. For now, it's on my Marc Gunn's Free CD, a short EP that you can only get for free.

"Beer, Beer, Beer"
Listen: HiFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
From: Marc Gunn Free EP
Read Lyrics: "Beer, Beer, Beer" Lyrics

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99 cents: 192 kbps or iTunes
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Join my Street Team. Buy my CDs!

Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License. If you enjoy the music, please purchase the MP3, buy the CD, post a review, repost this blog, or tell a friend. Every little bit helps to make to keep these free MP3s coming. Thanks! Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast now.

Originally published at Irish-Song-Lyrics.com. Find lyrics, free MP3s, and chords to Irish folk songs.

---
Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician.

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

Friday, March 13, 2009

Monahan's Mudder's Milk

It all began three years ago when I was introduced to Firefly, a Sci Fi Western by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I became a huge fan. The TV series is still one of my most-watched DVDs. One of my favorite episodes is "Jaynestown" where the ruffian Jayne Cobb becomes a folk hero with his own folk song, "Hero of Canton".

I loved it so much, I wanted to write my own Firefly song, but I was too busy watching the show to really spend any time writing about it. Then I was inspired to write "She Said Her Name Was Saffron" for a contest last year. I hoped more songs would come. It didn't until a couple weeks ago. I finally decided I was gonna write a song about mudder's milk, the alcoholic drink from "Jaynestown". The song evolved into a worker's rights folk song ala Woodie Guthrie. I recorded it, and for the icing on the cake, I got a bunch of Firefly fans to sing back up in the chorus, the way a good drinking song should be sung.

"Monahan's Mudders Milk"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
From: Firefly Drinking Songs (or some other yet to be named CD)
Read Lyrics: "Monahan's Mudders Milk" Lyrics

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99 cents: 192 kbps or iTunes
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Star of the County Down

This is probably one of the first Irish songs I heard in my first year playing Celtic music. Just about everyone has a recording of this song. It took me years to create an arrangement that I liked. That's a shame, because it really tells a beautiful, visual story. I think that's the reason it is so popular with so many musicians. I'd love to find more songs like this one.

"Star of the County Down"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
From: A Tribute to Love
Read Lyrics: "Star of the County Down" Lyrics

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

St Patrick Never Drank

Isn't it kinda funny how St. Patrick's Day is now synonymous with getting plastered on March 17th? What a shame! There's so much more to the Irish than getting drunk. Listen to the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast--www.celticmusicpodcast.com, and you'll know what I mean.

Now in all historical honesty, St. Patrick probably did drink. Beer was often used to kill bacteria. But that doesn't mean that his song with lyrics by the great comedic lyricist Spaff--www.spaff.com--are any less true. This is Irish satire at it's finest.

Find out more about Marc Gunn at www.marcgunn.com.

This song can be download for free from Marc Gunn at The Funny Music Project.

ST. PATRICK NEVER DRANK
Lyrics (c) 2008 by M. Spaff Sumsion, spaff@spaff.com

The 14th day of February's for Saint Valentine
September 29th is when Saint Michael's faithful dine
On April 23rd we hail Saint George without restraint
And come November 1st we cheer for EV'RY bloody saint

But none of those can claim the very BEST day of the year
'Cause on March 17th we praise the patron saint of BEER!

[Cheers: "Hail St Patrick!" "Slainte!" etc.]

But wait! Don't cheer for greenish beer or Irish cream liqueur
Be-cause the man you toast was one devout tee-to-tal-ER!

Saint Patrick never drank! (Hey!)
Saint Patrick never drank! (Hey!)
'Twas only clear, unleaded stuff he poured into his tank!
He'd take the cash YOU spend for drafts and stash it in the bank! (Hooray!)
Heroic, true, but STOIC too!
Saint Patrick never drank!

He strode with ancient war-ri-ors from coast to plain to highland
His staff he'd shake till ev'ry snake was banished from the island
He taught his fans the shamrock stands for Father, Son, and Spirit
But don't break out the Guinness Stout - the man would not go near it!

Saint Patrick didn't drink! (Hey!)
Saint Patrick didn't drink! (Hey!)
He never tossed a bracer back or teetered on the brink!
So pour another tall one, lad, then pour it down the sink! (Hooray!)
With piety, SOBRIETY!
Saint Patrick didn't drink!

Saint Patrick never drank (Hey!)
Saint Patrick never drank (Hey!)
So let's be frank: When asked his fav'rite beer, he drew a blank!
By gosh, if he could see you sloshed, he'd give your tush a spank! (Hooray!)
The guy was swell - but DRY AS HELL!
Saint Patrick never drank!

No, SAINT - PAT - RICK - NEV - ER - DRANK

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Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician.

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

St Patrick's Day and the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast

St. Patrick's Day is upon us in just eight more days. I'm hoping to put together my first St. Patrick's Day special today or tomorrow. I need your help in getting the word out about the podcast. Here's what you can do to help.

1. Post the following link in your blog, on twitter, facebook, myspace. Or better yet. personalize the description and tell people why YOU love the show.

Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
http://www.celticmusicpodcast.com
The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is a free, bi-monthly, downloadable radio show of independent Irish & Celtic music.

2. Post a banner.
If you haven't gotten a banner yet. You can find a bunch listed at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/banners.shtml. Nice friendly banners for your website. There's also a quick promo that you can play in a podcast. Send it to your other favorite podcasts and ask them to play the promo.

3. Burn the shows to a CD and give to a friend or Celtic business.
That's right, I give you full permission to burn the shows to a CD and give them to your friends. Or take them to a pub, Celtic store, a DJ, community center and ask them to play the CD over their loud speakers.

4. Tell your favorite band about the podcast.
The more Celtic groups who know about it the better. It is after all about them.

5. Listen and enjoy!

Many thanks for all your support. Slainte!
- Marc Gunn
Celtic MP3s Music Magazine
http://www.celticmp3s.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/label/celticmp3smusicmagazine

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

St. Patrick's Day Tis Himself... With Irish Gifts

Celebrate your Irish heritage on St. Patrick's Day. In my hometown, huge family reunions occur on March 17, uniting Mother's and Sisters, Fathers and Brothers, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. In my hometown, we rejoice our Irish Heritage with fun and affordable celebrations for the whole family.

All St. Patrick's Day festivities originate in St. John's Cathedral beginning with a 7 AM morning Mass offered by the Bishop. We cheer on our Irish Firefighters, Policemen and local Irish Dance Clubs marching in the St. Patrick's Day parade. At night we gather in dance halls, party centers or friend's houses to relish Corn Beef & Cabbage Stew, Shepherd’s Pie, served with warm Irish Soda Bread.

This St. Patrick's Day, remember your favorite Irishman with a wee Irish gift

Tis himself... with all things Irish. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with wee green shamrock gifts. Send a votive candle holder to your favorite Irish charmer, shamrock collector, or bring to your hostess for St. Patrick's Day. Crafted of white frosted glass and green painted shamrocks, a votive candle holder makes a great Irish gift!

Kiss me ... I'm Irish ...have fun this St. Patrick's Day with rubber message bracelets. All the rage with school age kids, these message bracelets bring your Irish Heritage to life. Packed in sets of 6, these rubber Irish message wrist bracelets greet your friends with Kiss me I’m Irish, Irish Forever, Luck of the Irish, God Bless the Irish, Irish at Heart and 100% Irish.

Fire up your dinner party ... with Irish Shamrock shaped taper candles. Looking for an unusual hostess for your favorite Irish Leprechaun? We found shamrock shaped taper candles to liven up any party. 4-inch tall featured in Emerald Green.

Tea Time? Aunt Coletta knows how to warm us on a cold winter's day. Anytime you visit Aunt Coletta's house, her tea pot whistles, sugar cubes tumble into your tea cup, and the day's troubles begin to melt away. Look for matching shamrock plates and Teapot.

Sweet Shamrock Sensations! ...your turn for the neighborhood coffee? Invite your entire street over for an afternoon tea, cookies and conversation. Meet the newest neighbor, celebrate birthdays or simply give thanks Spring has sprung. Crafted of white porcelain china with embossed raised features and gold trim, our Irish Shamrock Teapot features hand painted shamrocks. Look for matching shamrock plates, tea cup and saucers.

"May your friends be many and your flower garden lush" ...surprise your favorite Irishman with a darling shamrock flower bud vase. Crafted of white porcelain and trimmed in gold, a pretty Irish Shamrock Bud Vase will dress up any Irish home.

Irish wit lights up a room ...keep your home fires burning bright with a wee Irish Shamrock Votive Candle Holder. Crafted of white porcelain, with hand painted shamrocks sprinkled throughout.

Luck of the Irish! We found a wee bit of Irish charm to liven up St. Patrick's Day. Crafted of solid white wax, a pretty Irish Shamrock round candles come s packed in cello wrap with tied with gold ribbon. Display on your breakfast table while dining on green pancakes and green milk.

When Irish eyes are smiling ...Invite an Irish Shamrock Angel to shine pretty shades of green through your Kitchen windows. We found a glass shamrock Angel sun catcher which features Irish Shamrocks, Halo, and wearing a darling floating Angel dress. Crafted of glass and wire, her milky white Angel dress holds green glass shamrocks. Each piece of glass is soldered together with wire, with green shamrock wings to protect Angel's clear glass face.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with wee Irish gifts!

Until next time,

Eileen Brady, 47, founded Bay Village Store in 1997 and built the business on core values: honesty, integrity and reliability. She provides kitchen, home and garden gifts to the online community. She remains dedicated to keeping alive the spirit of adventure and friendship in her customers.

http://www.BayVillageStore.com delivers creative kitchen, home and garden gifts to the online community. We ship to addresses within the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii from our Bay Village, Ohio location. Bay Village Store specializes in unusual entertaining gift items including lobster claw oven mitts, magnetic spice jars, whimsical tea kettles, bath & body spa treatments, personalized gifts plus much more. We promise honest service, quick delivery, mixed with our passion for family and fun.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eileen_Brady

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What better gifts than the gift of music on St. Patrick's Day. Check out the Celtic Music CD Store or Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician for more. Thanks for joining the St. Patrick's Day Music Party.

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
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Monday, March 9, 2009

Danny Boy (Irish Songs for Cat Lovers)

No. This is not your typical "Danny Boy". The original "Danny Boy" was written by Frederick Weatherly, an English lawyer, using a traditional Irish melody called "Londonderry Air" in 1910. The song was popularized by opera singers at the turn of the century, and my guess is that it entered into the Music Hall scene where a lot of Irish were performing. They picked it up, and it became an Irish American anthem, and the dread of many contemporary Irish traditional musicians who are asked to play it every St. Patrick's Day.

I didn't learn the original song until the summer of 2000. So I missed the dread part, and the Brobdingnagian Bards recorded it for our CD, Songs of Ireland. When I started writing songs for Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers, I decided I had to parody this classic song, and wrote it about my cat, Jasper, who kept me up at night, followed by a wise lesson on how to keep cats from keeping you up all night... Play with them before you sleep. Wear them out. They'll sleep.

"Danny Boy (For Cat Lovers)"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
From: Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers
Read Lyrics: "Danny Boy (Cat Song Parody)" Lyrics

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps or iTunes
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Visit MP3 Store: Buy More of My MP3s
Want to see Marc Gunn perform?

Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License.
Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast.

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Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician.

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Molly Malone... Cat's Perspective/Planxty Hewlett

One of the great ghost stories of Ireland is that of Molly Malone, the fishmonger who died in Dublin and who's ghost is reputed to wander the streets still selling fish. My friend Emilee Rush seems to think the cats were just as disappointed with the death of this wonderful human. Because the cats see the ghost too!

"Molly Malone... Cat's Perspective/Planxty Hewlett"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
From: Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers
Read Lyrics: "Molly Malone... Cat's Perspective" Lyrics

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps or iTunes
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
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Saturday, March 7, 2009

Fun Reasons To Give Gifts On St Patrick's Day

St. Patricks Day might not be known as a traditional gift-giving holiday, but that does not mean you cannot make it so. In fact, there are some incredible reasons to give gifts on this particular day. From very small gestures to rather large ones, this holiday does offer great opportunity to surprise a sweetheart, family, friends and even colleagues.

The ideas for holiday appropriate gifts do abound. From simple Kiss Me buttons to elaborate and sophisticated gift baskets full of holiday cheer, there really is no shortage of ways to spread a little fun and show people you care.

So, why should you turn this holiday into a gift giving occasion? There are plenty of reasons. Some of the best include:

The surprise factor. Most people expect to receive gifts on Christmas, their birthdays and even Valentines Day. They do not expect anything on March 17th. Giving gifts when there are no obligations or stings attached adds a surprise factor to the proposition you will not otherwise be able to achieve. Plus, this is simply a great way to show you care. Gifts that are given just because are often appreciated even more than those that arrive on traditional special occasions.

Adding to the atmosphere. There are some fantastic gifts to give sweethearts, friends and family for St. Patrick's Day that can add to the festive nature of this holiday. Gift baskets brimming with holiday fare, special clothing, buttons and more can just help add to the fun this holiday has to offer. Plus, there are even some spectacularly romantic gifts you can give a sweetheart while still enjoying the spirit of this holiday.

Just for the fun of it. Giving a gift to a special someone or dear friend or family member is always a personally rewarding experience. There is something special about seeing a face light up at the mere thought of a surprise. The truth is St. Patrick's Day gifts can be as much fun to give as they are to receive.

The selection. There are some excellent ideas for St. Patrick's Day gifts. Looking them over and choosing presents for friends, family or a sweetheart can be fun in and of itself. You are likely to find that present options range from kitschy to very classy. From Irish green horns and traditional derbies to diamond shamrocks, you will find them all if you look around.

Just because St. Patrick's Day is not a traditional gift-giving holiday does not mean you cannot make it so. In fact, doing so can be very rewarding and a whole lot of fun, too. Use your imagination and open your eyes, you are more than likely to find some fantastic ideas for anyone in your life.

Randy Gardner is Romeo-Your Romance Resource and is the exclusive writer for Got To Have It Romantic Gift Creations. Visit Ask Romeo Blog to read more of Romeo's articles about dating, romance, relationships and romantic gifts.

To find that perfect unique St. Patrick's Day gift for that special someone who is Irish at heart, go to Got To Have It Romantic Gift Creations St. Patrick's Day Party and Gift Baskets.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Romeo_Gardner

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Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Thanks for joining the St. Patrick's Day Music Party.

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
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Friday, March 6, 2009

Botany Bay

I think I first learned this song from The Wolfe Tones when I first started learning Irish songs. It captured my imagination as it told the story of an Irishman who immigrates to Australia. The song was collected in Australia in the 1950s by H.P.C. 'Duke' Tritton. This version is sung with an Irish pirate brogue for my CD, Going for Brogue.

"Botany Bay"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
From: Going for Brogue: Irish Pub Songs and Sea Shanties with an Accent
Read Lyrics: "Botany Bay" Lyrics

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps or iTunes
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Visit MP3 Store: Buy More of My MP3s
Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Join my Street Team.

Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License.
Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast.

---
Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician.

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

Thursday, March 5, 2009

A Drop of Nelson's Blood

Legend says that after Lord Nelson fell in the Battle of Trafalger, his body was sealed ina cask of rum to preserve it. When the sailors heard of this, they drank their fill. Thus, grog became known as "Nelson's Blood". This walkaway shanty is also known as "Roll the Old Chariot Along" or "Roll the Golden Chariot Along." I arbitrarily chose the later just for the heck of it. The song was also taken up as a hymn for the Salvation Army. The tune is very catchy. Feel free to make up verses as you go. It's great for that.

"A Drop of Nelson's Blood"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
From: Going for Brogue: Irish Pub Songs and Sea Shanties with an Accent
Read Lyrics: "A Drop of Nelson's Blood" Lyrics

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps or iTunes
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Join my Street Team.
Buy Marc Gunn MP3s.

Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License.
Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast.

---
Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician.

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Kitty's Rambles/Dowd's 9 Lives/Jenny's Chickens

When I decided to put together my cat CDs, my goal was to serve up a delicious blend of traditional Irish music, but make it about cats. So I picked some of the best Celtic musicians in Austin to help me record these albums. This set of tunes starts was picked by fiddler Christopher Buckley of The Tea Merchants. It starts with a bouncy jig and busts into a couple rockin' reels. Even with an autoharp it comes across sounding totally tradlicious.

"Kitty's Rambles/Dowd's 9 Lives/Jenny's Chickens"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
From: Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers
Read Lyrics: n/a

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99¢: 192 kbps or iTunes
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

10 Facts You Might Not Know About St. Patrick's Day

The tradition of St. Patrick's Day began hundreds of years ago when a boy in Roman England was captured and taken to Ireland as a captive where he found God. It is said that St. Patrick could hear from the angels, and that he had raised people from the dead. He was a very active missionary throughout Ireland for 30 years, and that is why he is called the patron saint of Ireland. There have been many legends attached to this saint, and they have lasted throughout the centuries. This holiday began as a Holy Day in the Catholic Church, but over the years this religious Catholic saint's day has turned into a more secular celebration of the upcoming new spring.

Here are a few facts for St. Patrick's Day:

- March 17th, the day of celebration, is the day of Patrick's death.

- St. Patrick, the patron saint of the Irish, was not from Ireland.

- Patrick was an old time missionary in Ireland during the 4th century.

- He brought many people to conversion and into the Christian religion.

- The Shamrock, symbol of St. Patrick's Day, was a plant with three leaves that Patrick used to demonstrate to the pagans the trinity of God -- Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

- Maewyn is the name St. Patrick was born with. His name was changed by the Bishop in a monastery in France, after he escaped his captivity. He was not religious at all when he was a child.

- The first St. Paddy's day parade in America was in 1737, 40 years before the Revolutionary War.

- The first day of spring is March 21st and this could be the reason St. Patrick's Day celebrations have caught on so big.

- Everyone turns Irish for a day -- just wear green, the sign of life.

- Irish dishes include Corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, Irish cream pie, Irish soda bread, scones, Irish cheese bread, and all of these would be a good choice on St. Patrick's Day.

There are many traditions and legends that have been passed down through the generations, so even the barest of facts have gotten confused. It is not even certain exactly when Patrick was born, the actual date varies about 30 years in early 300 AD but the day of his death is certain, March 17, and that is the important day.

So whether you are celebrating the life of a glorified Catholic saint or the oncoming spring and all the new growth and new life possibilities that a new life can encompass, it really doesn't matter. Wear something Green, grab a green hat, give someone a shamrock and join in the parade. Good luck and Blessings are meant for all!

Niall Cinneide loves to celebrate St Patrick's Day. He publishes news, views and information about St Patricks Day at St Patricks Information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Niall_Cinneide

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Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician. Thanks for joining the St. Patrick's Day Music Party.

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

Monday, March 2, 2009

La' Fhe'ile Pa'draig - St. Patrick's Day

Most of you know this as the celebration of all things 'Green' and 'Irish', but there's much more to this day than just nasty food colorants and shamrocks.

So what is all the fuzz about? Well, St. Patrick's Day is all about, of course, Saint Patrick. Over here in Ireland it is a national holiday (hooray!), and festivals and parades can be found in all major cities. Though celebrated all over Ireland it is probably more popular in the United States as a festival.

So why all that green? Well, most people will say that green is the national colour of Ireland. It had to be green for all the rain that falls around here! But green wasn't always the colour associated with Paddy or Ireland. In fact, BLUE was the colour of the saint. 'Wearing the green' referred to the wearing of a shamrock during this holiday. The national colour's change to green began around 1750.

And why all this shamrock business? Well according to legend, St. Patrick used this humble three leaved icon to try and explain the theory of the Holy Trinity to the Pagans. Legend also has it that St. Paddy chased all the snakes away from Ireland. This probably refers to the Pagans and Druids, using the snake as a important symbol, that were converted by St. Patrick. Real snakes never really returned to Ireland after the last glacial period.

And there you have it :) A wee bit more information about the day so you know what it's all about. Of course, don't let me hold you back from drinking a pint or two. Unless it's green... can't be good for ya. And in the meantime, to prepare for the up and coming St. Patrick's Day why not support yours truly by wearing the shirt I designed for this happy holiday;

Rock Those Roots!

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Find some great St. Patrick's Day music at the Celtic Music CD Store or check out Marc Gunn, Celtic American Musician.

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
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Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits

This song was based on a true story. I think it was 2004 when I was invited to go drink with a bunch of people dressed as hobbits from West of the Moon, a fan fiction website about hobbits. It was Thursday night of DragonCon weekend when I met up with them. We drank till the wee hours of the morning and I awoke the next day with a sore throat. By Sunday, I had laryngitis. I couldn't sing a lick and felt like crap. Andrew sang and stalled through the Brobdingnagian Bards Sunday evening filk show. After that, I swore I'd never go drinking with hobbits again. Last year, I finally wrote the song about the event for my new CD What Color Is Your Dragon?.

"Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
From: What Color Is Your Dragon?
Read Lyrics: "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" Lyrics

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99 cents: 192 kbps or iTunes
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
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Sunday, March 1, 2009

Wild Mountain Thyme

This is one of the earliest songs I learned when I began playing Celtic music. The Brobdingnagian Bards recorded it on A Faire to Remember, and it never ceased to capture someone's attention. I rearranged the song a couple years ago to make it more sing-alongable. And I love this recording of this classic song by Francis McPeake.

"Wild Mountain Thyme"
Listen: HiFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
From: Marc Gunn Free EP
Read Lyrics: "Wild Mountain Thyme" Lyrics

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99 cents: 192 kbps or iTunes
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Labels: free mp3

--posted by Marc Gunn of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
links to this post

St. Patrick's Day in Austin St. Patrick's Day Party Music

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

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Monday, March 16, 2009

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Sunday, March 15, 2009

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Saturday, March 14, 2009

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Friday, March 13, 2009

Monahan's Mudder's Milk

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Star of the County Down

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

St Patrick Never Drank

St Patrick's Day and the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast

St. Patrick's Day Tis Himself... With Irish Gifts

Monday, March 9, 2009

Danny Boy (Irish Songs for Cat Lovers)

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Molly Malone... Cat's Perspective/Planxty Hewlett

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Fun Reasons To Give Gifts On St Patrick's Day

Friday, March 6, 2009

Botany Bay

Thursday, March 5, 2009

A Drop of Nelson's Blood

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Kitty's Rambles/Dowd's 9 Lives/Jenny's Chickens

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

10 Facts You Might Not Know About St. Patrick's Day

Monday, March 2, 2009

La' Fhe'ile Pa'draig - St. Patrick's Day

Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Wild Mountain Thyme

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