Country 'N' Irish music.....

Ghost Buster

I will try to word this in a way which cannot be construed as offensive as I genuinely do not wish to be and i also genuinely dont think this belongs in the music forum:
Through my work I regularly come into close contact with a large amount of bands and musicians and I also work a lot with special needs folk.
I have observed that the one type of music that gets a huge turn out from special needs schools etc is Country and Irish music. Think Declan Nerny, Mick Flavin, DanielO'Donnel, Isla Grant, you get the picture.
I have my own theory about various social factors which could be responsible for this and am wondering what other explanations there may be.

thehairyelbow

give us your theory first.

Ghost Buster

thehairyelbow wrote: »

give us your theory first.

I will after (or if ever)I get a few other responses. I want to know if i am way off the mark.
Im genuinely not poop stirring here. This is something i have observed over 20 year working in an area where i get to observe it!
I understand that this is a dodgy area and hope this thread doesnt crash and burn or get locked.

Mr. Presentable

Country and Cavan. Please get the terminology right

Wibbs

Temptation... too strong... can't... must resist...

Mr. Presentable

Ghost Buster wrote: »

I will try to word this in a way which cannot be construed as offensive as I genuinely do not wish to be and i also genuinely dont think this belongs in the music forum:
Through my work I regularly come into close contact with a large amount of bands and musicians and I also work a lot with special needs folk.
I have observed that the one type of music that gets a huge turn out from special needs schools etc is Country and Irish music. Think Declan Nerny, Mick Flavin, DanielO'Donnel, Isla Grant, you get the picture.
I have my own theory about various social factors which could be responsible for this and am wondering what other explanations there may be.

They're also mostly Man U fans too - make of that what you will.

Knight who says Meh

Artists from rural areas
Rural areas with generations of breeding within a small gene pool.

Hey presto

Oh_Noes

It's easy to sing along with and gives rural people a sense of cultual familiarity with their American counterparts. It also is non-offensive in general, wholesome and fomulaic enough to be accessible.

I've no problem with it. I'd be more worried about the Mary Byrne crowd. I quite like some American country music and it is interesting to see what way it gets re-interpreted.

I quite like this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALaHSt1bldU

Ghost Buster

Knight who says Meh wrote: »

Artists from rural areas
Rural areas with generations of breeding within a small gene pool.

Hey presto

Thats a basic gist of my theory.
A friend of mine from a rural part of Mayo was studying psychiatric nursing and unearthed an old 19th century study on mental illness, mental handicap and birth defects in rural Mayo communitys where there was a lot of inter-marrying (Close cousins etc). It focused on the islands and mountainous communitys where travelling more than 20 miles was a feat and so the gene pool was quite small. This friend was aware of a number familys in the area with the same family names and often more than one disabled child in the family even in this era.
Am I way off the mark in thinking that as these musicians tend to come from rural parts then the are seem as local heros and as these part s are rural....... well... think about that 19th century study.

Ghost Buster

Oh_Noes wrote: »

It's easy to sing along with and gives rural people a sense of cultual familiarity with their American counterparts. It also is non-offensive in general, wholesome and fomulaic enough to be accessible.

I've no problem with it. I'd be more worried about the Mary Byrne crowd. I quite like some American country music and it is interesting to see what way it gets re-interpreted.

I quite like this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALaHSt1bldU

Thats not remotely the type of music Im on about:D
Think about large farmerly types singing in mock Texan accents with a tinge of cavan thrown in....... and a stetson

Ghost Buster

Ghost Buster wrote: »

Thats not remotely the type of music Im on about:D
Think about large farmerly types singing in mock Texan accents with a tinge of cavan thrown in....... and a stetson

This sort of thing also counts

Cantona's Collars

The music of choice for red haired transit van drivers.;)

pragmatic1

Ghost Buster wrote: »

Thats a basic gist of my theory.
A friend of mine from a rural part of Mayo was studying psychiatric nursing and unearthed an old 19th century study on mental illness, mental handicap and birth defects in rural Mayo communitys where there was a lot of inter-marrying (Close cousins etc). It focused on the islands and mountainous communitys where travelling more than 20 miles was a feat and so the gene pool was quite small. This friend was aware of a number familys in the area with the same family names and often more than one disabled child in the family even in this era.
Am I way off the mark in thinking that as these musicians tend to come from rural parts then the are seem as local heros and as these part s are rural....... well... think about that 19th century study.

It isnt just to do with rural areas. Its due to the horrible legacy of irish showbands. As a Donegal man, I apologise on behalf of my county for Daniel and Margo. However, while Altan and Clannad might not be everyones taste, at least they make somewhat credible music.

Ghost Buster

pragmatic1 wrote: »

It isnt just to do with rural areas. Its due to the horrible legacy of irish showbands. As a Donegal man, I apologise on behalf of my county for Daniel and Margo. However, while Altan and Clannad might not be everyones taste, at least they make somewhat credible music.

The quality of the music is a whole other days chat!!!
Donegal and Longford seem to churn these kind of acts out though dont they.

Oh_Noes

Hey stop taking all the credit(?). We've had Joe Dolan, TR Dallas and Brendan Shine in Westmeath. We are the Memphis of the midlands.

There were actually several Elvises (Elvii) in my national school.

pragmatic1

Ghost Buster wrote: »

The quality of the music is a whole other days chat!!!
Donegal and Longford seem to churn these kind of acts out though dont they.

Trad or C&I.

brummytom

'Country&Irish' music is god awful. We've got a few who play in Brum constantly, the only name I can remember at the moment is TR Dallas.


It's worse than lift music

Ghost Buster

Yup. I hear you all about the music but thats beside the point. Two nights back i had to work through a Declan Nerny show and there were 4 wheel chairs (Not age related) in the audience and a number of down syndrome kids. I have seen the same at a Kevin Logue show, a Mick Flavin show, Dominic kerwan and Richie Kavanagh. Why is this?

brummytom

Ghost Buster wrote: »

Yup. I hear you all about the music but thats beside the point. Two nights back i had to work through a Declan Nerny show and there were 4 wheel chairs (Not age related) in the audience and a number of down syndrome kids. I have seen the same at a Kevin Logue show, a Mick Flavin show, Dominic kerwan and Richie Kavanagh. Why is this?

Is there any 'politically correct' way to answer that question?

Ghost Buster

brummytom wrote: »

Is there any 'politically correct' way to answer that question?

Well. There is obviously some factor involved because this is something i see several times a year (Im a sound engineer). Its a fact so any answer based on fact cannot be politically incorrect.
I think my theory may have something in it and is not politically incorrect

My name is URL

Because they'd look out of place at a Metallica gig

Ghost Buster

My name is URL wrote: »

Because they'd look out of place at a Metallica gig

Really.......;)

brummytom

Who knows. Maybe it's because it's happy music.

Simple music for simple minds...

The Left Hand Of God

I like C&W and some of the Irish stuff.

It rocks. I was Rap before Rap was Rap.

Then again it was all my dad played on the car radio when I was a child so I may have a skewed opinion.

I'm not in a wheelchair either I might add and have only licked windows when being off my head on class A drugs, which is all in the past I might add.


I miss class A's No seriously. I really do

Oh_Noes

Ghost Buster wrote: »

Yup. I hear you all about the music but thats beside the point. Two nights back i had to work through a Declan Nerny show and there were 4 wheel chairs (Not age related) in the audience and a number of down syndrome kids. I have seen the same at a Kevin Logue show, a Mick Flavin show, Dominic kerwan and Richie Kavanagh. Why is this?

The very sincere way in which you ask this is pantpissingly funny.

Down Syndrome kids at a Richie Kavanagh gig though? Really?

teekayd25

brummytom wrote: »

Who knows. Maybe it's because it's happy music.

Simple music for simple minds...

This (the spoiler) is basically what it amounts to. The music is the complete opposite of intricate, and the themes explored in the song below are well, not exactly mind-blowing . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5rII0c6WjY

The Left Hand Of God

Way before your time...for a lot of ye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06MfMaxp8RU

And one loves.... (The lyrics are great, along with the gospel)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpTQQUNNGTk

I uTube.

Badgermonkey

C & I is the musical wing of the GAA.

It allows parishes, characters and subjects of local lore to be referenced through song with simple lyrics, themes, time signatures and chord changes you can see coming a mile off.

It's basically music for folks who wouldn't have a huge interest in music, if that makes any sense.

Great authentic US country music owes much to the Scots-Irish influx and is still vibrant in the Carolinas / Virginias, though commercial C & W is pretty unpalatable dross imho.