Ireland's Favourite Folk Song

Rechuchote

RTE is advertising this, but I can't find a longlist anywhere. What are their contenders?

laros

There is a list of 10 songs Ronan Collins revealed the first 5 on radio one today the other 5 will be revealed on ronans show tomorrow.

bullpost

The Green Fields of France, The Foggy Dew, Danny Boy, A Rainy Night in SoHo and On Raglan Road.

Not sure I'd call A Rainy night in Soho a folk song?

Ultimate Seduction

How, when can we vote? Green Field of France for me. Although not a classic, Last Great love song would be my number 2, followed closley by Raglan Road

Rechuchote

Bizarre! Of these, the only ones I'd call folk songs would be Raglan Road and Danny Boy, and even both of them were written commercially rather than coming from the folk canon.

Edit - oh, and The Foggy Dew. Definitely folk ok.

friendlyfun

I'd say the Auld Triangle or Grace.

js35

Seven drunken nights :pac:

Rechuchote

Auld Triangle defo. Grace, meh.

Rechuchote

Odd that neither version of Galway Bay is in… you could do a hunt through the works of the Dubliners, Clancy Brothers, Chieftains, Black family, Sands family, O Beaglaoich family, etc and find genuine folk songs; odd that none of the many songs in Irish are in…

youcancallmeal

It wouldn't be my favourite but I'd say grace will probably win it

loyatemu

Rechuchote wrote: »

Bizarre! Of these, the only ones I'd call folk songs would be Raglan Road and Danny Boy, and even both of them were written commercially rather than coming from the folk canon.

Edit - oh, and The Foggy Dew. Definitely folk ok.

what defines the "folk canon"? songs where we don't know who wrote them?

Rechuchote

youcancallmeal wrote: »

It wouldn't be my favourite but I'd say grace will probably win it

Grace isn't shortlisted, so no!

youcancallmeal

Rechuchote wrote: »

Grace isn't shortlisted, so no!

Ha shows how much I know about folk songs

Rechuchote

youcancallmeal wrote: »

Ha shows how much I know about folk songs

Or about the shortlist, more like! :pac:

laros

If you want to hear a great folksong,. Little Musgrave... The planxty version from the reunion gig in vicar Street in particular, I think its an English folksong actually

s3rtvdbwfj81ch

Óró sé de bheatha bhaile is a great one

Glebee

laros wrote: »

If you want to hear a great folksong,. Little Musgrave... The planxty version from the reunion gig in vicar Street in particular, I think its an English folksong actually

Winner.

Rechuchote

Green Fields of France is English too, Eric Bogle wrote it, I think.

https://youtu.be/kz_dHcduUTU

Definitely something by Luke Kelly, IMO. This or "the town I loved so well".

Bellerstring

https://youtu.be/B0x7nBHNOZI
This has to be the one

Ipso

Rechuchote wrote: »

Green Fields of France is English too, Eric Bogle wrote it, I think.

Scotch/Australian. Scozzie.

loyatemu

laros wrote: »

If you want to hear a great folksong,. Little Musgrave... The planxty version from the reunion gig in vicar Street in particular, I think its an English folksong actually

Fairport Convention's "Matty Groves" is essentially the same song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK_7AqH1VGQ

Glebee

Just saw the full list.. Theres way better stuff out there by miles..

A Rainy Night in Soho- Would you call that a folk song?
A Womens Heart- Would you call that a folk song?

There more what you would hear played in Temple Bar pubs for the tourists in my opinion

Rechuchote

It's weird - we have such wonderful songs, going back to the 16th century and earlier, and still sung! Really beautiful music. And yet this anodyne slush (apart from a couple) is what RTE has chosen.

Roadtoad

Right, as a well known and successful commentator of all things in the Arts, here's my call on the way the results will pan out:

Winner: The Town I loved so well, by a country mile.

I spent a while last night going through the short list, it didn't take long to eliminate half the field, anything with a smell of pikes or rifles, or the Muirsheen Durkin pantheon.

Why: Sentiment, Irish author, a very topical story about a living history we are (nearly) all happy to see slide into the past.

If you insist on an each-way bet, a penny each on Willie McBride and the Parting Glass.

Personally, I'm surprised that Grace and any number of the Planxty/Moore/Brady anthems didn't find a place in the list. Of course having a five-week viewing and bizarrely being presented by one of the short list singers will make it worth viewing.

Edit: Add 'She moved through the fair' to the missed list

goose2005

Glebee wrote: »

Just saw the full list.. Theres way better stuff out there by miles..

A Rainy Night in Soho- Would you call that a folk song?
A Womens Heart- Would you call that a folk song?

There more what you would hear played in Temple Bar pubs for the tourists in my opinion

This is RTE Nua, you have to have a song written by a woman!!

Rechuchote

The Town I Loved So Well is likely to win, not because it's the best song but because of the emotions over Lyra McKee's killing.

JP Liz V1

Glebee wrote: »

Just saw the full list.. Theres way better stuff out there by miles..

A Rainy Night in Soho- Would you call that a folk song?
A Womens Heart- Would you call that a folk song?

There more what you would hear played in Temple Bar pubs for the tourists in my opinion

What is the full list?

Glebee

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

What is the full list?

https://www.rte.ie/culture/folk-song/

JP Liz V1

Glebee wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/culture/folk-song/

Raglan Road
The Green Fields of France
A Rainy Night in Soho
The Foggy Dew
The Town I Loved So Well
Do Bheatha Abhaile
Danny Boy
The Parting Glass
The Rocky Road to Dublin
A Woman's Heart

I thought Grace was a sure contender

Glebee

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Raglan Road
The Green Fields of France
A Rainy Night in Soho
The Foggy Dew
The Town I Loved So Well
Do Bheatha Abhaile
Danny Boy
The Parting Glass
The Rocky Road to Dublin
A Woman's Heart

I thought Grace was a sure contender

To many people dying and being shot at. Although I suppose the foggy dew fits that bill as well. Some one would surely get offended.

laros

Fairport Convention's "Matty Groves" is essentially the same song

Yes... I've heard Matty Groves, its basically the same but I love the Planxty version,slower arrangement and the Liam on the pipes at 3.50 in the video

Tomas81

The parting glass is the winner for me.

Glebee

Tomas81 wrote: »

The parting glass is the winner for me.

Has to be the Liam Clancy version for me though.

NIMAN

This is a 1hr programme idea, but I bet Rte stretch it out for 5 or 6 weeks.

Tomas81

Glebee wrote: »

Has to be the Liam Clancy version for me though.

Of course , between Cara Dillon and The high kings and Ed Sheeran the song was nearly dead.

Rechuchote

NIMAN wrote: »

This is a 1hr programme idea, but I bet Rte stretch it out for 5 or 6 weeks.

True. If the songs and their writers were more interesting - for instance Cill Chais, which is certainly still popular in the west of Ireland - I don't know a Kerry or Connemara person who couldn't sing it off the cuff:

https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5162122/5155949/5198716
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilcash_Castle

I don't want to raise a hare here, but… is it that these mostly music-hall-type songs are popular in Dublin and its environs rather than popular throughout the country?

The Parting Glass is Scottish… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parting_Glass

Beechwoodspark

My prediction after the full ten weeks series

Winner

Danny boy

Runner up

Woman’s heart


Personal fave -raglan road

Bumper Mannix

"Favourite" folk song doesn't necessarily mean best. Not mad about the whole concept.

Rechuchote

I doubt most of these would be most people's favourite.

Another omission - though it's rarely thought of as a folk song - is There Is an Isle

NIMAN

It's 10 weeks!!

Ffs

That'll keep the Late Late Show full of guests anyway.

Uriel.

I wouldn't mind the 10 weeks running, if they do a good job on it like a mini documentary of each song's meaning and history and performance history. It could be quite interesting.

Not convinced at all by the shortlist.
The town I loved so well will probably win given current sentiment.

No surprises that there are no Wolfe Tones songs on the list. Brian Warfield wrote a tremendous catalogue of music. While a lot of it aren't to people's tastes in respect of the English occupation etc he did also write many other great songs.

Cill Cais would have been a better selection for the token Irish language song.

NIMAN

Who decided on the shortlist?

Charles Ingles

NIMAN wrote: »

Who decided on the shortlist?

Twink Linda Martin and Rory Cowan

Uriel.

Charles Ingles wrote: »

Twink Linda Martin and Rory Cowan

Please tell me you're joking?

donkeykong5

NIMAN wrote: »

Who decided on the shortlist?

Mary and frances black helped by Mary coughlan and mother of 18 maraid Ronan.

Uriel.

While he's a nice voice, the version of the parting glass is awful

Bumper Mannix

NIMAN wrote: »

Who decided on the shortlist?

I'm wondering that too.

MPFGLB

A Woman's Heart ...seriously ???

and while "A Rainy Night in Soho" is a fantastic song cant say I think its a folk song

I have always been a fan of the tune of "The Foggy Dew" but is it Irish ? ...remember it was the sound track for that great documentary on the American Civil War in the 1980s

I also would not include "The Green Fields of France" as an Irish folk song

However all the others imo should be included on merit or popularity
Raglan Road
The Town I Loved So Well
Do Bheatha Abhaile
Danny Boy
The Parting Glass
The Rocky Road to Dublin

I would have included a Percy French song (sung by many folk) probably "Phil the Fluther's Ball"
Also a Thomas Moore possibly "The Minstrel Boy"

My Christy Moore song would be "St. Brendan's Voyage" or "Matty" ...there has got be a Chrisy song ..so many good ones

And that leaves a toss up between Molly Malone, Bold Thady Quill, The Black Velvet Band, (Sean O Caseys) Nora , Boolavogue or Shanagolden

(or my mother favourite The Chapel Gates of Cooraclare )

MPFGLB

Would also throw "The Cobbler" and " roddy mccorley" into the ring ..And "The Lass of Aughrim"

Must stop now or will go on and on

Welsh Megaman

Not seeing 'The Langer' on that list.

What the dillio?