My friend worked for McAlpine, he is now 84, he laughed with this song, but he said it wasn't as bad as that, but the pay was good. A great Song. Greetings from Northern Ireland.
I'm not Irish but I love Irish music. Luke Kelly is incredible. Just listen to Luke sing McAlpine's Fusiliers, Galway Races, and Shoals of Herring; no one does them better. God Bless Luke Kelly and God Bless Ireland!
My aul' man was a McAlpine's fusilier. Coming off the boat at Ardyne one day, there was a Scots piper on board, he was there to pipe out the launch one of the rigs. A Dungloe man,a far better piper asked to borrow the pipes and he piped all McAlpine's men off the boat to the tune of McAlpine's Fusiliers. Legend.
@@jamessim1858 James I quite agree but on that particular day the Irish guy was by far and away the better piper and the Scottish guy was happy for him to take over. I watched a Scottish pipers competition in Glasgow once around Yoker direction I think. Over twenty competing pipe bands. Great stuff altogether. You need to be less touchy James.
Luke, the BARD of singers! There is no voice like you again. That red hair.... it had an ecosystem of it's own! A soul, that I feel will come back to educate us all. God bless you, and all of the Dubliners xxxxx
hahah I love the song. And the verse "I worked... with Russian, Czech and Pole" is on the time again, as lots of Poles work in Ireland, many of them in the construction industry:)) Greetings from Poland!!
Have had to come to London to work just like all these other Irish men, makes me so proud to be Irish seeing what all these men did and what we are doing today to feed our families back home. Long live the Irish
My dad worked for McAlpines back in the day when he came over from Connemara, thank God he left the singing to Luke, his voice was terrible! Still miss you dad after all these years.
Brilliant job, thanks for uploadin this. i wish more people my age would look up to these people like luke kelly and the dubliners and wolfe tones. these songs were written for men who sacraficed their lives for OUR country! Be greatful and keep sharing the words spoken in the songs to everyone.
I remember my dad and a friend sitting in the house in the Gorbals Glasgow when this song played on the Radio, they both had a good laugh and as Irish navvies knew what the song meant
I got a Dubliners CD a couple of years ago without my mum's permission and it was one of the best things I ever did, as I love their music, love Luke's banjo playing, and am going to see the Dublin Legends in 3 weeks time.
Wonderful comment on the gritty and dangerous lives of exploited workers. True today in USA with greedy coal mining companies placing production above worker safety! Luke is such a genuine and powerful voice that it sounds like these men have one of their own to tell their story. Great song and moving performance!!
Sure we love all the songs sung by Our lovely Luke. His powerful voice is so magical and to be able bewitch us until today. We 'll keep you, Luke, always in our hearts! You did the Folk Songs History!
I have never heard such conviction. . . as if he whole-heartedly relates to the song he sings. Really a beautiful example of what music ought to be. . . sometimes we are blessed & it is what it ought to be. Thanks for this recording, it has & will continue to warm my heart, lord willing, for years to come.
No disrespect to ronnie drew, but this version is my favorite. Then again, he might have agreed. Those two were such a potent duo. Half hour till Luke's birthday and RU-vid plays this. Good work algorithm.
My father from co monaghan worked on the hydro dams and down deep in many holes around scotland building places like ravenscraig steelmill and schemes in glasgow in the 50s and 60s I love luke and the boys thanks Kelly ::))
It's a great debate as to the greatest Irish singer ever, in my opinion No one ever sang a ballad with such passion and feeling as Luke Kelly, and with Paddy Reilly I rate them the very best ever,the irish ballad had alomst died out before the Clancy's and then the Dubluners saved them. I now do my oen bit performing them around the clubs, life's a craic
The definitive London Irish song working man's song. I had no idea that Luke had recorded this, I'd only heard Ronnie's version. 'If you pride your life, don't join, by Christ.'
@NorStarReviews 16 and loving it! been into luke and evrything folk and irish since the tender age of 13...and to those who say why do i listen to 'that' music i say fuck off and listen to something proper. this music has history and soul!
ur a 'ledge'. i truly mean that.Men like u that made ireland the great country it is. me da was one of men like u. Yez did all the hard graft..today it's babies with soft hands tkn shite to men that we should be on our hands an knees for the thanking for the work the real men of ireland did!!this mental. Best wishes to u. ur totes a good man.back breaking work that people take for granted..but in the end of the day... they'd be fkd without us strong ones😉
These Lyrics ring through. Recession We Havent a clue about the Hard TImes. God Bless the Irish Navvy! Not loud or proud but got the Job done and had the craic and still managed to raise a family in as hard times.
As a fellow with experience in concrete work,including hydroelectric dams,I just fuckin love this song.I am part Irish as well(maternal grandmother county kilkenny) .
100% agree. With Ronnie it sounds kind of fun, whereas you can really hear the pain and suffering in this version. Also you just can't beat young Luke solo with just a banjo accompaniment,
Mac Alpine was a huge construction company that employed many illegal Irish workers to help build modern British motorways in the 50/60s,very hard work for little pay and dreadful conditions.
What was an illegal Irish worker? All Irish workers in England were and are entitled to be there and don't need a visa now nor didn't need one back then to work... I don't understand what you are saying???
KJVism Sorry,your right I should have said Cheap Irish workers not illegal.thanks for correcting me,it's always better to know the facts and not the myths.
Sorry mate you are wrong there too. OK, long time ago but I left a job in an office in Mayfair to join McAlpine as a labourer. The work was obviously a HELL of a lot harder but my wages went from £24 a week (office) to £56 a week (McAlpine).
God Bless the Irish Navvy! Not loud or proud but got the Job done and had the and still managed to raise a family in as hard times. on pennies all the work was done by the Irish Navvys not like the automatic JCB today
Can i just say to the man that put these songs up mhaith hu mo chara...this is a great thing that you have done and a sincere thank u for keepin luke and the boys going
Kelly ONeil Ilove and adore what you have done and the work you have done to share the music of Luke and the DuBs with the poor people who didn't know the fabulous music of these heroes of mine . Their music is now everywhere in the universe thanks to what you `ve done and will always be out for the rest of eternity. WELL done girl ! P.S. Are you married ,This wee jimmy from glasgow thinks we`d be in match made in musical heaven ! AS the quiet man asks : Do you think shèd go for it :
This is all i remember of the late 70's early 80's, the Dubliners, the mud, the blood and the beer. Moving from 1 prefab to another, an yuk, sharing 1 bed 3 guys doing shifts.
