S.O - no Irish folk revival? There surely was for me. I first heard this music in 1975, on a college station. Mind blown! For my age group (mid 20's), there was a huge interest in this music. Especially when I ran into it again in 1980. I was in a band, playing it (OK - mostly old time), and played it on my folk/Irish radio show. Maybe in some circles it wasn't a revival, but it sure was in most places!
Amazing band! Saw them live three times in 1978, best ever gigs along with The Who in 1966, The People (Henry McCulloch's first band) 1966, Little Feat in 1976, Sufjan Stevens in 2007 and Arcade Fire 20011. 4 Men+ a dog still the best actually playing and We Banjo 3 are real contenders. Thanks for posting.
Ah God, I used to have to dance to this when I was in school here in Ireland. I actually loved this one, been ages since I've heard it. Thanks for uploading! :)
Hard to believe that I heard this set for the first time 40 years ago - the "Bothy Band" played a gig at Aberdeen University, I think in Nov. 1975, [ I have a recording of the concert ], and was told that it was their first ever performance on the UK mainland. Changed my life, musically, and still sounds as good today as it did then.
C Doh Do you really think America is trying to water you down? I don't know where you're from, but I know if you're living in New York you have no problem knowing about your Irish heritage. I, and many 1st gen Irish Americans, grew up in the city and know and are connected to their Irish families.
This the thing: Firstly we have to recognise that there was never a such thing as a "folk revival". Tradtional Irish was getting on fine before the seventies, thank you very much.In the sixties Joe Heaney theChieftains and Seamus Ennis, for example, enjoyed international and domestic fame; while Seán O Riada and his Ceoltóirí Chualainn (from which sprang the Chieftans and SE) were creating a storm domestically. (Not forgetting the emergence of the céilí bands. What happened in the 70s's follows:
I completely agree - but this was a new direction. I am 2nd gen Irish, growing up in Cornwall. My 'education' into Irish music was from my father (who was, is, a wonderful singer and taught me mandolin) & listening to the great ceili bands on records. I was in Tralee aged about 12 when I heard this being played on street speaker from a record shop. I was totally hooked on this 'new sound'. So much more vitality . . . even now, with all the great bands, I still go back to The Bothy Band . . . the only ones to come even close these days are Realta.
As far as we can go back -which is to the 17C and O Carolan- Irish trad has always been positively reactive to contemporary trends. (Many of our tunes are Scottish and many of our songs English; and the French revolution not only effected us politically but also intrduced new melodic forms: ve The Rights of Man and, even, Boolavogue. To conclude this segment: all LEGIMATE -for example, never Enya (nor even Clannad nor that unmentnioable family) is protest music; I have to continue:
