Irish America

Irish America

Music Archives

The Irish in Country: Putting the Celtic Fringe on the Music Charts

By James Ring Adams

June 1991

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Just hours before winning a Grammy, country singer Kathy Mattea reminisced about her first meeting two years earlier with her current musical hero. "We went to the show and we were doing the whole bit about trying to get backstage. It was such a role reversal." she said. "I felt like a groupic." Ms. Mattea, one of the hottest names in Nashville, wasn't trying to crash the … [Read more...] about The Irish in Country: Putting the Celtic Fringe on the Music Charts

Yankee Doodle Irish

By Bob Callahan

July/August 1986

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This is a song about George M. Cohan. CO-HAN, not Coen. And yet, when I was growing up in a factory town in Connecticut, I always thought he must have been this older Jewish guy. Jimmy Cagney called him "the greatest song and dance man of all time." "George M. Cohan," Cagney said, "is the real leader of our clan.” This is also a song about the history we have let slip through … [Read more...] about Yankee Doodle Irish

Black ’47: The Clancy Brothers of the 90’s?

By Patrick Farrelly

February 1992

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As Larry Kirwan, the wiry lead guitarist and singer drags out this melodramatic emigration song, the eyes of the young Irish woman beside me mist over. She silently mouthes the words to herself as Chris Byre's plaintive tin whistle comes in over Kirwan's dirge. Byre, his crew-cut head bowed, dark shades hung low, continues with a slow air on the tin whistle, adding to the … [Read more...] about Black ’47: The Clancy Brothers of the 90’s?

Black ’47

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
September October 1993

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Rabble-Rousers with a Social Conscience "Free Joe Now," the song by Black 47, the Irish American group spearheaded by Larry Kirwan and Chris Byrne in 1990, became the anthem for those seeking political asylum for Joe Doherty, the Belfastman fighting extradition to the UK. These were early days for Black 47, the gigs were mainly fundraisers for one Irish cause or another — … [Read more...] about Black ’47

A Magical Music Tour

By Colin Lacey

March/April 1996

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Colin Lacey reviews an eclectic mix of the latest albums on the Irish music scene. Twice as prolific as most performers half his age, Van Morrison shows no sign of slowing down after more than 30 years in the business. How Long Has This Been Going on (Verve/Exile Productions) is Morrison's third album in less than two years and follows last year's critically acclaimed Days … [Read more...] about A Magical Music Tour