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Examples Of Irish Pub Songs

Throughout these song pages we are showing you examples of Irish pub songs that we have recorded at live singing sessions.

Watch Robbie McMahon RIP (second from left on the photo above) perform his own song 'The Fleadh Cheoil in Ennis', a contemporary song in the traditional style.

This performance was recorded just a short time before Robbie McMahon, a hero to many in Irish song circles, sadly passed away in December 2013.

Robbie McMahon was a lilter, traditional singer, and winner of 17 All Ireland titles for traditional singing. Let's remember him with another song.

Now watch Robbie McMahon performing a traditional Irish song, 'The Great Big Roaming Ass', a humorous song about a man's special relationship with his donkey.

Watch Tim Lyons perform his 'EC song' about Ireland joining the European Union, a contemporary song written in the traditional style.

Next, watch John Tunney perform 'Around The Hand', which is one of his own songs, a contemporary song written in the traditional style, a ballad about the tragedy of the NYC Twin Towers.

Filming At Irish Singing Sessions

There is a wide variety of Irish songs, and we are trying to show you a good cross section of them.

Often, when you record at such singing sessions, it is not possible to work with a tripod. One reason for this is that often the space is too small in a cramped pub environment. Another factor is that there is no such thing as a stage.

At sessions, people will take turns performing. When you are filming, you have to be very alert to who is going to go next so that you can get in position. To get a good shot, Colm has had to kneel on the floor, at just the right distance to the performer. Under these circumstances lighting will be an issue. These are the reasons for the distinct ‘homemade’ feel of our videos.

Yet we felt that video recordings would be preferable to sound recordings alone. In a video, you get a feeling for the atmosphere in the place. With a sound recording, you are left to your imagination.

On the plus side also, having a video recording at hand will enable you to learn some of these songs yourself. If you do, we would be delighted to hear from you and find out how you got on!

Watching our videos, keep in mind also that singing sessions are not a competitive environment. Neither are they an environment for stage performances. Singing sessions aim to recreate a traditional atmosphere. In the old days, before television, computers, smart phones and radio, people used to sit together and take turns telling stories and singing songs.

Try Out An Irish Singing Sessions

Singing sessions are about this spirit of communal entertainment, where people encourage each other to perform. The audience are mostly singers themselves and appreciate the difficulties involved in performing. Therefore, it is okay to make mistakes. Singing sessions of Irish pub songs are a very humane environment for the budding singer of any age, a great place to try out you voice and get a feel for audience feedback.

Apart from giving lots of information on these pages, we also hope to awaken your passion!

We loved writing about Irish pub songs, and we hope you enjoyed our article.

If you did, why not tell the world about it, so that others, too, may enjoy the fruits of our labour of love.

We provide a wide choice of social functions on this website- at the top left of pages as well as at the very bottom, just pick the one you prefer.

Your help is much appreciated!

Warmest regards, Colm and Susanna.

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Warmest regards, Colm & Susanna

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