What an awesome flea-market kind of find I found today. A bunch of old Irish or Irish-related LPs. In the back room of an Irish shop near us, at $5 each. Lookie!
This one has beautiful cover art, and holds 18 songs recorded by different artists in 15 counties in Ireland. It was produced by Martin Costello of Banshee Records based in Newark, NJ.
Next up is Folk Dance Music of Ireland with Johnny Powell and his Band. The photo on the cover is of a cottage in Wexford. Some of the songs include "If There Weren't Any Women in the World," "Little Burnt Potato," and "Humors of Whiskey." Kind of has something in common with country music, don'tcha think? My woman left, I can't cook to save my life, I'm drowning my sorrows.
Next up is Come to the Ceili: Favorite Irish Dances, featuring the Gallowglass Ceili Band. (If you weren't already aware, Ceili is pronounced KAYlee.) Featured songs, reminding me very much of my teen years, include "I Won't Be a Nun," "Boolavogue," and "Smash the Windows." It's got a shamrock (!) shaped cutout on the cover allowing you to preview the spiffy couple inside. The cover:
The inside, below, notes that the Spiffy Couple (aka "Dancers") were courtesy of McNiff School of Irish Dancing, and that the musicians, "have been keeping toes tapping around Naas, County Kildare, for many a year." And I'll bet the have, by golly gee.
The one below, A musical Taste of Ireland, has a beautiful reproduction of a watercolor print by Eric Patton on the front. It features the singing of Paddy Noonan accompanied by the Irish Light Orchestra. It's dated 1980.
And I can't decide which of the next two is my favorite of the lucky lot. For those who know me, this one's very appropriate, I believe.
A closer look at some of the original songs included:
The back cover includes information on Kennedy's life and his ties to Ireland. At bottom (out of the range of this picture) are details about the songs on the LP. "The Ballad of Jack Kennedy" was composed in honor of President Kennedy's election. The "Death of a Hero" is a poem "written and spoken by Irish housewife model Susan Murray of Liexlip, Co. Kildare" and "is reputed to have been published in every English-speaking country in the world. Mrs. Murray, who had never written anything previously, wrote it on the day of President Kennedy's funeral." Wow. (That's her picture at upper right.)
As cool as the Shamrock Kennedy Tribute album is, I think I do like the last one best of all. It is a recording of Eamon de Valera's March 17, 1947 Broadcast to America. Eamon was perhaps THE most important person in Ireland's 20th century. Here's the cover:
His history as of 1947 is inside. You can also see that this is a true, original type of 78 RPM Record Album, with multiple pages (sleeves). It pre-dates vinyl.
Here's some detail of the label (there are two albums marked Parts One through Four):
And as a bonus, there was an extra disc in the back of this album, unsleeved, containing four hits by the Mickey Carton Orchestra. Here's one side:
And here's t'other:
Wow, sorry about that flash glare. Anyway, awesome find, this whole collection was. And now that I appear to have a new collectible hobby, I'm heading off to eBay.
