Wolfe Tones Look For Radio Airplay

I'm always intrigued by the writings of Brian Warfield from The Wolfe Tones. Brian has been struggling to get radio airtime for the band for years without much success. The latest song he tried to get played on R.T.E. [Our National Radio And T.V. Channels] is Swing A Banker. The following is from Brian,,feel free to comment. Since last October, we have requested a spot on 'The Late Late Show' to showcase a song, "Swing a banker", from the CD. We also requested a spot on other shows such as 'The Saturday Night Show'. In spite of begging, pleading, grovelling and doing everything possible short of a brown paper bag filled with cash, our requests were sidelined and rejected. Maybe that's what is necessary, I heard people say that a spot on The Late Late can be bought for 5 grand. If this is true, it's an outrage, are their big salaries not good enough? I believe there is a conspiracy and a systemic blacklisting of the Tones within the organization. I was recently sent a copy of a DVD, showing producers in RTE saying things such as, 'I would never play them on one of my shows, I don't care how good they are, and if I heard anyone play them, I would be on the phone immediately to find out why' ... Watch out, these videos will be on YouTube very soon for all the world to see. Talk about Swing a Banker, why are they deliberately avoiding playing the song, why and who's trying to prevent it getting to the world, are they afraid that the people might hear it and like it, and agree with it, why is it blackballed? The conspiracy continues

Send Me Your Old Folk And Rebel Songs

I hope to be adding new posts to this blog on a regular basis and I hope you will contribute comments to the posts. I am looking for ideas as to how to progress with site, it has got to the stage now where I have most of The Wolfe Tones, Christy Moore and over 800 songs in total. If you have any old folk or rebel lyrics and chords will you please send them to me at unitedireland@gmail.com
Lets keep our music alive

Johnny McEvoy

Johnny McEvoy has a new album out, the songs are a mixture of classic oldies and some new stuff. The album is now available from Johnny's website at €25.
I look forward to reviewing it and adding a few lyrics and chords to my site.
He is now on tour around Ireland so if you get the chance go and see him, you won't be disappointed as the show is better than ever.

I Don't Play Rock Songs

I've gotten a lot of requests for rock and pop songs from Irish bands and singers. When visitors see a site for Irish songs and chords some expect to find groups like U2 , The Cranberries and Van Morrison. I don't do that kind of stuff, it's not that I don't like it it's just that they are not ''Irish Songs'' , they are pop and rock songs played by singers and groups who come from Ireland and that doesn't make their songs ''Irish Songs''
There are plenty of sites around that cater for U2 Van Morrison, The Cranberries and so on. What I concentrate on are folk and ballads tunes from over 200 years ago to the present day. That's what I play as a guitar player, and that's the stuff I was brought up on. If you have a piticular song and are looking for the chords and it's a folk tune then let me know and I'll have a go at it.

The Wolfe Tones

The Wolfe Tones songs, well, I have now nearly all their lyrics collected and with some help from Marc Fahrbach who is a great man on guitar and has put chords to some of the more difficult songs. As The Wolfe Tones are my favorite group I have put more of an effort into bringing all their songs together on one site.
But the colelection is not compleat yet, her are a few from the older albums I hope to add soon.
Singing Games, Down In The Mines and Dry Land Salors, all from The Foggy Dew album of 1965.
Song Of The Blackwoods and Finding Moses from ''Up The Rebels'' album.
Treat Me Daughter Kindly and Up The Border from ''The Rights Of Man albumof 1968.
The Four Seasons taken from ''Rifles Of The I.R.A.
Dont Stop Me Now from ''Let The People Sing'' album of 1972

Ronnie Drew

Ronnie Drew has died, it happened 16 August 2008 at Saint Vincent's hospital Dublin.
Ronnie was a founder member of The Dubliners who were formed in 1962 along with Barney McKenna and Ciaran Burke, joined later by the late Luke Kelly John Sheehan and Bob Lynch, Ronnie was born in Dunlaoire Dublin in 1932, his wife Deirdre passed away 2007.
Ronnie's time with the Dubliners was from 1962-1974 and from 1979-1995 also dropping in to join the lads on a few special occasions in between.

With Ronnie on vocals with Seven Drunken Nights which launched The Dubliners career with their appearance on Top Of The Pops in 1967.
His rendition of Phil Coulters song ''Donegal Danny'' sums up Ronnie Drew for me, an absolute brilliant version. all The Dubliners songs can be found on my site which has videos,,just Google Martin Dardis songs

He recorded songs with many of Ireland's finest singers and musicians including The Pogues with ''The Irish Rover'' Christy Moore, Eleanor Shanley with ''A Couple More Years'' The Dropkick Murphys to name a few.

In February this year The Ballad Of Ronnie Drew was released and the single went straight to No 1 in the Irish charts, The song was written by Robert Hunter of The Grateful Dead along with the members of Irish rock group u2.
Singers on the single were -Christy Moore, Sinead O'Conner, The Chieftains, The Dubliners, Ronan Keating, Robert Hunter, Kila, Paddy Casey, Damien Dempsey, Mary Black, Paul Brady, Mundy, Declan O'Rourke, Bob Geldoff.

Celtic Thunder

Celtic Thunder are a bunch of Irish [as far as I know] lads I came across only recently, Youtube is where I first heard them, they were singing Yesterday's Men by which was a bit of a hit years ago for The Furey's, I thought, ''not bat at all'' , a bit too much rehearsed and stage managed but a breath of fresh air for folk music.

Well they have come along well in the last year or so, releasing old classic songs like The Mountains Of Mourne, Caledonia, and an old favourite I recorded myself ''Come By The Hills'' , well if all this helps the Irish folk/ballad scene I'm all in favour, anything to help get the young people involved in singing and playing a musical instrument is great.

The reason I post this is that Marc from Germany who works out the guitar chords on some songs has sent me a few of Celtic Thunder songs with chords, by the way Phil Coulter wrote most of the songs for the lads.
The first is yesterday's men which was first recorded by The Furey's And Davie Arthur and one of my favourites.

The next is a song called Christmas 1915 which I was only vaguely aware of, but a fine anti war song with video and chords.

Next up is another Phil Coulter song called heartland which sounds like a mythical like song, an amusing concept to have the women playing the musicial instruments and the lads singing, this typs of stuff reminds me of riverdance.
All the songs are in the same key with chords as Celtic Thunder sing/play so you can strum along and stay in tune. Celtic Thunder is one of the best modern examples of polished, theatrical presentations of traditional and contemporary folk songs. They take material rooted in Irish and Scottish folk traditions and reimagine it for the stage, with rich harmonies, orchestral arrangements, and cinematic production. Who They Are Celtic Thunder is an Irish vocal ensemble created by Sharon Browne and Phil Coulter in 2007. Their members rotate over the years (Damian McGinty, Ryan Kelly, Keith Harkin, Neil Byrne, Emmet Cahill, and others), but the concept remains: a group of powerful solo voices combining for grand, emotional, folk-inspired performances. They bridge the gap between traditional Celtic folk music and modern pop-opera spectacle — think The Chieftains meets Les Misérables. What “Polished Folk” Means in Their Style Celtic Thunder takes raw, traditional folk material — songs once sung in pubs, cottages, or on the moors — and elevates it into orchestrated, cinematic productions. 

The result: accessible, polished folk that keeps traditional melodies alive for modern audiences. Key features: Orchestral and choral backing – rich string and brass arrangements replace the sparse fiddles or pipes of old folk. Professional vocal blend – instead of the rough, lived-in voices of field singers, you get trained, resonant tenor and baritone voices. Stage storytelling – lighting, costuming, and performance style evoke the emotions behind the songs. Modern production quality – studio mixing and lush reverb give their music a cinematic, universal sound. 🎻 Examples of Polished Folk Songs They Perform Here are some examples of traditional or folk-inspired songs they’ve reinterpreted — and how: Song Origin / Theme Celtic Thunder’s Take “The Rocky Road to Dublin” 19th-century Irish folk song They maintain the fast-paced traditional rhythm but add tight vocal harmonies and a polished instrumental backing. “Danny Boy” Irish ballad (early 20th century) Classic lament transformed into a soaring tenor showcase — lush strings, cinematic emotion. “The Parting Glass” Traditional Scottish/Irish farewell song Harmonically rich arrangement — layered vocals and orchestral swells turn a pub song into an anthem. “Ride On” Irish folk song (Jimmy MacCarthy) Folk roots blended with modern pop-folk guitar textures; haunting lead vocal. “Ireland’s Call” Modern Irish anthem Combines patriotic energy with choir-style production; sounds almost cinematic. “Mull of Kintyre” Paul McCartney’s Scottish-influenced ballad Folk-pop crossover elevated with bagpipes and ensemble vocals. “Caledonia” Dougie MacLean (modern Scottish folk classic) Intimate verses with full-orchestra crescendo — 

one of their most emotional numbers. “The Galway Girl” Steve Earle (modern Irish-folk hit) Retains the pub-folk feel but with layered studio polish, perfect phrasing, and crowd-friendly energy. 🌄 Instrumentation and Arrangement Traditional folk music might rely on: Fiddle, tin whistle, bodhrán (drum), and simple guitar accompaniment. Celtic Thunder expands this to include: Full orchestra or ensemble band (strings, brass, percussion) Piano, acoustic/electric guitars, bass Bagpipes and uilleann pipes for authenticity Choral harmonies for grandeur So instead of rustic simplicity, you get a majestic, cinematic folk sound — accessible to global audiences. 🗣️ Vocal Style One of Celtic Thunder’s hallmarks is vocal contrast: Deep baritones (Paul Byrom, George Donaldson, Ryan Kelly) Bright tenors (Damian McGinty, Keith Harkin, Emmet Cahill) Harmonies that blend pop precision with folk warmth They structure songs like mini-dramas — alternating solo verses with full-ensemble choruses for emotional arcs. That approach is closer to musical theatre storytelling than to pub-sung folk, yet it keeps the heart of the song intact.

  Why It Works Celtic Thunder’s “polished folk” style succeeds because it: Preserves heritage — melodies, language, and emotion remain rooted in Irish/Scottish tradition. Appeals globally — modern production, cinematic presentation, and English lyrics make it accessible. Bridges generations — grandparents recognize the tunes; younger listeners appreciate the artistry. Reframes folk — showing that traditional songs can be majestic and mainstage-worthy, not just rustic.