Just curious--for musicians deeply drawn to the diddley-dee, which Irish writer do you find to have the best ear?--for rhythm, for purely euphonious syllables strung together, for power / hilarity / richness / persuasion that comes simply from the sound of the words--
Gotta few thoughts but hope folks’ll maybe pick up the thread first--
Has to be Joyce:
Jog jig jogged stopped. Dandy tan shoe of dandy Boylan socks skyblue clocks came light to earth.
O, look we are so! Chamber music. Could make a kind of pun on that. It is a kind of music I often thought when she. Acoustics that is. Tinkling. Empty vessels make most noise. Because the acoustics, the resonance changes according as the weight of the water is equal to the law of falling water. Like those rhapsodies of Liszt's, Hugarian, gipsyeyed. Pearls. Drops. Rain. Diddleiddle addleaddle ooddleooddle. Hissss. Now. Maybe now. Before.
One rapped on a door, one tapped with a knock, did he knock Paul de Kock with a loud proud knocker with a cock carracarracarra cock Cockcock.
Tap.
_Qui sdegno, Ben, said Father Cowley.
_No, Ben, Tom Kernan interfered. The Croppy Boy. Our native Doric.
Ay do, Ben, Mr Dedalus said. Good men and true.
_Do, do, they begged in one.
I'll go. Here, Pat, return. Come. He came, he came, he did not stay. To me. How much?
_What key? Six sharps?
_F sharp major, Ben Dollard said.
Bob Cowley's outstretched talons griped the black deepsounding chords.
I'm with Gary . Joyce for sure. Great ear for music
"--CO-OME, THOU LOST ONE! CO-OME, THOU DEAR ONE!
Alone. One love. One hope. One comfort me. Martha, chestnote, return!
--COME!
It soared, a bird, it held its flight, a swift pure cry, soar silver orb it leaped serene, speeding, sustained, to come, don't spin it out too long long breath he breath long life, soaring high, high resplendent, aflame, crowned, high in the effulgence symbolistic, ......high, of the high vast irradiation everywhere all soaring all around about the all, the endlessnessnessness ...
--TO ME!
Siopold!
Consumed.
Come. Well sung. All clapped. She ought to. Come. To me, to him, to her, you too, me, us.
-Bravo! Clapclap. Good man, Simon. Clappyclapclap. Encore! Clapclipclap clap. Sound as a bell. Bravo, Simon! Clapclopclap. Encore, enclap, said, cried, clapped all, Ben Dollard, "
Gearóid Mac Lochlainn is your only man for this type of literature. A poet who takes much of his inspiration from the music, with the music to be heard all through his performance style poetry.
Try 'Rakish Paddy Blues', it has a CD with it, even has Jarlath Henderson piping along. Poetry to the rhythm of Jigs and Reels.
Wonderful stuff, but of course it will be overlooked no matter what I say. Since I'm talking about art in our native language... I supose I should just shut up and get back in my box. No dual language traditions here I have you know young man, Queens English Speek ye please.
I'll let ye get back to the REAL Irish lit of Christy Brown and Joyce.
I do love Flann as well (good man de Selby!) - writer of possibly the best poem in the entire canon of Irish literature
if not of any literature: A pint of plain is your only man.
A lot of great names listed--pickled Behan, caffeinated Joyce, bleak black Beckett! This will get me looking into some I've not read yet and re-reading others.
For fun I'd throw in Joyce's pal, James Stephens, with his crazed "Crock of Gold." And Oliver Gogarty, himself.
And some of yer pop writers, dead and alive, who have a nice flow: Frank O'Connor, Roddy Doyle, and your hoary laureate-type, Seamus Heaney.
About Yeats - he insisted that Sir Roger Casement's Black Diaries, in which Casement revealed he was gay, were a forgery as he refused to accept that a homosexual could champion Irish freedom......for a start.
"Yeats's aristocratic attitudes made him no friend of the political left or even of democracy, and in the 1930s he wrote some marching songs for General Eoin O'Duffy's Blueshirts, a right wing political movement. " from the web
Yeats had many political roles including a controversial involvement in a right-wing movement during the early 1930s - this is covered in Foster's biography of Yeats.
Sorry to disillusion you.
Disillusion? Certainly not, he just sounds like a bog standard IRA man from 1910-present. There were a few exceptions, but most "Nationalist" champions would fit the description fascist, and not just in Ireland. I was never a great one for Yeats anyway.
Paul Muldoon is musical. And Ciaran Carson, whose brother posts here, plays the flute.
LNF is only one of many works by Ciaran Carson. You should try some of his poetry - quite different from the novel but with recognisable drops of wry humour distilled throughout.
Irish writer with the best ear...?
Irish writer with the best ear...?
Just curious--for musicians deeply drawn to the diddley-dee, which Irish writer do you find to have the best ear?--for rhythm, for purely euphonious syllables strung together, for power / hilarity / richness / persuasion that comes simply from the sound of the words--
Gotta few thoughts but hope folks’ll maybe pick up the thread first--
# Posted on April 27th 2007 by NEW Pure Drop® Ear Canal Oil
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
This guy has the best ear:
http://tinyurl.com/ywvmca
# Posted on April 27th 2007 by Rudall the time
Re: germs' choice flim flannery
i would go for james joyce and flann o'brien.
and bernard maclaverty.
brendan behan too.
# Posted on April 27th 2007 by biggus dave
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
At the minimalist end, Beckett.
# Posted on April 27th 2007 by Here Lyeth
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Not sure if you want to include songwriting -- but The Errant Apprentice written by Bill Watkins (sung by Andy Stewart) is fabulous wordsmithing.
# Posted on April 27th 2007 by zoetrope
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Glenn Patterson. All the best writers and musicians are from The Black North.
# Posted on April 27th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
John Waters?
# Posted on April 27th 2007 by Backer
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Patrick McCabe?
He's fairly "colourful"
# Posted on April 27th 2007 by Rudall the time
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Y.B Yeats. His poems have had songs written to them.
# Posted on April 27th 2007 by Pirate-Fiddler
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Sorry that should be W.B. Yeats. Typing too fast. But still there are songs using his poems as lyrics.
# Posted on April 27th 2007 by Pirate-Fiddler
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
The same with patrick Kavanagh.
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Bit of a fascist, Yates, though, was he not?
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by Rudall the time
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Fascist?
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Walter Macken
Flann O'Brien
Christy Brown
Brendan Behan
Spike Milligan
Eugene McCabe
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by Greenwiggle
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Oscar Wilde? although, in my humble opinion, the daddy of them all was Shaw. I like his politics.
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Has to be Joyce:
Jog jig jogged stopped. Dandy tan shoe of dandy Boylan socks skyblue clocks came light to earth.
O, look we are so! Chamber music. Could make a kind of pun on that. It is a kind of music I often thought when she. Acoustics that is. Tinkling. Empty vessels make most noise. Because the acoustics, the resonance changes according as the weight of the water is equal to the law of falling water. Like those rhapsodies of Liszt's, Hugarian, gipsyeyed. Pearls. Drops. Rain. Diddleiddle addleaddle ooddleooddle. Hissss. Now. Maybe now. Before.
One rapped on a door, one tapped with a knock, did he knock Paul de Kock with a loud proud knocker with a cock carracarracarra cock Cockcock.
Tap.
_Qui sdegno, Ben, said Father Cowley.
_No, Ben, Tom Kernan interfered. The Croppy Boy. Our native Doric.
Ay do, Ben, Mr Dedalus said. Good men and true.
_Do, do, they begged in one.
I'll go. Here, Pat, return. Come. He came, he came, he did not stay. To me. How much?
_What key? Six sharps?
_F sharp major, Ben Dollard said.
Bob Cowley's outstretched talons griped the black deepsounding chords.
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by GaryAMartin
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
I'm with Gary . Joyce for sure. Great ear for music
"--CO-OME, THOU LOST ONE! CO-OME, THOU DEAR ONE!
Alone. One love. One hope. One comfort me. Martha, chestnote, return!
--COME!
It soared, a bird, it held its flight, a swift pure cry, soar silver orb it leaped serene, speeding, sustained, to come, don't spin it out too long long breath he breath long life, soaring high, high resplendent, aflame, crowned, high in the effulgence symbolistic, ......high, of the high vast irradiation everywhere all soaring all around about the all, the endlessnessnessness ...
--TO ME!
Siopold!
Consumed.
Come. Well sung. All clapped. She ought to. Come. To me, to him, to her, you too, me, us.
-Bravo! Clapclap. Good man, Simon. Clappyclapclap. Encore! Clapclipclap clap. Sound as a bell. Bravo, Simon! Clapclopclap. Encore, enclap, said, cried, clapped all, Ben Dollard, "
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by cabers
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Gearóid Mac Lochlainn is your only man for this type of literature. A poet who takes much of his inspiration from the music, with the music to be heard all through his performance style poetry.
Try 'Rakish Paddy Blues', it has a CD with it, even has Jarlath Henderson piping along. Poetry to the rhythm of Jigs and Reels.
Wonderful stuff, but of course it will be overlooked no matter what I say. Since I'm talking about art in our native language... I supose I should just shut up and get back in my box. No dual language traditions here I have you know young man, Queens English Speek ye please.
I'll let ye get back to the REAL Irish lit of Christy Brown and Joyce.
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by proinsiasrua
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Flann is yer only man!
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by de Selby
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Gearóid Mac Lochlainn is brilliant - he has a genuine love and appreciation of the music. Here's a good one:
http://www.nantahalareview.org/issue2-2/poetry/mac_lochlainn.htm
I do love Flann as well (good man de Selby!) - writer of possibly the best poem in the entire canon of Irish literature
if not of any literature: A pint of plain is your only man.
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
A lot of great names listed--pickled Behan, caffeinated Joyce, bleak black Beckett! This will get me looking into some I've not read yet and re-reading others.
For fun I'd throw in Joyce's pal, James Stephens, with his crazed "Crock of Gold." And Oliver Gogarty, himself.
And some of yer pop writers, dead and alive, who have a nice flow: Frank O'Connor, Roddy Doyle, and your hoary laureate-type, Seamus Heaney.
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by NEW Pure Drop® Ear Canal Oil
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
About Yeats - he insisted that Sir Roger Casement's Black Diaries, in which Casement revealed he was gay, were a forgery as he refused to accept that a homosexual could champion Irish freedom......for a start.
"Yeats's aristocratic attitudes made him no friend of the political left or even of democracy, and in the 1930s he wrote some marching songs for General Eoin O'Duffy's Blueshirts, a right wing political movement. " from the web
Yeats had many political roles including a controversial involvement in a right-wing movement during the early 1930s - this is covered in Foster's biography of Yeats.
Sorry to disillusion you.
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by Rudall the time
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Disillusion? Certainly not, he just sounds like a bog standard IRA man from 1910-present. There were a few exceptions, but most "Nationalist" champions would fit the description fascist, and not just in Ireland. I was never a great one for Yeats anyway.
Paul Muldoon is musical. And Ciaran Carson, whose brother posts here, plays the flute.
# Posted on April 28th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Yep Carson is great - though Last Night's Fun is more *about* the music, so not sure if that qualifies for what was asked.
# Posted on April 29th 2007 by Rudall the time
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
LNF is only one of many works by Ciaran Carson. You should try some of his poetry - quite different from the novel but with recognisable drops of wry humour distilled throughout.
# Posted on April 29th 2007 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
Yeats was something of a crazy mixed-up adult.
# Posted on April 29th 2007 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Irish writer with the best ear...?
I know I am right here. My musical knowledge; not half the average (I'm guessing) of the rest of ye. My knowledge of literature is different matter.
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/13536
# Posted on April 30th 2007 by proinsiasrua