"Philip Donellan's magnificent 1960s documentary 'the Irishmen' about the Irish workers in England.
The fifty minutes long film is full of song by Joe Heaney and Ewan McColl (with concertinaplaying by Peggy Seeger) and a musical cameo by Seamus Ennis (who was advisor on the project) and others."
(Originally posted earlier this year on concertina.net by a member of thesession.org- to whom many thanks. Don't think it's been posted here before. Definitely worth a look.)
Thanks P-K, this sounds like a great programme which I'll have to try and tune in. When I seen the title I half expected someone looking for the dots for this tune which was an anthem back in the 1960s. I was even going to impart that little gem of wisdom that the melody came from a traditional march "Jackets Green". There I've done it anyway - another bit of useless information!
Having musical Tourettes' Syndrome, I often find myself singing the song under my breath if my days' job sends me walking past the Crown, in Cricklewood.
"When the craic was good,
In Cricklewood,
And you couldn't get them out of The Crown".
Great Memories from 1965. The Annual GAA Games at Wembley and the Emerald Girls Pipe Band from the Hammersmith area parading. It was also great to see the late Tommy McCarthy from Clare playing the pipes in the pub. Strange as it would seem, it was great to be Irish in London at that time. There was a thing going mid sixties on behalf of the London Cypriots, 'Be Greek for a week, but I also remember seeing plenty of 'Be Irish for a week' on T Shirts. Ireland was starting to become more of a tourist destination for the English, and many of my London born friends visited Ireland for motoring holidays for the first time. It all faded away when the NI troubles started of course.
Probably more crack than women, in truth, as women didn't go out so much to pubs on their own then, but the guys in the film seem happy enough.
The scene in the building site restroom or whatever, is interesting, as the camera pans round to show the accordian and the flute players mixed in with the dozens of other men- the music is there at work, as well as in the pubs (unless that was just for the film). Great guys. I'd better stop there before I get elegiac...
No, not the same one.
This Paddy Fahey was from Co. Waterford. He came to London in the 40s and was a professional photographer living in N. London. He died in 1994.
"And down the glen . . ." This could go on for ever!! Go to http://www.lyricstime.com/neck-mcalpine-s-fusileers-lyrics.html and you'll get it all. In fact one of our sessioneers who read this came along to the session this week with the notation for the song printed out so next week it will be back to the sixties for us!
Thanks great, Bannerman- I'd love to be there with you next week singing along! Problem is all the variants (e.g. no mention of Cricklewood in the version on that link!)- plus the poem sometimes stuck on the beginning (or end?!), which I believe came from the Dubliners performance (?)
Still, at least all you guys should be singing from the same hymn sheet ;)
McAlpine's Fusiliers
McAlpine's Fusiliers
http://video.google.ca/googleplayer.swf?docid=3797500874433329951&hl=en&fs=true%22%20target=%22_blank%22
"Philip Donellan's magnificent 1960s documentary 'the Irishmen' about the Irish workers in England.
The fifty minutes long film is full of song by Joe Heaney and Ewan McColl (with concertinaplaying by Peggy Seeger) and a musical cameo by Seamus Ennis (who was advisor on the project) and others."
(Originally posted earlier this year on concertina.net by a member of thesession.org- to whom many thanks. Don't think it's been posted here before. Definitely worth a look.)
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by Here Lyeth
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
Thanks P-K, this sounds like a great programme which I'll have to try and tune in. When I seen the title I half expected someone looking for the dots for this tune which was an anthem back in the 1960s. I was even going to impart that little gem of wisdom that the melody came from a traditional march "Jackets Green". There I've done it anyway - another bit of useless information!
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by Bannerman
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
Having musical Tourettes' Syndrome, I often find myself singing the song under my breath if my days' job sends me walking past the Crown, in Cricklewood.
"When the craic was good,
In Cricklewood,
And you couldn't get them out of The Crown".
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by Guernsey Pete
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
"Bottles flying,
Biddys crying
& Paddy's going to town"
You can't beat a bit of nostalgia!
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by Bannerman
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
''But mother dear i'm over here
And never going back
What keeps me here is the rake of beer
The women and the crack''
now . . .
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by lisaniska
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
Great Memories from 1965. The Annual GAA Games at Wembley and the Emerald Girls Pipe Band from the Hammersmith area parading. It was also great to see the late Tommy McCarthy from Clare playing the pipes in the pub. Strange as it would seem, it was great to be Irish in London at that time. There was a thing going mid sixties on behalf of the London Cypriots, 'Be Greek for a week, but I also remember seeing plenty of 'Be Irish for a week' on T Shirts. Ireland was starting to become more of a tourist destination for the English, and many of my London born friends visited Ireland for motoring holidays for the first time. It all faded away when the NI troubles started of course.
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by Free Reed
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
Probably more crack than women, in truth, as women didn't go out so much to pubs on their own then, but the guys in the film seem happy enough.
The scene in the building site restroom or whatever, is interesting, as the camera pans round to show the accordian and the flute players mixed in with the dozens of other men- the music is there at work, as well as in the pubs (unless that was just for the film). Great guys. I'd better stop there before I get elegiac...
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by Here Lyeth
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dwgAVMyfLM
This is on a similar theme. Yours truly appears at 2.00 - 2.03, second from the right, behind Johnny Clifford.
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by murfbox
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
Thanks, murfbox- great photos. The photographer is given as Paddy Fahey- not the same man who wrote all those tunes?
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by Here Lyeth
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
No, not the same one.
This Paddy Fahey was from Co. Waterford. He came to London in the 40s and was a professional photographer living in N. London. He died in 1994.
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by murfbox
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
And down the glen . . .
# Posted on June 19th 2009 by lisaniska
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
"And down the glen . . ." This could go on for ever!! Go to http://www.lyricstime.com/neck-mcalpine-s-fusileers-lyrics.html and you'll get it all. In fact one of our sessioneers who read this came along to the session this week with the notation for the song printed out so next week it will be back to the sixties for us!
# Posted on June 19th 2009 by Bannerman
Re: McAlpine's Fusiliers
Thanks great, Bannerman- I'd love to be there with you next week singing along! Problem is all the variants (e.g. no mention of Cricklewood in the version on that link!)- plus the poem sometimes stuck on the beginning (or end?!), which I believe came from the Dubliners performance (?)
Still, at least all you guys should be singing from the same hymn sheet ;)
# Posted on June 19th 2009 by Here Lyeth