Hi
I'm Michael Sam Wild, born into a Republican, Manchester Irish family in 1939. With roots in Mayo and Roscommon and a long time before with the Berry family who settled in West Lancashire sometime in the 1700s. My Gran Mary McGrail (Mc Greal - it was variously spelled on official documents ) came from Castlebar in the late 1890s and lived in Ardwick where she married Samuel Horabin Wild and had 3 kids. My Dad Sam was the youngest. He played mouth organ , sang and had fiddles and concertinas around the house but was too busy working as a steel erector and political activist. He fought in Spain in the Spanish Civil War as a Republican and as Commander of the British Battalion in the IV International Brigade, was officially excommunicated from the Church that sided with the Fascist , Franco!
It all got confusing for me as a youngster and was compounded by Protestant / Cathoilc tension and silly street fights. I opted for no religion. (But I still went for girls and music at the local Catholic Social Club where music and dancing sessions took place!!) later at 15 I found it more simple to start having a beer, make up my own mind and go down the road to the pubs on Stockport Road and play along with the old labouring boys from Mayo and Clare and the Travellers. The British Folk Revival of the 50s made it all more accessible as non-sectarian clubs formed and we all played anything together. This continued with the Irish emigration in the 60s and 70s to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and |London etc. "The Glory Years" of Paddy in the Smoke! Well before a lot of people in Ireland generally valued their own culture (not back at the roots but in the mainstream) I remeber Christie Moore saying how the English folk clubs kept him in work in the 60s and 70s)!
Now I'm a father of 5 lads and Grandad to two.
I sing, play mouthorgan, Anglo C/G and G/D Concertina, Button Accordion/Melodeon, Fiddle, whistle, Flute and Bouzouki and Mandolin. I've played since I was a youngster and have danced and sung for as long as I can remember
Ive been in various bands and have been a regular at sessions at Fagan's and The Dog and Partridge in my adopted town of Sheffield. My partner Linda Bailey and I also ran two well known music pubs The Red House built in 1820 (The Irish Embassy in Sheffield's Irish Quarter) and The Harlequin near The Wicker by The River Don. Now retired and playing and repairing free reed instruments. I find The Session a great resource. Thanks to all
Cheers
Mike
Tunes in mike Wild's tunebook: 0
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