Monday, December 24, 2012


RADIO REBEL GAEL PRESENTS :
 Santa Gone Fenian !

 


 
FEAT. NEW Music & Guest Musician, Pol Mac Adaim !!

 


 
And lots of rebel classics, and new inspirational tunes by Pol Mac Adaim (featuring new music from his new CD, “My Name Is Troy Davis” ), Damien Dempsey (from his new CD, “Almighty Love” !), John Mccullagh (from his latest and greatest, “Working Class Lowlife” !), David Mc Williams, Ciaran Murphy, Kevin Conlon, Seamus Kennedy, The Amadans, The Holohan Sisters, The Irish Brigade, The Bollox, The Gentlemen, The Pogues, The Screaming Celts, The Rumjacks, Roaring Jack, Sydney City Trash, Black 47, Cutthroat Shamrock, Rising Gael, Phoenix, Blood, Sweat and Wars, NECK, Triptych,

 

 

 

And all of your Grand Pa’s favorite melodies !

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Belfast Native Brings Musical Home Run



Pol Mac Adaim “My Name is Troy Davis” CD :



Reviewed by Rory Dub., Radio Rebel Gael

I awaited this new release by Belfast native and Irish Rebel balladeer, Pol Mac Adaim with great anticipation. And without any doubts, my wait was not in vain. And what a marvelous release, dedicated to both, Pol’s mother and Troy Davis, victim of State persecution and injustice, this CD will undoubtedly be remembered as one that stands apart, and proves that Pol Mac Adaim’s contributions to folk music has reached the greatness of Luke Kelly, Woody Guthrie, Pecker Dunne or Matt Mc Ginn, and proves also, that the rebel sounds of Ireland still shake the earth like summer thunder.


Beginning with David Rovics rousing tribute to those Irish soldiers that joined in the cause of Mexican freedom, “St. Patrick’s Battallion” is a great anthem of solidarity and who better to do a fine version of this classic than Pol Mac Adaim, a musician, Fenian, socialist, and working class hero, who has sung songs in four different languages, and who understands the importance of international solidarity, and a reminder of the deep friendship between Irish and Mexican soldiers :

“From Dublin City to San Diego
We witnessed freedom denied
So we formed the Saint Patrick’s Battallion
And we fought on the Mexican side”


Continuing with mighty sing-songs of freedom, “Legacy of Brendan” is a stirring tribute to the legendary freedom fighter, Brendan “Darkie” Hughes, a tune that really causes you to reflect and reminds us all of one of Ireland’s finest and bravest sons. With beautiful melody and moving prose, this rebel ballad will be remembered as one of the greatest Irish Rebel ballads of the 21st century :

“Farewell to the streets of Old Belfast
The place where I was born
Farewell to my friends and brave comrades
Those gallant ‘dogs of war’
When I think of the lives that were sacrificed
In 30 years of war
And I see what became of my country
I ask myself ‘what was it all for?’

Great ballads always make you stop and think and reflect on great men and women, and this tune ranks as one of the finest of rebel ballads, without any doubts. And if this tune does not resonate with you, you don’t have a heart.

Never to cease to amaze us with great anthems of proletarian rebellion and Fenian resistance, Pol marches on triumphantly, with a brilliant tribute to the people of Mayo, “Do You Feel?” , who are standing up against the tyranny and injustice of Shell Oil Corporation. Stripped of their native rights to fish their own bays and seas by the Corporate parasites and Free State puppets whose greed has no bounds and who do not have a bone of compassion or courage in their over-fed bodies, this great tune reminds us of the courage of the people of Mayo , fighting back to protect their waters from the toxins of Shell , whom have no ethics nor any respect for the people nor the people’s natural eco-system and their need to defend that eco-system from the Fat Cats of Shell Oil. As Pol says himself so well :

“So here’s a health to the people
Who’ve kept up the fight
For the cause you’ve embraced
Is both noble and right
And a message for the gangsters,
Their henchmen and media clowns
Despite all your tricks and your tactics so sick
Like the system that you’ve rammed down our throats with a stick
Your methods will all be in vain, We won’t let you prevail….”

Next, Pol does a stellar cover of Christy Moore’s tribute to the Blanketmen and all the Irish Freedom Fighters confined to the H Blocks in the 1980s. Well done, Pol, no one else can tackle a Christy Moore classic like yourself and breathe new life into an old mighty ode to the Men of 81’ like Pol Mac Adaim.

Afterwards, Eamon O’Doherty’s accolade to gallant Joe Mc Cann is done splendidly by Pol, reminding us of how much of an impact, just one man can have, even when faced with his own inevitable death, but still deciding to fight with his last breath against all odds :

“His cause was the freedom of the people in this land,
The Protestant and Catholic working man
But he caused the Bosses fear and for this they paid him dear
So they murdered brave Joe Mc Cann.”

Next, without skipping a beat, the rousing title track, “My Name Is Troy Davis”, begins with a mighty harmonica call-to-arms, reminding us of the cruel injustice and State brutality that still continues in the “United States of America”. Pol’s stirring ballad, reminds us all of Che Guevara’s wise words on solidarity in the face of injustice :

“If you tremble with indignation at every injustice, then you are a comrade of mine.”

And also reminds us that even in the “land of freedom”, if you happen to be black, poor, not one of the privileged class, or just not wealthy, and you are at the wrong place at the wrong time, you can become another victim of injustice in this so-called “democratic state”.

Next, another amazing and powerful original by Pol is his “H-Block to Maghaberry”, , causes us all to pause and reflect on the P.O.W.s in Maghaberry and Portlaoise, and their daily tribulations:

“I know this is now and that was then,
But the same situation is looming again
As British intransigence drags us all back through the slime
How long will we let the Brits dictate
What is a crime in this illegal state
As they rape, murder and pillage
Their way through time?”

Pol’s tribute to the imprisoned Freedom Fighters in Maghaberry and Portlaoise is a powerful reminder that the fight goes on and that as long as there is a British military presence in Ireland, the injustice and tyranny that is always a part of the British Occupation will keep Ireland without freedom, equality, justice, peace or sovereignty. No matter how the Media, the British Crown, and their Sinn Fein puppets spin it, the chances of having a United Ireland under these unjust circumstances is very slim.

“Wild Mountain Thyme”, next takes us away from the slum landlords, drugs, violence, turmoil and tribulations of the city, for a nice intermission, and Pol’s splendid version of this William Mc Peake classic is worth your while. Mellow tunes are always a great listen after songs of rebellion, war, tragedy, injustice and the fight against tyranny, just like sitting down and having a beer with the guy you just fought, after the rumble.

Afterwards, “Another Day”, is a great tribute to the freedom fighters of Palestine and a great reminder of the horrors and injustice of foreign occupation and Zionism. As Pol says himself in this brilliant tune :

“In the White House they refuse to hear our children scream
Far too busy trying to fool the world, with their American Dream
But humanity knows and humanity cares,
Humanity will bring an end to the oppression of the people there
Then we’ll see another day in Palestine…”

And as this great CD comes to a grand conclusion, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the last track of this stunning album, “Butterflies”, a nonpolitical and very spiritually uplifting tune, was to be my favorite song of the CD. Another brilliant original by Pol, this song kind of creates a musical dreamscape where the melody gives you wings and allows you to fly, like a butterfly :

“Would you like to fly away
With me for a year and a day?
Our troubles we’ll cast to one side
As we embark on our mystical flight
We can be butterflies….”


Sunday, December 09, 2012

Folk The System !




FEAT. NEW Music and Guest Musician, Erik Petersen of Mischief Brew !!



And lots of rebel classics, and new inspirational tunes by Pol Mac Adaim (featuring new music from his new CD, “My Name Is Troy Davis” !), Declan Hunt, Hank III, Ray Collins, Shane MacGowan, Terry “Cruncher” O’Neil, Bob Marley, Jun Tzu, Bog Savages, Cruachan, Whiskey of The Damned, Siobhan, The Screaming Orphans, The Wakes, The Langers Ball, The Fisticuffs, The Killigans, The Fighting Jamesons, The Dubliners, The Currency, The Wages of Sin, Roaring Jack, Wild Colonial Bhoys, Flatfoot 56, 



And all of your Grand Pa’s favorite melodies !


Sunday, November 25, 2012

From New Jersey to Norfolk, From Dublin to Boston....



RADIO REBEL GAEL PRESENTS : Sounds of Liberation !


FEAT. NEW Music & Guest Musicians, Colm O’Brien (Boston), and Gerry T. Moran (Norfolk/Dundalk) !!!



And lots of rebel classics, and new inspirational tunes by Paddy Mangan (featuring his new tune, “Just Foreign News” !!), Dropkick Murphys, (from their brand spanking new CD, “Signed and Sealed in Blood !!! “), Pol Mac Adaim (featuring new music from his new CD, “My Name Is Troy Davis” !), Screaming Orphans, Sean Murphy, Ronan O’Snodaigh, Charlie and The Bhoys, The Amadans, The Prodigals, Spirit of Freedom, The Players Brigade, The Clancy Brothers, The Currency, Blood or Whiskey, Roughneck Riot, 




And all of your Grand Pa’s favorite melodies !

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Wear Your Balaclava With Pride



RADIO REBEL GAEL PRESENTS : 
Old Caubeen (w/ A New Reel) !




FEAT. NEW Music & Guest Musician, 
Keith Fay of CRUACHAN (Dublin), 


And lots of rebel classics, and new inspirational tunes by Pol Mac Adaim (featuring new music from his new CD, “My Name Is Troy Davis”), The Amadans, Pascal Burke, Roughneck Riot, Erin Go Bragh, Shebeen, Cruachan, Ciaran Murphy, Donal Lunny, The Ryans, The Black Family, The Fighting Jamesons, The Skels, The Players Brigade, The Kreellers, The Bareknuckle Boxers, Adelante, The Irish Brigade, The Killigans, The Larkin & Moran Brothers, The Portrayal, Niblick Henbane, Planxty, Andy Irvine, Whiskey of The Damned, John Spillane,


And all of your Grand Pa’s favorite melodies !



“When the law can stop the blades of grass
From growing as they grow,
And when the leaves in summer time
Their verdure dare not show,
Then I will change the colour
I wear in my caubeen,
But till that day I'll stick for aye
To wearing of the green.”

Monday, November 05, 2012

I just got Pol Mac Adaim's new CD, "My Name is Troy Davis", what an amazing CD, it has some great versions of David Rovic's "Saint Patrick's Battallion", Christy Moore's  "Ninety Miles from Dublin", "(Ballad  of) Joe Mc Cann", by Eamon O'Doherty, "Wild Mountain Thyme" by Belfast native, William McPeake , as well as some phenomenal originals by Pol Mac Adaim himself, including "Legacy of The Dark (Brendan Hughes)", "Do You Feel?" ( a great tribute to the people of Mayo battling against Shell Oil corporation), "My Name Is Troy Davis", "Another Day", a moving tribute to the embattled people of Palestine; "Butterflies", which is a brilliant and spiritual melody, and my favorite song of this album; "From H-Block to Maghaberry", this is really a mighty release that I was honored to have the opportunity to listen to....Thanks again to comrade Pol Mac Adaim for inspiring and motivating all of us, with his powerful ballads and rebel harmonies !



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Spirits of the Past, Sounds of The Future.....



RADIO REBEL GAEL PRESENTS : The Samhain Sing Song !


FEAT. NEW Music & Guest Musician, John Mccullagh (Yorkshire/Melbourne) !
 


And lots of classics, and new tunes by Declan Hunt, Podgie, Terry “Cruncher” O’Neill, Captain Moonlight, Bluestack, The Ryans, The Druids, The Killigans, The Fisticuffs, The Currency, The Larkin Brigade, Spirit of Freedom, Black 47, The Men of No Property, Sydney City Trash,


And all of your Grand Pa’s favorite melodies !

Monday, October 08, 2012

Look Out ! I Think There's a Bomb in That Jack O' Lantern



RADIO REBEL GAEL PRESENTS : The Halloween Hooley !


FEAT. NEW Music & Guest Musicians, Leeson O’Keefe of NECK (London) & John Jo of THE AMADANS (Glasgow) !!!


And lots of classics, and new tunes by Linda Byrne O’Riordan, Damien Dempsey, John Mccullagh, Seamus Moore, Vinnie Caprani, Ciaran Murphy, Christy Moore, Woody Guthrie, Athenrye, Bluestack, Pat Shortt, Blood or Whiskey, Kilmaine Saints, Bible Code Sundays, The Prodigals, Larkin, The Mighty Regis, The Dubliners, The Navigators, The Mickey Finns, The Wages of Sin, The Lucky Bullets, The Irish Rovers, The Skoidats, The Wolfe Tones, Kila, Dancin’ Knuckles, The Zydepunks, The Tossers, The Pogues,


And your Grand Pa’s favorite melodies !

Saturday, September 22, 2012

FWD: Thanks, Fionnbarra Ó Dochartaigh, UPDATE ON THE TYRONE 4
THE TYRONE 4 PROTEST-FAST ENTERS ITS 4OTH DAY @ MIDNIGHT, SEPT. 23rd. 2012, YET THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING FROM 'OUR' POLITICIANS, CLERGY, and MEDIA. ALAS, IT IS SAD TO TO RELATE, EVEN SOME 'REPUBLICAN" GROUPS HAVE YET TO TAKE A PUBLICSTAND IN SUPPORT OF THEIR DEMAND FOR THE IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE "SEGREGATION CLAUSES" OF THE STEELE REPORT OF SEPT. 2003. SPEAKING OUT NOW CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE - POSSIBLY BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.


A HISTORY LESSON, ESPECIALLY FOR 'SLOW-LEARNERS'.

The significance of the Hunger Strike is deeply embedded into Ireland's history and mythology, and for Irish Republicans especially. This religio-political martyrdom has an iconic connection with THEIR pantheon of fallen comrades. The use of Hunger strike (The Troscad) dates back to pre-Christian Ireland when there was a strong tradition of oral laws, Brehon Laws (Laws of the Fénechus). In ancient Ireland, self-help was the only method at people's disposal to enforce a claim or right a wrong within the context of these laws. The hunger striker gave notice of their intent and, according to the law tract Di Chetharslicht Athgabhála, if the person who is being fasted against does not come to arbitration, and actually allows the protester to die, then the moral judgement went against them and they endured shame and contempt until they made recompense to the family of the dead person. If they failed to make such amends, they were not only damned 
 by society but damned in the next world. They were held within Irish society to be without honour and without morality

Saturday, September 01, 2012

RADIO REBEL GAEL Presents :



Over The Moon (w/ a Mighty Tune) !

http://spinxpress.com/bronxgael/





FEAT. NEW Music and Guest Musician, Paddy Ryan of THE RYANS (Liverpool) !!


And lots of classics, and new tunes by Mary Courtney, Brian Finnegan, John Mccullagh, Stephen Leeson, Ray Collins, Ciaran Murphy, Gerry T. Moran, Kevin Conlon, Pol Mac Adaim, Christy Moore, Johnny Cash, Rising Gael, Foster & Allen, Athenrye, Erin Og, Flook, NECK, Icewagon Flu, Bluestack, Shebeen, Mischief Brew, Roaring Jack, Blood or Whiskey, The Druids, The Tossers, The Fighting Jamesons,



And your Grand Pa’s favorite melodies !

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The Kingdom of Dál Riata :



[Regarding picture below], published in the year George Buchanan died, "Rerum Scoticarum Historia", " Praised by Dr Johnson and the later Hugh MacDiarmid as a ‘prince of poets’, George Buchanan (1506-1582) found time to re-write Scottish history, starting from the mythical Fergus Mór mac Eirc, legendary king of Dál Riata, and founder of Scotland."

The history of the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, has been misused and misunderstood, and even has some Loyalists and Unionists (and others) promoting this pseudo-history that this ancient Kingdom of "Scots-Irish" is some kind of British idea. This is patently false, and I was reminded today, watching a documentary about Mary Black's family today; "Ceol na n-Oileán ", filmed in Rathlin and "features performances from Mary, Frances and Michael Black and younger members of the Black Family, as well as local singers Teresa McFaul and John McCurdy", in which the family talks about the common Gaelic lineage of Irish and Scots, and talks about the history of the ancient Gaels, in ancient times, just GAELS, not as of yet, Scottish or Irish, but the ancient Gaels of Dál Riata, who lived in the Gaelic isles and regions that stretched throughout Antrim and parts of what is know "Scotland", who orginally spoke one Gaelic language in common, and who resisted, as a common people the British encroachment upon their common indigenous Gaelic lands......Far from being a history of "British" or "Scots-Irish", this Kingdom of Dál Riata, was a proud Gaelic people who spoke one Gaelic tongue and were the ancestors of both Irish and Scottish Gaels.........And who all throughout history resisted the British encroachment of their lands. Clearly, not the same story as the pseudo-historians of the Unionist and Loyalist mindset.

--- Rory Dub., Radio Rebel Gael




Saturday, August 11, 2012

RADIO REBEL GAEL Presents :





FEAT. NEW Music & Guest Musicians; Chris of ERIN GO BRAGH (Dublin),  and Paul Holohan of WHISKEY STILL (Dublin) !!!


And lots of classics, and new tunes by John Mccullagh (from his new CD, “Working Class Lowlife” !!), Damaris Woods (from her new debut CD, “Banjo On My Knee: !), Colm O’Brien (from his new CD, “Back To Work !!),  The Langer’s Ball (from their latest “The Devil or The Barrel” !), Andy Irivine, Donal Og, Phil Coulter, Girsa, Kila, Neck, Chicago Reel, Fenian Folk, The Navigators, The Druids, The Players Brigade, The Fisticuffs, The Pikemen, The Mickey Finns,





And much more….

Thursday, August 02, 2012

BANNING OF SPIRIT OF 76' FILM (1917), MORE UGLY PROOF OF THE LONG STANDING SUPPORT OF EVERYTHNG BRITISH BY THE U.S. GOVT.


The Spirit of '76 (1917) was a silent film directed by Frank Montgomery that depicted the American Revolution , and due to its depiction of British atrocities against Americans, caused the U.S. government to ban the film, and send its producer, Robert Goldstein, to Federal Prison for ten years, because it "violated the Espionage Act and was critical of the U.S.A.'s ally in WWI"


The film was produced by Robert Goldstein (born September 21, 1883), a Jewish immigrant from Germany who owned a costume shop. The Spirit of '76 was considered controversial at the time because of its depiction of the British atrocities during the American Revolutionary War, and "offended" tender pro-British sensibilities in America, while Wilson wanted to open up the Market to American Corporate Interests with the help of Britain.



The Spirit of '76 premiered in Chicago in May 1917, just one month after the United States declared war on Germany. The head of Chicago's police censorship board, a Mr M. Cicero Funkhouser, confiscated the film at the behest of Woodrow Wilson's Justice department on the grounds that it "generated hostility toward Britain", America's brand new ally. Goldstein trimmed the offending scenes, got federal approval for the censored version, and resumed the Chicago run. But when the film premiered in Los Angeles a few months later, Goldstein reinserted the deleted scenes concerning British atrocities. This was considered aiding and abetting the German enemy by the U.S. government, which after an investigation, arrested Goldstein.


The film was again seized and Goldstein was charged in federal court with violating the Espionage Act. At trial, the U.S. prosecutor argued that as the World War I effort demanded total Allied support, Goldstein's film was seditious on its face. Goldstein was convicted on charges of attempted incitement to riot and to cause insubordination, disloyalty, and mutiny by U.S. soldiers then in uniform as well as prospective recruits, and he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

"AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (AND ALL THAT CLAP TRAP)"

Monday, July 30, 2012

The Mickey Finns “Prayers And Idle Chatter” CD (Mankeltray Music) 2012:




Shane MacGowan once said that “….there’s no point in Ireland getting the six counties back, if Irish culture has been totally forgotten and destroyed. That will  have meant that they’ve won in the end.”  ( “A Drink With Shane MacGowan, Victoria Mary Clarke, 2001, Grove Press)





And bands like the Mickey Finns always remind us, of how much of an important part of Irish culture, the music really is.

With their third CD release, “Prayers and Idle Chatter”, The Mickey Finns are proof positive that no matter how much you drink,there’s not the slightest chance of Irish music being forgotten.

Beginning this new Mickey Finns bout with “Return of the Prodigal Son”; you can feel that whiskey-inspired Ceili-Country rhythm that brought so many fans to Paddy Reillys, night after night, to sing and dance to that rowdy Urban Cowboy sound that is the Mickey Finns. If Lucinda Williams and Christy Moore ever got together, The Mickey Finns would be their bastard child.  Bastard, in a positive sense of the word, perhaps like a Culchie troubadour, who, while he may be without a father, due to lack of family ties, he has the freedom to wander, busking on street corners, traveling the way of the Hobo musician, giving Boxcar Willie a few lessons on the way, with only a banjo and a coonskin cap to keep him company. Okay, maybe not. Maybe Boxcar Willie would get him drunk, pick his pockets and get him involved in a late night poker game, where he would lose his coonskin cap and his banjo. And didn’t we all learn about the evils of drinking and gambling in Sunday school ? So maybe this bastard child isn’t a saint, and has many musical parents, but who cares who the father is when the son is rocking the roof right off that roadhouse? Its that something special, that Irish Rogue-gypsy-hobo-culchie sound that will pack dance halls, pubs and roadhouses every night with an infectious Irish Rock n’ Reel mass appeal, that is 100% Mickey Finns. And bandmates Ray Kelly, and Brian Tracey, formerly of NY’s legenadary, The Prodigals, have a proud family tradition that transcends blood and lineage. Believe  it.

Afterwards, “Sweet Clare Girl” keeps us wandering these County Clare moors and beyond, in search of a musical sweetheart.

Just be careful with that “Sweet Clare Girl”, ladies and gentlemen, because she’s bound to break your heart :

“Said that love was only for the fools,
But you were never playing by the rules…..”

Despite the subject matter, this is really an upbeat tune that tells you to take it easy and not take things so seriously. A tune that would make Johnny Cash proud, whether or not the song makes you reminisce about unrequited love, or just a holiday romp with a beautiful Colleen, this tune is bound to become a crowd-pleaser.

Next, “McGuinness’ Mass” allows us to contemplate on the mysteries of life while totally banjaxed, or as they say in the States, “shit-faced”. This mighty pub sing-along is probably one of the best drinkers anthems ever written and is really about the existential nature of Alcohol & Religion. Like a Priest drunk on his own sacramental wine, we delve deep into the heart of intoxicating Ceilidh rhythms, libations, and toasts to friends, fiends, winos, langers, and family :

“Some men fought in wars and some tasted defeat
While others chased girls on their cold blistered feet,
But this was their haven, a safe place from harm
A place filled with song and with chatter and charm……”

A rocking and rolling pub sing along song of cheer and warmth that might even cause some to reschedule their Sunday afternoons. And while I wouldn’t recommend this tune to recovering alcoholics, I couldn’t recommend it enough to everybody else. Unless you’re a Jesus Freak. In that case, just stick to your Christian Rock and Gospel.

If that wasn’t enough of an alcoholic reverie for your tattered soul, than “Absinthe (Makes The Heart Grow Fonder)” shall give Hank III, Waylon Jennings and Luke Kelly (R.I.P.) a run for their money. From the hallowed halls of musical legends (driven to drink), comes the spirit of true “don’t cry in your beer, just guzzle it and smile”, reminding us, yet again, that life and love can be but a joke, even in the darkest of times. Hallellujah buddy ! This got to be one of the best drunkards prayers, this side of the Mississippi.

But probably one of the best tragic Irish love songs tackling the dark subject of sectarianism, is the Mickey Finns, “Tanks and Barbed Wire”, a mighty tune that will tug at your heart strings, and cause you to hope that people on both sides of the religious divide will wake up and reject the British propaganda of the “old divide and rule”, and put the religious hatred----- behind them. This song always moves me, in a way that only a deeply stirring and emotional song can. Beautiful and tragic, like Ulster.

Next, “The Jester”, is a happy tune that reunites us with our old chums in the drinking schools of McLean Avenue or the Quays. And with every rebel who breaks the mold , class clown that disrupts the boredom of school, or huckster who tries to talk us into playing his shell game, there’s always a Jester that stands tall amidst all the chicanery, turmoils and challenges of life, and keeps his head held high, because :

 

“Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall,

But the Jester still stands tall...

He’ll remain a rogue all his life, whiskey and the road , shall be his wife”

 

Whether or not this song for you, represents the rebel, the outlaw, or just the class clown, “The Jester” is an absolutely happening song, and one that Ken Bruen, The Mc Court Brothers, or Brendan O’Carroll would definitely relate to, and yet another amazing melody on a phenomenal CD that is almost all originals, written by The Mickey Finns. (The three instrumentals are the only covers on the entire CD). Really, you can’t get much better than that.

 

If that wasn’t crack-a-lackin’ enough for you, from the jubilant mirth of “The Jester”, we’re given more brilliant gypsy harmony that calls us to the road and the wanderers path, beyond the suffocating confines of city life and suburbia, “Dark Roll Down The Dawn” is one of a hell raiser and is destined to raise the roof where ever the mighty Mickey Finns take the stage.

But truthfully, the last ballad of this album, “The Ballad of Duffy’s Cut”, really must be the best song the Mickey Finns have written yet. And next to their equally great ballad “Tanks and Barbed Wire”, probably one of their most seriously heavy duty ballads, hands down. Telling the tragic true story of fifty-seven Donegal, Tyrone, and Derry natives, who emigrated in 1832 to work for railroad contractor, Phillip Duffy, near Malvern, Pennsylvania, and in less than two months, all of these hardworking sons of Ireland were all to die in disputed circumstances, most of them to be buried in mass graves, one account that they died of a cholera pandemic, while others say that they were massacred by Protestant nativists. Recent excavations and research has shown forensic evidence that more than a few of these 57 workers, were indeed murdered, by gunshot, and blunt force trauma, to the head. Additionally, many of those buried in unmarked mass graves, died due to the refusal of anti-Irish nativist locals , to allow them proper medical care:

“You’d thought you’d be in heaven, where the streets are paved with gold,

But you found yourself on a railway line, digging ditches in the cold...

There were 57 men, and 57 dreams

And 57 bodies in the ground, from evil schemes..”

A better song, in my opinion, by far, than the Willy Page “Duffys Cut” song that Christy Moore and others have covered, its also the best ballad on the tragedy of immigration and xenophobia, ever written. Fair play to the Mickey Finns, who can party hard and than get dead serious with you, and who’ve created one of the finest Irish Rock n’ Roll albums that I have ever heard. And believe me, I’ve heard many !

 

 -- Rory Dub., Radio Rebel Gael

 

 


Monday, July 23, 2012

RADIO REBEL GAEL PRESENTS :



 Celtic Thunder !


FEAT. NEW Music & Guest Musicians; Eoin Mc Carthy of WHISKEY OF THE DAMNED (Milwaukee), Leigh Schroeter of McALPINE’S FUSILIERS (Bendigo, Australia),  &  Michael Sturm of THE LANGER’S BALL (St. Paul, Minnesota),


And lots of classics, and new tunes by John Mccullagh (from his new CD, “Working Class Lowlife” !!!), Colm O’Brien, Captain Moonlight, Matt Mc Ginn, Christy Moore, George Carlin, Vincent Caprani,  Bog Savages, Dead Kennedys. Crass, Eire Og, Bluestack, The Ryans, The Rebel Hearts, The Wakes, The Dubliners, Blood or Whiskey, Minor Threat, Neck, Roaring Jack, More Power To Your Elbow, 39 Dangerous Street, 


And much more….

Saturday, July 07, 2012





14 September 1951 - 8 July 1981 






R.I. P. Oglach Joe McDonnell

A deep-thinking republican with a great sense of humour 

THE FOURTH IRA Volunteer to join the hunger-strike for political status was Joe McDonnell, a thirty-year-old married man with two children, from the Lenadoon housing estate in West Belfast. 


A well-known and very popular man in the Greater Andersonstown area he grew up, married and fought for the republican cause in, Joe had a reputation as a quiet and deep-thinking individual, with a gentle, happy go-lucky personality, who had, nevertheless, a great sense of humour, was always laughing and playing practical jokes, and who, although withdrawn at times, had the ability to make friends easily. 


As an active republican before his capture in October 1976, Joe was regarded by his comrades as a cool and efficient Volunteer who did what he had to do and never talked about it afterwards. 

Something of a rarity within the Republican Movement, in that outside of military briefings and operational duty he was never seen around with other known or suspected Volunteers, he was nevertheless a good friend of the late Bobby Sands, with whom he was captured while on active service duty.


Not among those who volunteered for the earlier hunger strike last year, it was the intense disappointment brought about by the Brits' duplicity following the end of that hunger strike, and the bitterness and anger that duplicity produced among all the blanket men, that prompted Joe to put forward his name the next time round.


And it was predictable, as well as fitting, when his friend and comrade Bobby Sands met with death on the sixty-sixth day of his hunger strike, that Joe McDonnell should volunteer to take Bobby's place and continue that fight.




RESOLVE


His determination and resolve in that course of action can be gauged by the fact that never once, following his sentencing to fourteen years imprisonment in 1977, did he put on the prison uniform to take a visit, seeing his wife and family only after he commenced his hunger-strike.


The story of Joe McDonnell is of a highly-aware republican soldier whose involvement stemmed initially from the personal repression and harassment he and his family suffered at the hands of the British occupation forces, but which then deepened - through continuing repression - to a mature commitment to oppose an occupation that denied his country freedom and attempted to criminalise its people.


It was that commitment which he held more dear than his own life.




FAMILY




Joe McDonnell was born on September 14th 1951, the fifth of eight children, into the family home in Slate Street in Belfast's Lower Falls.




His father, Robert, aged 59, a steel erector, and his mother, Eileen (whose maiden name is Straney), aged 58, both came from the Lower Falls themselves.




They married in St. Peter's church there, in 1941, living first with Robert's sister and her husband in Colinward Street, off the Springfield Road, before moving into their own home in Slate Street, where the family were all born.




These are: Eilish, aged 38, married with five children; Robert, aged 36, married with two children; Hugh, aged 34, married with three children; Patsy, aged 32, married with two children, and now living in Canada since 1969; Joe; Maura, aged 28 and single; Paul, aged 26, married with two children and Frankie, aged 24 and single.


Frankie is currently serving a five-year sentence on the blanket protest in H6-Block on an IRA membership charge, following his arrest in December 1976, and is due for release this December.


A ninth child, Bernadette, was a particular favourite of Joe's, before her death from a kidney illness at the early age of three.

"Joseph practically reared Bernadette", recalls his mother, "he was always with the child, carrying her around. He was about ten at the time. He even used to play marleys with her on his shoulders."


Bernadette's death, a sad blow to the family, was deeply felt by her young brother Joe.




DATING


One of his friends at that time was his future brother-in-law, Michael, and he began dating Goretti from around the time he was seventeen.


Joe and Goretti, who also comes from Andersonstown, married in St. Agnes' chapel in 1970, and moved in to live with Goretti's sister and her family in Horn Drive in Lower Lenadoon.




At that time, however, they were one of only two nationalist households in what was then a predominantly loyalist street, and, after repeated instances of verbal intimidation, in the middle of the night, a loyalist mob - in full view of a nearby Brit post, and with the blessing of the raving Reverend Robert Bradford, who stood by - broke down the doors and wrecked the houses, forcing the two families to leave.


INTERNMENT


The McDonnells went to live with Goretti's mother for a while, but eventually got the chance to squat in a house being vacated in Lenadoon Avenue.


Internment had been introduced shortly before, and in 1972 the British army struck with a 4.00 a.m. raid.


Joe was dragged from the house, hit in the eye with a rifle butt and bundled into a jeep. Their house was searched and wrecked. Joe was taken to the prison ship Maidstone and later on to Long Kesh internment camp where he was held for several months.




Goretti recalls that early morning as a "horrific" experience which altered both their lives. One minute they had everything, the next minute nothing.


On his release Joe joined the IRA's Belfast Brigade, operating at first in the 1st Battalion's 'A' Company which covered the Rosnareen end of Andersonstown, and later being absorbed into the 'cell' structure increasingly adopted by the IRA.


RAIDS


Both during his first period of internment, and his second, longer, internment in 1973, as well as the periods when he was free, the McDonnell's home in Lenadoon was constant target for British army raids.

During these raids the house would often be torn apart, photos 
torn up and confiscated letters from Joe (previously read by the prison censor) re-read by infantile British soldiers, and Goretti herself arrested.


In between periods of internment, and before his capture, Joe resumed his trade as an upholsterer which he had followed since leaving school at the age of fifteen. He loved the job, never missing a day through illness, and made both the furniture for his own home as well as for many of the bars and clubs in the surrounding area. His job enabled him to take the family for regular holidays but Joe was a real 'homer' and always longed to be back in his native Belfast.


BOMBS


Part of that attraction stemmed obviously from his responsibility to his republican involvement. An active Volunteer throughout the Greater Andersonstown area, Joe was considered a first-class operator who didn't show much fear. Generally quiet and serious while on an operation, whether an ambush or a bombing mission, Joe's humour occasionally shone through.




Driving one time to an intended target in the Lenadoon area with a carload of Volunteers, smoke began to appear in the car. Not realising that it was simply escaping exhaust fumes, and thinking it came from the bags containing a number of bombs, a degree of alarm began to break out in the car, but Joe only advised his comrades, drily, not to bother about it:

 "They'll go off soon enough."


Outside of active service, Joe mixed mostly with people he knew from work, never flaunting his republican beliefs or his involvement, to such an extent that it led some republicans to believe he had not reported back to the IRA on his second release from internment.

The Brits, however, persecuted him and his family continually, with frequent house raids, and street arrests. He could rarely leave the house without being stopped for P-checking, or held up for an hour at a roadblock if he had somewhere to go. A few months before his capture, irate Brits at a roadblock warned him that they would 'get' him.




Outside of his republican activity Joe took a strong interest in his children - Bernadette, aged ten and Joseph, aged nine - teaching them both to swim, and forever playing football with young Joseph on the small green outside their home.

CAPTURE


His capture took place in October 1976 following a firebomb attack on the Balmoral Furnishing Company in Upper Dunmurray Lane, near the Twinbrook estate in West Belfast.


The IRA had reconnoitred the store, noting the extravagantly-priced furniture it sold, and had selected it as an economic target. The plan was to petrol bomb the premises and then to lay explosive charges to spread the flames.


The Twinbrook active service unit led by Bobby Sands, was at that time in the process of being built up, and were assisted consequently in this operation by experienced republican Volunteers from the adjoining Andersonstown area, including Joe McDonnell.




Unfortunately, following the attack, which successfully destroyed the furnishing company, the escape route of some of the Volunteers involved was blocked by a car placed across the road.


During an ensuing shoot-out with Brits and RUC, two republicans, Seamus Martin and Gabriel Corbett were wounded, and four others, Bobby Sands, Joe McDonnell, Seamus Finucane and Sean Lavery, were arrested in a car not far away.

Three IRA Volunteers managed to escape safely from the area.
A single revolver was found in the car, and at the men's subsequent trial in September 1977 all four received fourteen-year sentences for possession when they refused to recognise the court.


Rough treatment during their interrogation in Castlereagh failed to make any of the four sign a statement, and the RUC were thus unable to charge the men with involvement in the attack on the furnishing company despite their proximity to it at the time of their arrest.



ADAMANT 


From the day he was sentenced Joe refused to put on the prison uniform to take a visit, so adamant was he that he would not be criminalised. He kept in touch instead, with his wife and family, by means of daily smuggled 'communications', written with smuggled-in biro refills on prison issue toilet paper and smuggled out via other blanket men who were taking visits.


Incarcerated in H5-Block, Joe acted as 'scorcher' (an anglicised form of the Irish word, scairt, to shout) shouting the sceal, or news from his block to the adjoining one about a hundred yards away. Frequently this is the only way that news from outside can be communicated from one H-Block to the blanket men in another H-Block.

It illustrates well the feeling of bitter determination prevailing in the H-Blocks that Joe McDonnell, who did not volunteer for the hunger strike last year because, he said, "I have too much to live for", should have become so frustrated and angered by British perfidy as to embark on hunger strike on Sunday, May 9th, 1981.




IMPACT


In June, Joe was a candidate during the Free State general election, in the Sligo/Leitrim constituency, in which he narrowly missed election by 315 votes.

All the family were actively involved in campaigning for him, and despite the disappointment at the result both they and Joe himself were pleased at the impact which, the H-Block issue had on the election, and in Sligo/Leitrim itself.




Adults cried when the video film on the hunger strike was shown, his family recall, and they cried again when Joe was eliminated from the electoral count.


MARTYR


At 5.11 a.m., on July 8th, Joe McDonnell, who - believeably, for those who know his wife Goretti, his children Bernadette and Joseph and his family - "had too much to live for" died after sixty one days of agonising hunger strike, rather than be criminalised.