The Halloween Hooley Vol. 4 : The Grand Fenian Finale !

The Halloween Hooley : Volume 4 : The Grand Finale !

Radio Rebel Gael

Featuring the finest by Kevin Conlon, Ray Collins, Shane MacGowan, Cruel Seamus,The Mighty Regis, Larkin, Shebeen, Eire Og, Seanchai & The Unity Squad, Icewagon Flu, Cruachan, Blood or Whiskey, Dancin Knuckles, Buck-O-Nine, The Clandestine Culchee Cheeky Monk E's, The Larkin Brigade, McAlpine's Fusiliers,and tons more !


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http://www.archive.org/details/RADIOREBELGAELTheHalloweenHooleyVol.4_TheGrandFenianFinale_/

Cruel Seamus " The Irish Wake of Cruel Seamus" CD

　
This New York Celtic Rock band features ex members of Gael Force, Sonas , The Rising and Ceann, and rock the Public House with a diverse blend of Irish, Scots, and Cape Breton Celtic Folk, Ceilidh Country, Celtic Rock & Reel and even a dazzling dash of reggae and Irish rap, continuing that New York Irish tradition that Black 47 and Seanchai & The Unity Squad began in the early 90s. If that wasn’t cool enough already, Uileann piper, Chris Byrne of Black 47/Seanchai compliments their rousing Rock & Reel in the quartet’s quintessential Fenian original, “Queen of the IRA”, and their superb cover of Dominic Behan’s “Auld Triangle”, with mighty presence and acumen.

Kick-starting this hair-raising (and razing) hot Hibernian hullabaloo New York-based Hooley is a grand tribute to Irish heroines and female freedom fighters, the aforementioned barn-burning “Queen of the IRA”, a brilliant Celtic Rock accolade to all those women, living and departed, who dedicated themselves to the cause of Irish Freedom; Miriam Daly, Marie Drumm, Bernadette Devlin-Mc Aliskey, Josephine Hayden, Mairead Farrell, and so many others. Amy Beshara’s fiddler’s finesse lifts you from the dreary doldrums of clock-punching work-a-day existence, with a Celtic melody that soars like the phoenix of 1916, it’s scorched yet flapping musical wings breathing the spirit of revolutionary rebirth from the embers.

Next, “Beauty of Your Creation” is a Ska-Rock love song, that doesn’t quite reach the musical summits of the intro track, and a bit too “collegey” for me, but once again, Amy Beshara’s fine fiddling saves this somewhat mediocre tune, making it listenable, in a “Pop song” kind of way. Granted, not everybody can tackle the challenge of combining Ska, Rock & Roll and Celtic music like Black 47 or Seanchai & The Unity Squad, so I give Cruel Seamus three cheers for making this brave attempt, but I hope Cruel Seamus doesn’t think I’m being cruel by honestly saying that Ska is not their forte. But atleast it wasn’t Sublime or something like that. All in all, it does have a nice melody, just not my personal cup of tea.

Next, brilliant fiddler Amy Beshara once again shines like a diamond in the rough a she leads on the upwards path towards Celtic Victory, with a crackin’ good traditional medley of “Neil Gow’s Lament”, “Maid Behind The Bar”, and “Captain Alex Fraser”, with guitarists Kevin Doyle and Tom Dunphy giving her musical backup. Cruel Seamus teleport us back to a forgotten age, where Cuchulainn and his Red Branch fought the armies of Queen Maeve and Finn McCool trying to catch the salmon of knowledge.

Afterwards, Ceilidh Country reminiscent of Barnbrack meets Steve Earle lifts us from our urban confines to the musical fields of Tennessee or Sligo, with “Last Breath”, another fine original by Cruel Seamus that would please Nashville fanatics and Celtic Rock connoisseurs alike. With a soulful harmony that makes you want to do the two boot scoot boogie followed up with a Ceilidh jig, this Culchee Rock original really made me smile. And hell, everybody knows I’m not the smiley-face type.

“Auld Triangle” follows, this Dominic Behan classic made famous by The Pogues when they featured it on their debut album, “Red Roses for Me” in 1984, making it a hard song to cover without getting tomatoes thrown at you, but Cruel Seamus seem to have been able to pull it off without a hitch. Complimented by Chris Byrne (Black 47/Seanchai)’s Uillean bagpiping, Cruel Seamus do justice to this old Fenian anthem. Crackin’ good, Cruel Seamus, crackin’ good.

Next, “Here I Am” is a spacey tune that brings us back to the era of Psychedelic Rock, ala Vanilla Fudge or Cream’s “Disraeli Gears”, remaining “trippy” and a bit “Cosmic” without losing their Celtic Rock melody.

“3000 Miles” follows with a Van Morrison style vocal style in a great Celtic love song with a Reggae twist, where lead singer (John Shea or Tom Dunphy?) here definitely impresses me with his Hibernian harmony and soulful melody that will be a favorite, for sure, for those who like Damien Dempsey or Van Morrison, because the singing here is on the same level and wavelength, and will not disappoint those who appreciate that particular sound.

Afterwards, a second medley of Celtic reels & jigs lifts us from our seats as “Morrison’s Jig”, “The Swallow Tail Reel” and “Apples In Winter” leads us to that Ceilidh dance floor to shake it with abandon. The superb drumming of John Shea and fiddle finesse of Amy Beshara ready us for musical battle, with a Firbolg boom boom that would make Balor of the Evil Eye, mighty proud.

Never to be outdone, Cruel Seamus will next totally surprise you with “Irish Pride”, a bump-bump-bumping Irish Rap anthem led by Glasgow born & bred wild child rapper, Griddy, whose mad rhymes will make you wanna put on your Kangol cap and do the funky robot.

Next, “Song of the Chanter” is a cracker-jack traditional ditty that ranks right up there with stalwart balladeers like the Battering Ram or The Dubliners.

And to conclude a phenomenal “Irish Wake of Cruel Seamus”, “Garden Rose” is less a funeral dirge or ballad of lost love than a stirring Celtic Rock lullaby with enough twang and fiddle to please both Sligo and Kentucky, in one Fenian fiddlers fell swoop. Be proud Irish New Yorkers, just because New York hasn’t known musical legend since the advent of Black 47 or Seanchai & The Unity Squad, doesn’t mean the green light at the end of the dark tunnel has gone out. Cruel Seamus are proof positive that the Celtic Flame is still burning bright.

　
　
-Rory Dubhdara, Radio Rebel Gael

http://www.myspace.com/cruelseamus

http://cruelseamus.com/

NIFC New York : 2009 Fenian Commemorations

2009 Republican Commemorations
National Irish Freedom Committee



http://www.irishfreedom.net

On Sunday, October 18, 2009 Cumann Na Saoırse Náιsιúnta (CnSN), the Friends of Irish Freedom and the Ó Donovan Rossa Society co-sponsored a commemoration honoring several deceased Irish Republicans who remained true to the Irish Republic as proclaimed on Easter 1916.

The commemoration, which honored life-long republicans Michael and Pearl Flannery, George Harrison and Patrick Mullin (see bios at end of this article), was held at Rocky Sullivan’s in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

The well-attended event was MC’ed by Sandy Boyer, co-host of WBAI radio 99.5 FM’s “Radio Free Éıreann” program. Testimonials were read for the four deceased Irish patriots. The program included a tribute to George Harrison written by Ruaırí Ó Brádáιgh, President of Republican Sınn Féın, and presented by George’s grandniece, Alana Harrison.

A poignant reading of Pádhraıg Pearse‘s Oration at the Grave of Ó Donovan Rossa was given by Michael Costelloe, father of the late John Costelloe, a longtime Irish activist and member of Cumann Na Saoırse, who had read Pearse’s Oration at many Republican commemorations in years past.

Musical entertainment was presented by Chris Byrne, Rachel FitzGerald and Andrew Harkin of Seanchaí and the Unity Squad and by Belfast native Ray Collins and was enjoyed by all.

Michael, a Co. Tipperary native, was born into a staunchly Republican family with a long history of opposition to the British occupation of Ireland. At the age of 14, he joined the North Tipperary Brigade of the Irish Republican Army and fought in the Irish War of Independence. After the Treaty of 1922, which partitioned Ireland, Mike again took up arms, this time against the Free State army.

He was captured and imprisoned for two years in Mountjoy Jail by Free State forces. After his release, Mike immigrated to America where he remained active in Irish cultural and political organizations including the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Clann na nGael, and the Tipperary Men’s Association. He was a co-founder of Irish Northern Aid (INA). In 1982, and, as one of the Brooklyn Five – together with George Harrison, Patrick Mullin, Daniel Gormley and Thomas Falvey -- was acquitted of sending arms to the IRA.

After (Provisional) Sınn Féın agreed to support the British initiated Good Friday Agreement (GFA), which acknowledged and accepted the British occupation of six Irish counties, Flannery, along with George Harrison and Joe Stynes, founded Cumann Na Saoırse Náιsιúnta (National Irish Freedom Committee) in 1987. In founding CnSN/NIFC, the intent of the founding members was to build an organization that would safeguard and ensure that the traditional Republican principles and values, as defined by Wolfe Tone, would continue to be represented in the United States.

Margaret “Pearl” Flannery, also a Co. Tipperary native, was raised in a strongly Republican family. During the Civil War, Pearl’s father was the leader of the First Tipperary Brigade of the Irish Republican Army and both of her brothers were brigade officers who were later interned in the Curragh prison camp along with Pearl’s future husband, Michael. Pearl was a graduate of University College Dublin (UCD) and Heidelberg University in Germany, was fluent in four languages and was accomplished in the fields of literature, classical and traditional music, in addition to her profession as a research chemist.



George Harrison, a Co. Mayo native, was a lifelong unrepentant Fenian and a genuine human rights activist. George never passed up a chance to stand up for the oppressed. He and was a legend in his time. At the age of 15, he enlisted in the East Mayo Battalion of the IRA. After emigrating to New York, George served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He worked for 30 years as a security guard and became active in the labor movement as a shop steward and union organizer. One of the acquitted “Brooklyn Five,” he proudly admitted being an IRA arms supplier beginning in the 1950’s. George supported freedom movements worldwide and dedicated his life to the world struggle against imperialism.

Patrick Mullin, a native of Co. Galway, was a dedicated Irish Republican and a loyal friend of the Flannerys. He emigrated to the US in his early 20’s and served in the U.S. Army for 3 years in the 1960’s. Pat was a founding member of the United Brooklyn Irish, a group which later became the Brooklyn chapter of Irish Northern Aid. After the Provos and Irish Northern Aid’s support for the Good Friday Agreement, he left INA and helped reactivate the Friends of Irish Freedom of which he remained an executive officer until his death.

VIDEO IS AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ON

http://www.irishfreedom.net