Irish Music", What Springs Into Your Mind? Perhaps U2 Or Other Pop and Rock Artists

"Irish music", what springs into your mind? Perhaps U2 or other pop and rock artists. Or maybe you imagine a traditional Irish music "session", a group of musicians gathered in a pub, playing tunes on their fiddles, whistles and banjo: There is no strict boundary between traditional folk and popular rock music. Read about bands who approached Irish music in different ways - but all helped to bring it into the spotlight. When The Rogues started playing, traditionalists were shocked, others thrilled. Rebels, punks, poets Irish music London, the beginning of the 1980s. The signs declaring "No blacks, no dogs, no Irish are allowed" (a common thing in the in the spotlight 1950s and 1960s) were gone from the windows of London boarding houses. But the attitude towards the Irish was streets, commented on politics and at modern Christmas song by various media. still negative. The IRA placed bombs in the same time brought heartfelt poetic They have inspired many other groups the city and made it scared. Celebrating qualities to his slow ballads. (Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, etc.) Irish culture was viewed as unusual, even The band caused controversy because to follow in their footsteps. Although they provocative. Yet many Irish families moved of their anti-establishment attitude, wild celebrate their 25th anniversary this year, to London, seeking better fortune than lifestyle, and also because of the band they remain popular even among young could be found in their native Ireland. name. When it was found out that the people who weren't born when The Shane MacGowan came from one original name Pogue Mahone means Pogues began playing. such family. Having grown up in the 'kiss my backside' in Irish Gaelic, they (http://www.pogues.com) Irish countryside, he felt a strong bond had to shorten it to the less offensive Zuzana Pernicova (CR) to Irish tradition. He was also an active The Pogues. However, their energy, participant in the London punk scene rebelliousness and catchy songs and frequently attended shows by bands appealed to young audiences, and soon like The Sex Pistols and The Clash. After even critics recognized their masterly Vocabulary experimenting with playing punk rock, he songwriting and skillful playing. signs declaring [samz di'klEinn] - napisy hlasajici got together with several of his London Nevertheless, troubles were to be allowed [s'laod] - mit povoleny vstup friends, both British and Irish. They accumulating within the band. The boarding house | h.-vdiii | - penzion decided to play Irish music with punk singer and main songwriter MacGowan attitude ['aetitju:d] - postoj seeking better fortune [' h: tju:n] - za lepsim energy and prove that it is no less lively had increasing problems with drinking zivobytim and vigorous than rock. The band, soon and drugs; sometimes he annoyed his bond [bond] - pouto, vazba to be named The Rogues, was born. bandmates by not appearing for gigs. vigorous ['vig(3)res] - razny, energicky They began by playing traditional Finally, he left the band at the beginning rowdy ['raodi]-drsny songs, especially the rowdier ones, often of the 1990s, and a few years later, the tin whistle [tin 'wis(s)l] - kovova pistala to bash [beej] - tlouct, mlatit in extremely fast versions. They used band split up. In 2001, the band reunited beer tray [trei] - pivni tac traditional instruments (tin whistle, banjo, and since then they have been touring and vividly ['vividli] -zive accordion), but made them sound as loud playing to sold-out arenas. heartfelt ['ha:tfdt] - uprimny, prociteny as any rock band. Their gigs were very Perhaps no other band has contributed backside [b;ek'said] - zadek wild, with the band members appearing to popularizing traditional Irish music for offensive [3'fsnsiv]-urazlivy catchy [kastji] - chytlavy drunk on stage, screaming, and one of rock audiences as much as The Pogues. to appeal to (sb.) [s'pi:!] - pritahovat (nekoho), Kbit them bashing his head with a beer tray. Their most famous song, "Fairytale of se(nekomu) MacGowan quickly began to write New York" (an unusual Christmas ballad, to accumulate [3'kju:mjobt]-riromaditse original songs. In his lyrics he expressed describing the lost illusions of a couple, to split up - rozpadno tit se and partly taking place in a drunk tank), to contribute [kan'tnbjuit] - prispet the feelings of Irishmen living in London, drunk tank (AmE, slang) - zachytka vividly described the harsh life on the has been repeatedly voted the best

Bridge 07/2006-2007 TASK Read the lyrics of the song and fill in the missing words with the help of the hints in the brackets.

MOLLY MALONE In Dublin's fair (= big town) where the girls are so (= beautiful) I first set my on sweet Molly Malone, (= the organs of sight) As she wheeled her wheelbarrow, Through streets broad and narrow, Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive alive oh!"

"Alive-alive-oh, Alive-alive-oh," Crying "Cockles and mussels, alive alive oh."

She was a fishmonger, And sure 'twas no , (= surprise) For so were her mother and father before, However different The Dubliners (pictured) and The Rogues may seem at the first sight, they And they each wheeled their barrow, enjoyed performing together. Their joint rendition of the folk song "The Irish Rover" reached the UK Through streets broad and narrow, Top Ten chart in 1987. Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh!"

The Dubliners popular rock bands as The Beatles - and (chorus) it even reached UK pop charts. The - an Irish legend Dubliners were on their way to fame. She died of a , (= high body They spent the following decades temperature) One of the most legendary Irish bands, touring all over the world and recording And no one could her, The Dubliners, started in a Dublin pub albums. Although they performed many (= rescue) in 1962. They named themselves after slow ballads, they are best-known for their And that was the of sweet a book by James Joyce, a collection renditions of pub songs. Rebel songs, Molly Malone. (= the opposite of of short stories about various people praising Irishmen who dared to revolt "beginning") living in Dublin. After several years of against English rule, also had a place Now her wheels her barrow, playing in folk clubs and at festivals, their in their repertoire. Their music sounded (= spirit of a dead person) breakthrough came very unexpectedly. very fresh and lively, creating the feel of Through streets broad and narrow, A pirate radio station got interested a spontaneous pub session even if it was Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, in their recording of "Seven Drunken performed at a concert hall. alive oh!" Nights" (a humorous song about a woman The line-up of The Dubliners has who cheats on her permanently drunk changed over the years, but the band (chorus) husband). Suddenly, a traditional song hasn't lost their vigour and they still tour was played on the radio alongside such regularly - more than 40 years after their Solution on p. 3 story started. (http://www.geocities.com/toeye/dubliners) Zuzana Pernicova (CR) Vocabulary Read about another famous Irish band, breakthrough ['breikGru:] - prulom The Chieftains, in "brain teaser". unexpectedly [Aiiik'spektidli] - necekane to cheat on (sb.) [tji:t] - podvadet(nekono) alongside [slorj'said] - spolu s, vedle Molly Malone rendition [ren'dij(3)n] - provedeni, verze to praise [preiz] - oslavovat "Molly Malone", a permanent part of to dare [des] - odvazit se The Dubliners' repertoire, is one of the feel [fi:l]-dojem line-up - obsazeni most popular Irish folk songs and it is vigour ['viga] - energie, elan considered the unofficial anthem of anthem ['snSsm] - hymna Dublin. It tells a simple story of a girl who to honour ['ons] - poctit was selling fish in Dublin streets and died to erect [i'rskt]-vztycit young of an illness. Nobody knows if it's wheelbarrow ['wiMbaersoj-trakar based on a real person; nevertheless, \1A\e statue shows Molly as a young woman in a cockles and mussels ['kok(3)Lz 'mAs(a)lz] people honoured Molly by erecting a - srdcovky a slavky (druhy morskych skebli) fishmonger ['fiJrriAggs] - prodavac ryb statue of her in Grafton Street, the main long dress, pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with shopping street in Dublin. baskets of fish.

Bridge 07/2006-2007