Welcome to Gaia! ::

I will start out this by saying the history influences the music as much as the music to history! SO, as any pub we need a bit of informational backing so we do not seem halve as silly as we are, right?

I begin with a song of rebellion called "Follow Me up to Carlow". It was a song about the battle of Glenmalure and the great victory of the Irish lead by the Desmonds rebellion. Of course this valiance was followed by a great lose!

Anyway, here it is!

Lift MacCahir Og your face
Brooding o'er the old disgrace
That black FitzWilliam stormed your place,
Drove you to the Fern
Grey said victory was sure
Soon the firebrand he'd secure;
Until he met at Glenmalure
With Feach MacHugh O'Byrne.

Curse and swear Lord Kildare,
Feach will do what Feach will dare
Now FitzWilliam, have a care
Fallen is your star, low.
Up with halberd out with sword
On we'll go for by the lord
Feach MacHugh has given the word,
Follow me up to Carlow.

From Tassagart to Clonmore,
There flows a stream of Saxon gore
Oh, great is Rory Oge O'More,
At sending loons to Hades.
White is sick and Lane is fled,
Now for black FitzWilliam's head
We'll send it over, dripping red,
To Liza and her ladies.

Curse and swear Lord Kildare,
Feach will do what Feach will dare
Now FitzWilliam, have a care
Fallen is your star, low.
Up with halberd out with sword
On we'll go for by the lord
Feach MacHugh has given the word,
Follow me up to Carlow.

See the swords of Glen Imayle,
Flashing o'er the English pale
See all the children of the Gael,
Beneath O'Byrne's banners
Rooster of the fighting stock,
Would you let a Saxon c**k
Crow out upon an Irish rock,
Fly up and teach him manners.

Curse and swear Lord Kildare,
Feach will do what Feach will dare
Now FitzWilliam, have a care
Fallen is your star, low.
Up with halberd out with sword
On we'll go for by the lord
Feach MacHugh has given the word,
Follow me up to Carlow.

To hear the song being played go to my profile page and it is my song! DO you think that it is a good idea to have an area of Irish history to delve the culture a bit?

That is odd! IT is sort of an Mp3 thingy but usually it comes up!

Wow, the approvals of BOTH of the Crew members that is an honor! I actually have looked into Irish history and its ancient religions and writing systems ALOT! Anyway, I will start up the topic of the St. Patrick. Originally he came from England, he was a slave that was stolen by pirates and when he hit Ireland was appaled by the still immence paganism and decided to bring catholicism to Ireland. Naturally this was before the reformation of the Catholic in England by Cardinal Wolsley and King Henry VIII(shudders at his name) so the catholicism delivered was the hard core Roman Catholic! Anyway, he was in England known as Maewyvin Succat but the affectionate Patrick was given in honor to give an Irish flare to the Isles patron Saint. Some of his works were driving out the snakes into the sea, that is why all knot work done after the christian shows snakes with fins at the end of their tales, battling the 40 spirits the Devil AND his mother on Croagh Patrick. However, he was one of the more respectful reformers of faith! Many of the holidays dates and traditions of Irelands old ways were kept while applying christian concepts to them. Such as the week festival of Brid becoming the week that honered Patrick naming it Saint Patricks day, the Celtic new year known as Samhaine was turned to old hollows eve and all saints day. Little things like that to not shatter the social structure. The sad thing was his care of the ways in Eire was viewed as weekness in the English church, and the uniqness of early Irish Catholicism was a reason for the English to feul hate even more. Well kiddies that was lesson one, please post comments or additions to this! I only started with the Saint because it is more well known however you will find we will delve much further far into the pre-christian era, maybe even to Neolithic if it can be managed!

In 6th Class I had to learn all about Daniel O'Connell etc. I can't remember anything now not even they're names!

I think it's a great idea Celt Person. I'd love to hear more about St Brid and about the invasions. Anything you have to offer would be enjoyable. I'll be looking for more posts

I am not that interested in Irish history.

Flogging Molly's "Tobacco Island" is like that too.

[Chorus]
All to hell we must sail
For the Shores of sweet Barbados
Where the sugar cane grows taller
Than the god we once believed in
Till the butcher and his crown
Raped the land we used to sleep in
Now tommorow chimes of ghostly crimes
That haunt Tobacco Island

'Twas 1659 forgotten now for sure
They dragged us from our homeland
With the musket and their gun
Cromwell and his roundheads
Battered all we know
Shackled hopes of freedom
We're now but stolen goods
Darken the horizon
Blackened from the sun
This rotten cage of Bridgetown
Is where I now belong

[Chorus]

Red leg down a peg
Blistered burns the soul
The floggings they're a plenty
But reasons there are none
Our backs belong to landlords
Where branded is there name
Paid for with ten shillings
Cheap labor never breaks
The silver moon is shinin'
Cools the copper blood
Where the livin' meet the dead
And together dance as one

[Chorus]

Agony, will you cleanse this misery?
For it's never again i'll breathe
The air of home
From this sandy edge
The rolling sea breaks my revenge
With each whisper a thousand waves
I hear roar
I'm coming home

Dark is the horizon
Blackened by the sun
This rotten cage of Bridgetown
Is where I now belong

[Chorus]



Basically it's about the 60,000+ Irish Catholics sent as slaves to the Caribbean in 1650 by "Tobacoo Island" (aka Britain). Oliver Cromwell, the leader of Britain you could say at the time, and his "round heads" (basically his army) came over to Ireland in 1649 and began his conquest of Ireland.

Now, I am no expert on this so please correct me if I am incorrect about anything in this... I applogize in advance if I'm incorrect about this or if I offend anyone - that was not my intention. smile