Written by Rebecka McAleer

No foray through the realm of music is complete without a bit of cultural variety. Where do we find cultural music in a world of crazy college students?

Anyone who has ever raised a bottle will tell you that many college students get their culture in the form of classic Irish drinking music. Today, we’ll be going through a medley of Irish tunes from the Additive Noise library.

We begin with an old classic that many of us already know. If you’ve ever seen a movie with Irish movie, chances are you’ve heard some variation of “I’ll Tell Me Ma.”

It’s a children’s song from the British Isles, and happens to have a game that goes along with it. Children stand in a circle and sing the song, which speaks of a beautiful young lady, dubbed “the belle of Belfast city,” and asking for her name.

To play the game, one child stands in the center of the circle, and every time they sing “Please, won’t you tell me who is she?” the person in the center calls out the name of someone in the circle.

They trade places, and continue singing. The song is a classic at Irish dances and wedding receptions, because it is easy to dance to and it gives the audience a sense of merriment.

Another classic follows right behind it, but this one is a bit farther off the map. “The Raggle Taggle Gypsy” is a native song of Scotland that spread quickly through Britain and Ireland.

It tells the tale of a nobleman chasing after his wife, who has run away with a gypsy lover. The song has held many names over the years: “Seven Yellow Gypsies,” “Black Jack Davy,” and “The Draggletail Gypsies” to name a few.

It was even published in a book of songs compiled by Scottish poet Robert Burns. The most popular recording of “The Raggle Taggle Gypsy” in current times is that by popular Irish band The Chieftains, featuring the American bluegrass group Nickel Creek.

I highly recommend this recording, as it features multiple voices in a ‘call and response’ fashion, making it fun to sing along with.

Last but not least, we’ll follow up two classics with a more modern ditty. If you’ve seen the movie Titanic, then you’ve heard of Gaelic Storm (the Irish dance in 3^rd class scene –sound familiar?)

Gaelic Storm is actually one of the most prominent Celtic bands in existence, and is the essence of world music. Their members come from England, Ireland, The United States and even Canada.

Though it’s not one of their many billboard top hits, the song that speaks most to me from their repertoire is “Lover’s Wreck,” from their smash 2008 hit “What’s The Rumpus?” “Lover’s Wreck” is the lament of a sailor, presumably for a lost lover.

He describes his life as “A hundred days at sea, a retch away from misery,” while pining for his lover, “a siren, dripping with desire.”

He hints that she was stolen away from him by a ‘thieving band’, and vows that he’ll never sin again if only God will bring her back to him. It’s not a classic, but it sure does sound like one.

Now with these three tracks to build on, it is my hope that the Celtic playlists across campus will grow this week. Embrace your inner Irishman, and play on!