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A History of Irish Music
From Medieval Wexford to Midtown Manhattan Larry Kirwan tells the story of Irish music to a backdrop of war, social upheaval and revolution. From Viking invader to Sean O'Riada, Oliver Cromwell to Rory Gallagher, James Connolly to Van Morrison in a clash of uilleann pipes, armalites and electric guitars. The story moves with the Diaspora to The Pogues' London, Dropkick Murphys' Boston and Black 47's New York City. Pulsing, passionate, occasionally tragic - through the eyes of an insider.
347 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2015
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58 people want to read
About the author
Larry Kirwan
13 books14 followersLarry Kirwan (born 1948 in Wexford, Ireland) is an expatriate Irish writer and musician, most noted as the lead singer for the New York based Irish rock band, Black 47.
Prior to Black 47, Kirwan and fellow Wexfordian Pierce Turner led the new wave band Major Thinkers, based in New York City.
Kirwan has also written and produced several plays which have been performed in the United States and Europe, most of which deal with Irish history and politics, particularly Northern Ireland. He has made statements in support of the Irish Republican Army.
Since April 2005, he has hosted "Celtic Crush," a radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio that features Celtic artists from a wide variety of genres.
He is a naturalized U.S. citizen, having emigrated in 1970. He is married to June, and they have two children.
Prior to Black 47, Kirwan and fellow Wexfordian Pierce Turner led the new wave band Major Thinkers, based in New York City.
Kirwan has also written and produced several plays which have been performed in the United States and Europe, most of which deal with Irish history and politics, particularly Northern Ireland. He has made statements in support of the Irish Republican Army.
Since April 2005, he has hosted "Celtic Crush," a radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio that features Celtic artists from a wide variety of genres.
He is a naturalized U.S. citizen, having emigrated in 1970. He is married to June, and they have two children.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 5, 2018
Author Larry Kirwan tells about the major contributors to Irish and Irish/American music of the 20th & early 21st centuries, through the prism of his experiences as a musician, author, music lover, Irishman, New Yorker and band leader.
January 31, 2020
Mostly anecdotes chained together in a coherent manner with a little history thrown in. Misleading title.
March 18, 2020
Engrossing; turned me on to a lot of interesting artists.
March 2, 2022
Talks about himself more than anything else.
May 20, 2015
I opened this book with positive expectations; they were partially fulfilled. At each turn however they were tainted by, of all things, politics. Why include so many references to an aspect of life that is sure to alienate not a small percentage of your potential readers?
Larry answers this himself. It is the in-your-face confrontational aspect of Irish music, Irish culture, and the Irish psyche. It is music whose message is meant to stimulate and challenge the listener, even to prod the listener into action, to join in the rage as it were. It is unsettling that Larry, when speaking of live performance, mentions of the danger of mixing alcohol with provocative lyrics and agitated delivery and yet never seem to connect the dots with regards to potential negative consequences.
Why the rage? The stereotypical image of the drunken Irishman looking for a fight to address an insult, real or imagined, no doubt stems from generations of Irishmen steeped in a septic outlook on life. Why would a culture, Irish or otherwise, evolve in that manner? The famine? The domination by England? Who knows. I do know that it is in many ways a culture of "us", the downtrodden, against "them", the oppressors. As such it is a culture of division and confrontation and, in my opinion, is medieval.
I have a hard time reconciling the two Larry Kirwans: One is the soft-spoken, humorous, engaging and thoughtful host of the Celtic Crush program. His voice sometimes descends into a whisper as he adds personal insights and anecdotes before and after the selections he plays. The other Larry Kirwan is the sometimes shouting, sometimes screaming, frenetic performer in Black 47.
Make no mistake, the history of groups, performers and venues, the tracing of the careers and ensemble iterations, the ups and downs of the significant players in this genre of music IS in the book. It's there, and it's interesting for sure, and that's where the three star rating came from. And to be sure, not all the music is political. There are at least two other themes: love, lost and potential; and Ireland itself as an ideal or as in causing homesickness in the diaspora populations. The book IS about the music with just enough politics to be distracting.
While not openly endorsing socialism, he comes close and more than once slams capitalism and "consumerism". He seems to buy into the nonsense of the "1%" and "economic slavery" while, I note, that he seems to be doing quite well for himself even with all the "chains" that "they" are imposing on the downtrodden.
Say, I wonder how Mr. Kirwan reconciles the Irish attitude of 'no insult left unpunished' with his clear distaste for America's response to 9/11? Dr. Freud, line one please...
I found the last entry in the book, the lyrics for a song called America 2014, written by Kirwan, maddening. What an unnecessary and misleading way to close. Perhaps Mr. Kirwan is employing his unstoppable inner Irish drive to rail against the biggest "them" of all, one that has done so much for so many and for him personally.
Larry answers this himself. It is the in-your-face confrontational aspect of Irish music, Irish culture, and the Irish psyche. It is music whose message is meant to stimulate and challenge the listener, even to prod the listener into action, to join in the rage as it were. It is unsettling that Larry, when speaking of live performance, mentions of the danger of mixing alcohol with provocative lyrics and agitated delivery and yet never seem to connect the dots with regards to potential negative consequences.
Why the rage? The stereotypical image of the drunken Irishman looking for a fight to address an insult, real or imagined, no doubt stems from generations of Irishmen steeped in a septic outlook on life. Why would a culture, Irish or otherwise, evolve in that manner? The famine? The domination by England? Who knows. I do know that it is in many ways a culture of "us", the downtrodden, against "them", the oppressors. As such it is a culture of division and confrontation and, in my opinion, is medieval.
I have a hard time reconciling the two Larry Kirwans: One is the soft-spoken, humorous, engaging and thoughtful host of the Celtic Crush program. His voice sometimes descends into a whisper as he adds personal insights and anecdotes before and after the selections he plays. The other Larry Kirwan is the sometimes shouting, sometimes screaming, frenetic performer in Black 47.
Make no mistake, the history of groups, performers and venues, the tracing of the careers and ensemble iterations, the ups and downs of the significant players in this genre of music IS in the book. It's there, and it's interesting for sure, and that's where the three star rating came from. And to be sure, not all the music is political. There are at least two other themes: love, lost and potential; and Ireland itself as an ideal or as in causing homesickness in the diaspora populations. The book IS about the music with just enough politics to be distracting.
While not openly endorsing socialism, he comes close and more than once slams capitalism and "consumerism". He seems to buy into the nonsense of the "1%" and "economic slavery" while, I note, that he seems to be doing quite well for himself even with all the "chains" that "they" are imposing on the downtrodden.
Say, I wonder how Mr. Kirwan reconciles the Irish attitude of 'no insult left unpunished' with his clear distaste for America's response to 9/11? Dr. Freud, line one please...
I found the last entry in the book, the lyrics for a song called America 2014, written by Kirwan, maddening. What an unnecessary and misleading way to close. Perhaps Mr. Kirwan is employing his unstoppable inner Irish drive to rail against the biggest "them" of all, one that has done so much for so many and for him personally.
May 28, 2015
Larry Kirwan is aptly described as a renaissance man. In A History of Irish Music he offers us an interesting insider’s perspective on the development of Irish popular music over the last thirty or so years. Much like his music this book is not easy to pigeonhole. It is equal parts history, emigration tale, and band biography, with plenty of Rock and Roll anecdotes thrown in for good measure. There is something pleasant to be found for just about everyone. Although almost every topic contained within gets fair treatment from the author he gets a bit righteous near the end, knocking what is an otherwise insightful musical journey off the rails for a bit. He finishes well though and I doubt you’ll end up holding his digression against him, even if you disagree with his politics. If you like Irish music at all, from traditional ballads to Dropkick Murphy or anything in between, Mr. Kirwan is a tour guide worth following.
June 26, 2016
More of a memoir/narrative of his personal experience in the last 50 years with Irish music, this book by Larry Kirwan is worth a read. As always he tells good stories, adding personal ones, and how Irish music really transformed over the last 50 or so years. How it was fueled by traditional folk songs and political factors over the years into modern times.
June 21, 2015
Fantastic view of Irish music from an insider's perspective, with excellent time and place details connecting the inextricable history and politics to the music. Lovely and sad, sometimes tragic but always honest and clear headed.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews