"Irish music", what springsinto your mind? PerhapsU2 or other pop and rockartists. Or maybe youimagine a traditional Irishmusic "session", a groupof musicians gathered in apub, playing tunes on theirfiddles, whistles and banjo:There is no strict boundarybetween traditional folkand popular rock music.Read about bands whoapproached Irish musicin different ways - but allhelped to bring it into thespotlight.

Rebels, punks, poets

London, the beginning of the 1980s. Thesigns declaring "No blacks, no dogs, noIrish are allowed" (a common thing in the1950s and 1960s) were gone from thewindows of London boarding houses.But the attitude towards the Irish wasstill negative. The IRA placed bombs inthe city and made it scared. CelebratingIrish culture was viewed as unusual, evenprovocative. Yet many Irish families movedto London, seeking better fortune thancould be found in their native Ireland.

Shane MacGowan came from onesuch family. Having grown up in theIrish countryside, he felt a strong bondto Irish tradition. He was also an activeparticipant in the London punk sceneand frequently attended shows by bandslike The Sex Pistols and The Clash. Afterexperimenting with playing punk rock, hegot together with several of his Londonfriends, both British and Irish. Theydecided to play Irish music with punkenergy and prove that it is no less livelyand vigorous than rock. The band, soonto be named The Rogues, was born.

They began by playing traditionalsongs, especially the rowdier ones, oftenin extremely fast versions. They usedtraditional instruments (tin whistle, banjo,accordion), but made them sound as loudas any rock band. Their gigs were verywild, with the band members appearingdrunk on stage, screaming, and one ofthem bashing his head with a beer tray.

MacGowan quickly began to writeoriginal songs. In his lyrics he expressedthe feelings of Irishmen living in London,vividly described the harsh life on the

When The Rogues started playing, traditionalists were shocked, others thrilled.

Irish musicin the spotlight

streets, commented on politics and atthe same time brought heartfelt poeticqualities to his slow ballads.

The band caused controversy becauseof their anti-establishment attitude, wildlifestyle, and also because of the bandname. When it was found out that theoriginal name Pogue Mahone means'kiss my backside' in Irish Gaelic, theyhad to shorten it to the less offensiveThe Pogues. However, their energy,rebelliousness and catchy songsappealed to young audiences, and sooneven critics recognized their masterlysongwriting and skillful playing.

Nevertheless, troubles wereaccumulating within the band. Thesinger and main songwriter MacGowanhad increasing problems with drinkingand drugs; sometimes he annoyed hisbandmates by not appearing for gigs.Finally, he left the band at the beginningof the 1990s, and a few years later, theband split up. In 2001, the band reunitedand since then they have been touring andplaying to sold-out arenas.

Perhaps no other band has contributedto popularizing traditional Irish music forrock audiences as much as The Pogues.Their most famous song, "Fairytale ofNew York" (an unusual Christmas ballad,describing the lost illusions of a couple,and partly taking place in a drunk tank),has been repeatedly voted the best

modern Christmas song by various media.They have inspired many other groups(Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, etc.)to follow in their footsteps. Although theycelebrate their 25th anniversary this year,they remain popular even among youngpeople who weren't born when ThePogues began playing.(http://www.pogues.com)Zuzana Pernicova (CR)

Vocabularysigns declaring [samz di'klEinn] - napisy hlasajicito be allowed [s'laod] - mit povoleny vstupboarding house | h.-vdiii | - penzionattitude ['aetitju:d] - postojseeking better fortune [' h: tju:n] - za lepsim

zivobytimbond [bond] - pouto, vazbavigorous ['vig(3)res] - razny, energickyrowdy ['raodi]-drsnytin whistle [tin 'wis(s)l] - kovova pistalato bash [beej] - tlouct, mlatitbeer tray [trei] - pivni tacvividly ['vividli] -ziveheartfelt ['ha:tfdt] - uprimny, procitenybackside [b;ek'said] - zadekoffensive [3'fsnsiv]-urazlivycatchy [kastji] - chytlavyto appeal to (sb.) [s'pi:!] - pritahovat (nekoho), Kbit

se(nekomu)to accumulate [3'kju:mjobt]-riromaditseto split up - rozpadno tit seto contribute [kan'tnbjuit] - prispetdrunk tank (AmE, slang) - zachytka

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However different The Dubliners (pictured) and The Rogues may seem at the first sight, theyenjoyed performing together. Their joint rendition of the folk song "The Irish Rover" reached the UKTop Ten chart in 1987.

The Dubliners- an Irish legend

One of the most legendary Irish bands,The Dubliners, started in a Dublin pubin 1962. They named themselves aftera book by James Joyce, a collectionof short stories about various peopleliving in Dublin. After several years ofplaying in folk clubs and at festivals, theirbreakthrough came very unexpectedly.A pirate radio station got interestedin their recording of "Seven DrunkenNights" (a humorous song about a womanwho cheats on her permanently drunkhusband). Suddenly, a traditional songwas played on the radio alongside such

Vocabularybreakthrough ['breikGru:] - prulomunexpectedly [Aiiik'spektidli] - necekaneto cheat on (sb.) [tji:t] - podvadet(nekono)alongside [slorj'said] - spolu s, vedlerendition [ren'dij(3)n] - provedeni, verzeto praise [preiz] - oslavovatto dare [des] - odvazit sefeel [fi:l]-dojemline-up - obsazenivigour ['viga] - energie, elan

anthem ['snSsm] - hymnato honour ['ons] - poctitto erect [i'rskt]-vztycit

wheelbarrow ['wiMbaersoj-trakarcockles and mussels ['kok(3)Lz 'mAs(a)lz]

- srdcovky a slavky (druhy morskych skebli)fishmonger ['fiJrriAggs] - prodavac ryb

popular rock bands as The Beatles - andit even reached UK pop charts. TheDubliners were on their way to fame.

They spent the following decadestouring all over the world and recordingalbums. Although they performed manyslow ballads, they are best-known for theirrenditions of pub songs. Rebel songs,praising Irishmen who dared to revoltagainst English rule, also had a placein their repertoire. Their music soundedvery fresh and lively, creating the feel ofa spontaneous pub session even if it wasperformed at a concert hall.

The line-up of The Dubliners haschanged over the years, but the bandhasn't lost their vigour and they still tourregularly - more than 40 years after theirstory started.(http://www.geocities.com/toeye/dubliners)Zuzana Pernicova (CR)

Read about another famous Irish band,The Chieftains, in "brain teaser".

Molly Malone

"Molly Malone", a permanent part ofThe Dubliners' repertoire, is one of themost popular Irish folk songs and it isconsidered the unofficial anthem ofDublin. It tells a simple story of a girl whowas selling fish in Dublin streets and diedyoung of an illness. Nobody knows if it'sbased on a real person; nevertheless,people honoured Molly by erecting astatue of her in Grafton Street, the mainshopping street in Dublin.

TASKRead the lyrics of the song and fill inthe missing words with the help of thehints in the brackets.

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

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

She was a fishmonger,And sure 'twas no ,(= surprise)For so were her mother and fatherbefore,And they each wheeled their barrow,Through streets broad and narrow,Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive,alive oh!"

(chorus)

She died of a , (= high bodytemperature)And no one could her,(= rescue)And that was the of sweetMolly Malone. (= the opposite of"beginning")Now her wheels her barrow,(= spirit of a dead person)Through streets broad and narrow,Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive,alive oh!"

(chorus)

Solution on p. 3

\1A\e statue shows Molly as a young woman in a

long dress, pushing a wheelbarrow loaded withbaskets of fish.

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