Has anyone used this book? If so, what is it like.
Its extremely simplified, and does not have the lyrics, so you can’t be sure that you have the correct phrasing of the air. For tunes that have no currently known lyrics this would probably be safe.
djm
The book also has tapes available. The song-airs described in the text are also played on a variety of instruments on the tapes. I wouldn’t purchase the book without also purchasing the tapes. I wonder if they have CDs now?
Best regards,
Jonathan
Anyone know of a book in print that has slow airs with the words?
I would like songs that have the original words with the music along with a literal translation into English (if the song was originally written in Irish).
By “literal” I’m meaning English that would not be written to sound poetic and to be sung to the melody, but that would put the English words in the same order as the Irish words (sense permitting) so I could tell pretty much exactly what each Irish word meant.
There’s a couple of books by Séan and Mánus O’Baoill with many common airs, but these are all in Irish - Ceolta Gael & Ceolta Gael 2.
I am guessing you might be interested in introductory book/CD combinations. I know of two:
Singing in Irish Gaelic by Mary McLaughlin (from Mel Bay)
Stepping Stones to Irish Song by Seosaimhín Nic Rabhartaigh (available from Custy’s)
If you want to spend more money there are:
The Songs of Elizabeth Cronin (Four Courts)
The Calthorpe Collection by Nancy Calthorpe (from Waltons)
A Hidden Ulster by Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin (Four Courts)
The Petrie Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland (ed. David Cooper - Univ. Cork)
That should use up your allowance for a couple of weeks, anyway.
djm
Thanks alot, djm. I am not a singer but interested in playing simple slow airs on the whistle, and I do feel one needs to know what is going on in the song to understand what is going on in the melody. I’ll definitely check out these recommendations.
Joe Heaney’s Road from Connemara has translations of the Irish songs included. Also the Gael-Linn CDs, Setting Sail.
Hey, I just got that CD set. It is great. The translations of the songs on it are just exactly the sort of thing I like. I guess I should try to learn them from the CD. I usually use sheet music—don’t say it, I know. But I might try a sort of simple sounding one. Or maybe I could find the music on-line. And thanks for the additional book recommendation.
Yes, there are lots of good song sources. I forgot to mention the book on Micho Russel’s songs (love it). Besides the Petrie collection there is also the Joyce collections with snippets of lyrics and whole songs here and there (such as Arthur McBride). There are some more recent collections of local tunes and songs such as Hidden Fermanagh and The Rolling Wave. How much money ya got, Cynth? 
djm
Jonathon wrote: I wonder if they have CDs now?
CDs also available with all the tunes from the Book.
I got mine from The Living Tradition in Cork
Jim
The Living Tradition in the US is OssianUSA.com.
djm
I’m going to print this page—this has been so great. Money isn’t as big a problem right now as my whistle playing I’m afraid. But I’ll find a couple books that might help introduce me to slow airs. I’m hoping that if I can find some tunes that were meant to be played slowly (the only way I can play right now), even if I play them very plainly, that I will get a little encouragement from playing them.
I have just been listening to Micho Russell at a website Bloomfield sent me to----millington, roger, oh, I do have it bookmarked—to listen to reels. This will sound sort of lame, obviously everyone else knows this, but I just think he is stupendous. I definitely will be getting some of his recordings. And if there is a book on his songs I want to look into that too.
There is a nice one hour video of Micho Russell, too.
[quote=“PJ”]Has anyone used this book? If so, what is it like.[/quote]
Yes. OK.
Jhohl I wonder if they have CDs now?
Yes
Jim, my husband mentioned something about my whistle playing troubles just in passing to the librarian where he works and she said they had that video of Micho Russell, so I am looking forward to seeing it.
Greetings Uilliam. 
Felicitations to ye Cynth.
I am trying to be minimilistic thus avoiding the Button Of Doom 
I’m sure it won’t last as I can feel the stitches coming out
Slán Go Foill
Uilliam
I too have been attempting to lie low. Poor Uilliam! It must hurt dreadfully.