It's no easy task to write a drinking song of any kind. I learned by experimenting. A good drinking song is necessarily about drinking… though that helps. Rather, it requires a catchy, easy-to-song chorus… and an easy to teach chorus as well. Because a good drinking song is all about singing along. You can get a good start by listening to some popular Irish song lyrics right here.
Keep an eye open for more St Patrick's Day songs as the holiday approaches.
Interestedly, St Patrick's Day songs for kids work just as well for adults. And here's a list of 20 popular St Patrick's Day songs and tunes from the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.
Did you ever think about writing your own Irish drinking song? If so, this post is for you! The top Irish drinking songs tend to have certain common elements, all of which (or some of which) you can incorporate into your song if you like. Here are a few popular items that tend to pop up in Irish drinking songs all over:
- Beer
- Whiskey
- An Irish lass
- Some type of Irish political info
- A brawl
- Wakes and funerals
- Cats
- Fields
Now. By all means don’t feel that you must limit yourself to any of these subjects—but don’t make things too complicated either. A good Irish drinking song is a “sing-along” type that offers an easy phrase or two that can be repeated and remembered by even the most dedicated drinker at the bar!
To write an Irish drinking song, you’ll need the following items:
- Pen and paper (the old-fashioned way)
- Computer (the modern way)
- A favorite beverage for inspiration
- An environment where you can get ideas (some prefer quiet, some prefer background noise)
- A block of time so you don’t feel pressured
Sometimes it can help to listen to a number of other top Irish drinking songs to get in the mood as well.
Once you have your equipment and ideas together, simply jot down phrases and then start to weave them together. This is kind of like brainstorming, so don’t filter too much here…just get the words down. After you have a satisfactory amount, then it will be time to sift and sort.
Do you see a theme? Does anything stand out as a good topic to build the song around? Try to have fun putting this together too—it will come through in the end! You don’t have to write all by yourself either—make it a group effort and you’ll have even more ideas to choose from.
Once you have a satisfactory amount of lyrics and you are happy with the tone and topic, see if you can find someone who will be willing to put your song to music. You never know—yours just might be one of the special tunes that takes off and gets everyone singing.
And if not, you’ll have a heck of a fun time writing it anyway!
If you love good songwriting, maybe you'll enjoy my new album, Selcouth.
Catherine L. Tully is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in the arts. She has written for American Style and Classical Singer, among other magazines, and for the Celtic Music Magazine for nearly 15 years. You can reach her through her website at CatherineLTully.com.
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