Fact. St Patrick's Day is the best holiday ever.
Fact. Everyone is Irish on St Patrick's Day.
Fact. You're gonna LOVE this week's episode of ACTUAL St Patrick’s Day facts!
Welcome to the Pub Songs Podcast, the Virtual Public House for Celtic culture through music. My name is Marc Gunn. I am a Celtic Geek musician and your guide to honoring our past and adapting for our future.
Today’s show is brought to you by my Gunn Runners on Patreon. These generous people pledge $5 per month or more so that I can keep creating music, podcasts, and live streaming video shows like Coffee with The Celtfather. Thank you!
If you have comments or want to chat in the pub, email me. Use #PubSongs when talking about this show.
Cead mile failte!
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The Pub Songs Podcast celebrates our shared love of Celtic culture. But it also recognizes that our world is changing. So you will mostly hear fun Celtic music on the show. But it'll be mixed in with songs inspired by Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who and Firefly.
WHO'S PLAYING IN THE PUB TODAY?
0:18 “The Hunter Set” by Runa from Current Affairs
Everyone is Irish on St Patrick's Day. But I prefer to see this as a holiday for everyone of Celtic ancestry. I don’t know how many kilts I’ve seen worn on the holiday, but it’s a lot.
8:25 FACT #1
Ireland is one of seven Celtic nations. These are the places that the Celts settled after invading their way from central Europe before finally being conquered by the Romans and driven to the fringes of continent.
The nations include: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Cornwall in Southwest England, Brittany in France, and Galicia in Northwest Spain.
While the Celts settled in those locations, they were eventually pushed out of those homelands to places around the world.
9:32 “Almost Irish” by Ceann from from Almost Irish and Best of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
14:45 FACT #2
Boston, New York, New Orleans was one of the top 3 immigration points for the Irish during the potato blight of the 1800s. “Men of New Basin Canal” that honors the 30K Irishmen who died digging that canal.
15:22 “Men of New Basin Canal” by Marc Gunn & Jamie Haeuser from How America Saved Irish Music
18:29 FACT #3
March 17th is the holy day of St. Patrick in the Catholic church. Because of this, it was not celebrated like you find it today. In fact, March 17 was a dry holiday in Ireland until the 70s. All the pubs were closed. In 1995 they began celebrating it like in America.
It's quite a ironic that as a sainted holiday, St Patrick's Day is celebrated with drinking.
19:00 “St Patrick Never Drank” by Marc Gunn from Kilted For Her Pleasure
21:27 FACT #4
St Patrick was not Irish. He was born in Scotland or Wales in the 4th century. Originally, he was enslaved and taken to Ireland. He escaped, became a Christian and went back to convert the Celts. He died in Ireland on March 17, 461.
I was born on St Patrick's Day. I have a song for all those born on March 17th or of Irish heritage.
21:55 “Happy Birthday from Ireland” by Marc Gunn from Soul of a Harper
25:08 PUB CHAT
I want your feedback. What are you doing today while listening to the Pub Songs Podcast? How has this show inspired you?
Send a written comment along with any pictures to marc@marcgunn.com. Use the hashtag #pubsongs in the subject of your email.
River Godbee replied to my Marc's Musing email: “Typically I am cleaning up around the house, which never ends when you have a 5 year old! But I also listen while driving to work/school or going on walks. I used to use a variety of podcast apps, but now I stick to Spotify so that I can have my music and shows in one place. (It also makes it easier to find the albums you mention in the show.)
And for St Patrick's Day? Since I live in Savannah, I will be avoiding downtown and spending the day with my wife and daughter.”
Carol Baril replied to Marc's Musings: “Hey Marc! Love the last Coffee with the Celtfather! I was sick last week with a stomach bug and bad head cold so I listened on my phone while sitting at home with my kitties! Usually I'm working at my desk and your Podcasts are a great way to relax thru the stress of computer work! I loved that Beer, Beer, Beer song with the Harry Potter twist! Keep working on that one and you can put it on a new Sci-fi drinking song CD!!! Take care and give your girls hugs from me and my kitties!”
27:06 FACT #5
Green is most-often associated with St Patrick’s Day. But St Patrick’s color was actually blue.
And as a wild twist, I was told that the Scots wore orange. It wasn’t until much later I realized that green was the color of Catholics and orange was the color of Protestants. And of course the Republic of Ireland is largely Catholic.
27:35 “The Orange and the Green” by Brobdingnagian Bards from Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales
29:56 FACT #6
St Paddy’s Day is the shortened version of St Patrick’s Day. However, that shortened name is often misspelled. It should be spelled Paddy. Not Patty.
Patty is a girls name. Paddy is short for the Irish name Padraig.
30:52 “P Stands for Paddy” by Emish from Sinners Make the Best Saints
36:30 FACT #7
The most famous Irish song is Danny Boy. But it’s not actually Irish. Okay the melody is an Irish tune called “Derry Aire”. But the lyrics were written by an English lawyer and songwriter named Frederic Weatherly.
I get the song requested so much that I play two versions of “Danny Boy”, the original and a parody about cats.
36:57 “Danny Boy for Cat Lovers” by Marc Gunn & The Dubliners' Tabby Cats from Whiskers in the Jar
40:00 FACT #8
The first St Patrick’s day parade was celebrated in New York in 1762. The Irish were trying to hold on to their heritage.
Parades sprang up around the world since then, most notably in Chicago where the river is dyed green. Dublin too now has a big St. Patrick’s Day parade.
40:37 “Patrick's Day Parade” by Mick Moloney from McNally's Row of Flats (Irish American Songs of Old New York)
44:05 FACT #9
The leprechaun is a fascinating and mischievous creature from Irish lore.
The modern representation was actually a racist link between the Irish and monkeys. It was meant to belittle the Irish immigrants in the early 1900s. It seems Irish Americans embraced and rebirthed the myth.
Oh and apparently, there are no female leprechauns in the lore.
I wrote a song that celebrates America’s contribution to the leprechaun myth and to Irish music.
44:36 “The Leprechaun” by Marc Gunn from Soul of a Harper
48:35 FACT #10
Slainte Mhaith is an Irish toast. It means “here’s to your good health”. In lovely Gaelic fashion, it’s spelled nothing like it sounds in English. So if you’re out drinking, be it Guinness or tea, raise a glass and repeat the Phrase.
48:53 “Slainte Mhaith” by Kilted Kings from Name On My Soul
50:53 FACT #11
More than 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed on St Patrick’s Day. I hope you will raise a glass also to Charlie Mopps, the fictitious inventor of beer.
51:11 “Beer, Beer, Beer” by Marc Gunn from Kilted For Her Pleasure
The Pub Songs Podcast is listener-supported. Your generous pledge of as little as $5 or more per month allows me to create music, podcasts, and live videos for your enjoyment. Special thanks to my new patrons: Mario, Tina, Kimberly, UT Scot, Laura and John, Jacqueline, Schellie Neill. Also thanks those who raised their pledges this month, including: River, Paige, Garrett, Jennifer, Myriam, Carol, Alexis.
If you enjoy visiting the pub, please join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. You’ll get episodes before regular listeners, free albums, podcasts, videos and lots more. Go to marcgunn.net to join the Gunn Runners today.
54:25 BONUS FACT
The music of the Celts is called Celtic music. This is not to be confused the Boston Celtics. Celtic is spoken with a hard-K sound.
55:31 “Sunday After Drunk Singalong” by Mikey Mason from Red Letters
If you like Firefly, Mikey Mason and I have a podcast called In the ‘Verse: Song Crafting for the Firefly Universe. It's free. Subscribe today!
St Patrick's Day is 3-Hours long on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. You will find over 400 hours of free Celtic music to listen to on St Patrick’s Day.
59:59 “Hell of a Party (Song for Saint Patrick's Day)” by Old Man Flanagan's Ghost from Far From Shore
1:03:18 “Walking Her Home” by Jim Sharkey from Misty Morning Rain
1:06:33 “Kilts and Corsets” by Tuatha Dea from Kilts and Corsets
1:14:02 “Barley Mow” by Seamus Kennedy from By Popular Demand
1:20:34 NEWS
- As Long As I'm Flyin' is officially available as a CD once again.
- Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast returns to the public
- New: In the ‘Verse Podcast with Mikey Mason
- St Patrick's Day music and parties
1:21:14 “Fiddler's Green” by Stanley & Grimm from Another Round
1:25:14 “All For Me Grog” by Jesse Ferguson from Folk Favourites
1:28:17 “Humours of Whiskey” by Drunk & Sailor from Doing What We Do
1:31:22 “Johnson's Motor Car (Live)” by The Kindred Kilts from Live at the Summer Crush Winery
1:32:58 “The Devil Made Texas Set” by Ed Miller from The Edinburgh Rambler
1:37:39 UPCOMING SHOWS
- Every Weds, 11 AM: Coffee with The Celtfather
- Sun, Mar 17: The Hangout in Gulf Shores, Alabama with Kilted Kings for a St Patrick's Day celebration on the beach.
- Mar 22-24: Sherwood Forest Faire in Paige, TX (bonus show with Brobdingnagian Bards)
- Mar 30-31: Sherwood Forest Faire in Paige, TX (bonus show with Brobdingnagian Bards)
If you enjoy the music in this show, support the artists. Buy their music and merch. Follow them on Spotify. Let them know how much you love what they are doing. And tell a friend.
1:38:25 “The Parting Glass” by Marc Gunn from Soul of a Harper
Pub Songs Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn. To subscribe, go to Apple Podcasts, Spotify or to my website where you can join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon and support my music and this podcast. I’ll also email regular updates of new videos, podcasts, stories behind the songs, plus 21 songs for free. Welcome to the pub! www.pubsong.net.
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