Celtic Folk The Eddystone Light And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda The Irish Washerwoman Grace Farewell To Nova Scotia Jock O' Bradieslee Beer Beer Beer The Drunken Sailor The Rose Of Mooncoin Squeezebox Band The Collier's Lassie The Chinaman God Save Ireland The Jute Mill Song John Drury Celtic Folk is our favourite recording to date. We recorded this in our own studio in East Tennessee. We use Adobe Audition 2.0 to make our cds. Here’s a funny story about Adobe Audition.	>
	Only 17 measley dollars

---

Celtic Folk

Celtic Folk is the first cd we have done with this programme. We have eight other cd’s we recorded with what we thought was Adobe Audition 1.5. Before that we used tape to do our recordings. We bought a DVD made by Roger McGuinn (remember the Byrds?). Anyway, Mr. McGuinn explains in his DVD how he makes his cd’s using Adobe Audition 1.5. It seemed like it would be the answer to our needs. Editing a .wav file is a LOT easier than splicing tape… and most of the tape ends up as snippets on the editing room floor.

Anyway we set forth on the good ol’ internet to acquire a copy of Adobe Audition 1.5. We bought a copy from Amazon.com and it was promptly delivered… complete with instructions on how to use it. Being really new at this we plunged right in and started to make our cd’s. As we gained knowledge and proficiency we seemed to be having more rather than less trouble with the programme. This is not the usual chain of events… usually things get easier rather than more difficult with experience.

Finally it got to the point where we had no choice but to call Adobe telephonically for technical support. We dutifully gave them the serial number of the programme. They replied that it was not a legitimate serial number! We grew exponentially more angry and frustrated as the three day ordeal wore on. Finally we came to the sad realization that what we had purchased from Amazon.com was not actually Adobe Audition 1.5 at all. It was a tutorial for Adobe Audition 1.5! Of course it was clearly marked as such… we were just too stupid and eager to get the recordings done to read it!

After that we bought the real programme…we could scarcely believe how much better the real programme works. Since the product was so much better we decided, because we want to offer the highest quality recordings possible, to redo the cd’s we had already done. That is why some of the cd’s you see listed are not currently available. We are re recording them.

But we digress… on to the cd.

We really love Celtic and folk music. We needed a cd to market folk and Celtic venues where we could work. We made this cd partially to address this need. We’ve included it in many of our promo packages. More than that, however, we really like the songs on this disc.

Back to top

---

The Eddystone Light

This is a much more lyrical version of this funny song than the one recorded on our Stories cd. The tune is completely different. The guitar work on this one is a lot more complicated too which contributes to the “musical value.” This is the story of a lightship keeper at “The Nor”. The lad is a product of his father and a mermaid. His mother the mermaid visits him one evening and this is the story of that meeting… it’s hilarious.

Back to top

---

And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Another song by the inimitable Eric Bogle, a Scot now living in Australia, this song was one of the most popular songs in Australia in 2005. Waltzing Matilda is a story told through music about the Aussie contingent sent to Gallipoli (Suvla Bay) in the First World War. The casualties taken by the Aussies were truly horrendous in the engagement. The protagonist in the song explains the tale from the perspective of a badly maimed survivor. He returns to Australia to spend the rest of his life with no legs. It is a sobering statement of the horrors of war. Maybe someday this sort of thing will not be necessary

. Back to top

---

The Irish Washerwoman It’s fun!

Grace

Grace is the story of an Irish Patriot convicted of fighting against the Crown in the 1916 uprising in Dublin at the GPO. It takes place the night before he faced the firing party. His last request is to wed his fiancée, Grace, in the Chapel at Kilmainham Jail. A touching story of patriotism and love, the song is beautiful.

Farewell To Nova Scotia

Here’s a rousing tune from the maritimes in our favourite place, Canada. Almost everyone knows this song about a seafarer facing war. His captain calls and he will go although he is sad to leave his native land and loved ones.

Jock O'Bradieslee

Here’s a song written by the famous Scot songwriter, Mr. Anonymous. We have heard many versions of this ballad. We felt it would lend itself well to being interpreted on the Renaissance Lute and Bass Bowed Psaltery. We’re not certain exactly how far this one goes back into antiquity but we’re sure it’s been around in one form or another for a very long time. In short it is a missive about a poacher. Jock’s mother begs him not to go hunting on the king’s land but he ignores her plea. The result is his death.

Beer Beer Beer

A funny Irish drinking song, it’s about the lad who invented beer. Like Al Gore’s invention, the internet, beer is a great boon to mankind. Maybe Al enjoyed a few of Charlie Mop’s brews while he was using his own creative juices to give us the net. Maybe you should buy this cd to give us the opportunity to buy a beer. Just think of how good you’ll feel about yourself when you are secure in the knowledge that you personally helped a couple of thirsty troubadours enjoy a jar!

Drunken Sailor

Well, the foregoing song was about beer so it just seemed natural to put this song here. The Drunken Sailor is another of the humorous Celtic style songs with a good beat and a lot of laughs. You can even make up a verse or two of your own as you listen.

Rose Of Mooncoin

This is a really pretty Irish ballad about having to leave Ireland and the woman you love to go to a new land. This song in three quarter time contains a lovely melody and features our backup orchestra The Cakewalk Philharmonic. Don’t worry all orchestra members are paid union scale or more and have great benefits. No one has ever quit the orchestra so we’re sure they’re happy. We would never exploit artists or run a musical Triangle Shirt Company!

Squeezebox Band

Squeezebox Band is a really cute song. Father wants his young son to be a business man and generously plans his career but the lad was born an artist. He wants to play the concertina and luckily that’s what he gets to do. Lonnie really likes the guitar part in this one. It’s lighthearted and lyrical.

The Collier's Lassie

There are two really famous Celtic songwriters. These two artists are Mr. Anonymous and Mr. Traditional. This number was written by the latter but probably the more prolific of the two; Mr. Traditional. It’s the story of a beautiful young lass who is courted by a coal miner. Along comes a gentleman of high degree who promises her a home in Beverly Hills and a Rolls Royce… and even some jewelry… if she’ll go with him. She’ll have no part of it and firmly states she’d rather stay with her miner. He doesn’t survive the dot com collapse and is reduced to begging from this lass and her collier husband some seven years later. Hey, money ain’t everything.

The Chinaman

This song is about a young Irishman whose uncle operated a tea plantation in China. The old fellow dies and leaves the spread to his nephew… along with eighteen wives! So he’s saying his goodbyes and preparing to leave for Hong Kong to become a Chinaman! Cute guitar work on this one too.

God Save Ireland

Here’s a rousing rebel song for sure. Like other Celtic tunes, the music has been widely used with other lyrics. You’ll recognize the music as the same as Jesus Loves The Little Children. This song is about three “rebels” who were hanged for their anti establishment activities.

The Jute Mill song

The Jute Mill Song is serious stuff. It was written by Mary Brooksbank. She is a small lady from Dundee, Scotland. While she may be small in stature she is a giant where it comes to expressing ideas which need to be expressed. You see, Mary was one of the unfortunate people who were forced by economic realities born of the delightful Industrial Revolution to work for slave wages in conditions not fit for human beings. Working in the jute mills was one of the only options available to single women who had to raise children in those days. It is said that one day she paused (probably illegally) in the midst of her monotonous and physically demanding job and uttered the phrase; “Oh dear me… I wish the day was done”. That phrase was the seed from which this song grew to a mighty oak. This is one of Heart Of Oak’s most treasured songs. Mary, like other heroes of the working people went on to do her best to improve the conditions of those who work for pittances in hideous conditions. Let’s try to remember the Industrial Revolution was supposed to make life better for people…

John Drury

John Drury features Lonnie on the lute accompanied by The Cakewalk Philharmonic Orchestra. Some people accredit this song to Turlough O’Carolan but there is some conjecture about this one. We like it because it is a lively, fun instrumental. Oh, yeah, and it’s kind of difficult on the lute!