Bassist for The Merry Ploughboys, an Irish trad band that regularly performs at their own pub of the same name.
"Potency of rebel songs varies according to social class: for example, working class Republicans tend to favor more explicit references to violence and the IRA, while pro-English Protestants are touchy about such things. Therefore, it is important to know your audience."
"It is important to know the context of each song, since there tends to be ambiguity of significance, or people feeling attached to the same songs but for different reasons (their own exposures to violence, the time period in which they heard it, etc.)."
"There is always a difficulty when changing genres (e.g. traditional solo folk song to choral genre), but only devout purists will object; by and large, ever since Riverdance, anything goes."
Recommended "Four Green Fields," since it uses a traditional image of Ireland as a woman in a modern context.
"Robin"
A street balladeer in Galway City, Co. Galway, Robin was the only person I heard sing rebel songs in an authentic contemporary performance context. A video of him can be found under Videos 2.
"Rebel music isn't part of my standard repertoire; I'm not a rebel song specialist. I just look for Irish and Scottish ballads that suit my voice. If they happen to be rebel songs then so be it, but they have no political significance"
Dr. Aileen Dillane
A professor of ethnomusicological theory and practice, critical and cultural studies and traditional, ethnic, and popluar musics of Ireland, the United States, and Australia, Dr. Dillane presented a lecture, "Irish Traditional Music Performing Identity," at the 2012 Blas International Summer School of Irish Traditional Music & Dance at the University of Limerick.
"Irish musical identity is tied to its national identity; it is used to construct and maintain a nationalistic self-image, and therefore functions as a repository of social commentary."
"This identity is dependent on Romantic notions of Ireland: one example is the stereotypical 'fighting Irish,' which is depicted via the harsh timbre, frantic percussive energy, and clear delivery of inflammatory text inherent in rebel songs and fight songs."
"Another example is the 'sentimental Irish,' depicted in the more lyrical songs such as 'When Irish Eyes are Smiling' and 'Danny Boy;' also present in rebel songs via their defeated, helpless character, which longs for the days when Ireland was free."
"Despite attempts to preserve 'the authenticity of the traditional music form,' Irish music has been globalized and notated for centuries."
"The cultural meaning of the music is more intrinsically important than any concept of 'authenticity.'"
Pat Hobbard
A Galway-based, lifetime consumer and enjoyer of Irish traditional music (although not a musician himself).
"There is a strong connection between Irish traditional music and country-western style music, particularly that of Nashville."
"Irish rebel songs do come up today; there was a strong resurgence of rebel songs during the Troubles (Pat's teen years), when the only form of protest the Irish had available to them as an occupied country was music, which could not be as easily crushed as written history or protest."
"Modern rebel songs (written in the past 15 to 20 years) are more detached from the conflict, and more generically nationalistic in character."
"Northern Ireland still has many rebel songs, some of which have never been outside the country. Typically, the closer a family is (or was) to the Troubles, where the actual conflict was, the more rebel songs exist in that family's musical repertoire (and the more extreme those songs are). In that sense, the music is attached to their feelings about the Troubles."
Notes from Ireland
Through both my own observations and from speaking informally to residents of Dublin, Galway, Bodyke, and the University of Limerick, I discovered the following information about the contemporary performance context of Irish rebel songs:
Public sensitivity toward the topic of Irish rebellion had largely faded by the time I visited the island; almost all of the people I spoke with were comfortable with Ireland’s current political climate, including the partition between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The only six counties that presently remain under British rule are those that want to be (present day Northern Ireland); these counties have Protestant majorities (as opposed to the Catholic majority in the Republic of Ireland) and consider themselves to be more British than Irish.
Much of the animosity between Ireland and England has been resolved. This was most notably recognized when the Queen formally visited the Republic of Ireland in 2011, one hundred years since the last British monarch visited the region (back when it was still under British rule).
The IRA (a major presence in Irish rebel music) is now estimated to have only about 100 members, far fewer than when the songs were prominently performed. Furthermore, most Irish citizens view the current IRA as a radical terrorist organization, rather than the representation of Irish political independence.
Rebel music now exists as more of a cultural message than a political one; in other words, rebel songs are performed as popular songs and representations of Irish culture rather than as legitimate cries for action or change. People sing rebel songs because they like the music, and do not often pay attention to the words anymore (a drastic change from their original purpose).
The traditional pub and folk music scene has also changed, with preference being given to instrumental music over vocal music in pub sessions since singers have traditionally been solo performers and their songs tend to interrupt the flow and the mood of a session. Any singing that does occur is usually done solo a cappella (one singer without instrumental accompaniment), uncommonly with some impromptu harmonization by other musicians. Choral music tends to stay in the classical-style music scene, such as community choirs or conservatories that follow Western choral practices similar to those found in the United States.