To celebrate the benevolent St. Patrick today, loyal reader Brendan O’Riordan decided to pick ten clips to some good authentic Irish songs/videos. Thanks, Brendan! Everybody else — enjoy! And ERIN GO BRAGH!

Thin Lizzy, “Whiskey In the Jar,” Top of the Pops (1973). Like the Norman invaders, Phil Lynott was “more Irish than the Irish.” He was considered an outsider and faced a lot of racism from his schoolmates. His mom was Irish and he embraced Irish history, giving this normally raucous traditional Irish tune a laid back makeover. The main riff is based on pipe music heard on Chieftains tapes Lynott would play during down times of touring.

Horslips, “An Dearg Doom.” Irish glam rockers with sparkly outer space jumpsuits. Electric mandolins get me every time. The main riff is based on an old Ulster tune “O’Neill’s March.”

Liam O’Maonlai, “Sadhbh Ni Bhruinneallaigh.” Liam was/is part of Hothouse Flowers, the moderately successful Irish pop band. In more recent years he has recorded and performed traditional songs in the Irish language. His album “Rian” is quite beautiful.

Fred, “Skyscrapers.” This is a relatively new band from Cork, Ireland’s largest county. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and they have fun. There is a “Your Mother Should Know” vibe with the band coordinating their dance steps on the stairs. This is their latest video.

The Dubliners, “Hand Me Down My Bible.” Legendary Irish producer Phil Coulter penned this tune, a tongue-in-cheek religious revival number. The Dubliners were notoriously hard partiers, and this song has them mending their ways and returning to the Lord’s flock. The afro of lead singer Luke Kelly would only be surpassed in greatness by that of Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott in the 1970s.

Christy Moore, performing “Ordinary Man.” Christy is the best collector and interpreter of songs Ireland has produced. He was a member of Planxty and Moving Hearts. He has collaborated with Saint Bono, Sinead O’Connor, Shane MacGowan, and countless others. Here he performs a Thatcher-era song about a guy losing his job and struggling to get by, while the factory owner can’t lose.

Planxty, “Hackler from Grousehall.” Speaking of Planxty, here they are with Christy Moore singing a song about a man who was the 19th century Irish version of the PLCB. This should be dedicated to Maida and Brendan Hartranft.

Paul Brady and Andy Irvine, “Mary and the Soldier.” Paul has had a successful solo pop career as a songwriter and performer. He has written songs for the likes of Tina Turner and Bonnie Raitt. He had his start in traditional groups such as the Johnstons, in which he played with now Philadelphia resident Mick Moloney. He also has played with Planxty. In this video, he and Planxty alumnus Andy Irvine perform.

Shane MacGowan and Christy Moore, “Spancil Hill.” It gets no better than this for me. Christy and Shane, two legends, playing a beautiful song of longing for home.

The Dubliners, “The Auld Triangle.” This is the Dubliners performing a song from the Brendan Behan play “The Quare Fellow”. A prisoner sings this song throughout the play. The Royal Canal ran through county Dublin and eventually linked up with the River Liffey. Many groups have covered this song, but none can touch the Dubliners’ take.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 12:40 pm.