Wolfe tones: Traditional music or Traditional Crap?

growler

I fail to see how either the dress sense / personalities of the Wolfe Tones audiences or how much money they make from their business is relevant when discussing whether their style of music has any merit.

Every musician would like to be financially rewarded , why should they not ?

"They themselves have experienced nothing of the troubles in the North"
If people only sang about things they had directly experienced then I'm sure there would be far fewer songs in the world.


It's weird how people can't see past their politics and look at this topic objectively.

pork99

Traditional crap!

They're only a bunch of women compared to Ding Dong Denny O'Reilly and the Hairy Bowsies. There's a real poet and a true patriot for ya!

chillywilly

AngelofFire wrote:

Great if you sitting with a few mates having a session. I wouldnt listen to them on my walkman on the way to work or college tho.

your right there, i like relaxing while listening to them along with scissor sisters, green day, groove armada, rhcp, etc.

seems to me you guys think its one group of people that listen to the wolfetones.oh but i do hate when people sing sinn fein etc during fields of athenry!

j1979p

They're fvckin brilliant and I like the songs that aren't republican anyway such as Newgrange, Boston Beauty and Streets of New York.

billy the squid

If only the wolfe tones would sing more of the songs on their albums as opposed to the "Lets all dress up in green and kill some brits" song then I personally would have more respect for them.

I had the misfortune of attending a wolfe tones concert in Bunratty and asside from the fact that the place was overcrowded with less than savoury individuals, they spent most of the concert talking about how the government tried to shut them up with Section 31 and all that stuff.

Me personally I dont even think its traditional crap, its just crap.

SteveFE

Great thread. As an English blowin who knows next to squit about the Wolfe Tones I can't comment on their music, but I'd certainly be fascinated to go to a gig to see if I'd be lynched.

I've lived in Co Clare for just over a year and go to plenty of trad and not-so-trad sessions, and despite the fact that the rebel songs get trotted out a bit, and some "feckin Brits" comments along with them, I've never experienced any personal animosity. Maybe it helps that I'm not some Daily Mail reading Tory twat who thinks Ireland would do better back under the wing of the Empire, but I'm also not a dreadlocked dubbie who thinks Ireland's just great, maan, cos they're all so like free now. I'm aware of a lot of the undercurrents in nationalism that many modern Irish feel uncomfortable with (some of my friends regard the GAA as just a masonic social club with the right ins for the good jobs, and plenty of them aren't at all sure what the relevance of learning the language is, specially when their kids struggle so hard for Junior and Leaving Certs to learn a language they'll hardly ever use in real life). I've read up a lot on the Civil War (the kind of relevant social history they never teach you in England) and what it did to the country. I've also got friends from the North who've given me a perspective on what happened and why it happened that I never got from the English media, even the more sympathetic ones.

Way I see it, it doesn't really matter whether any of us as individuals think the Wolfe Tones are crap, it's how they're recognised and presented by the media etc. As I don't bother with telly or radio much, maybe somebody could enlighten me. Are they fawned upon as the acme of Irish culture by the media, are they ridiculed, or are they mostly just ignored and marginalised?

PS I like living here. Beats England, where nobody goes to the boozer any more cos they're all sitting in their cardboard semi-detached houses drinking their cross-channel beer and watching their satellite 80 channels of ****. I like shopping in Scarriff because you can park on the street and get your stuff from half-a-dozen friendly little shops instead of going to a mega Tesco and getting served by a drone with a barcode scanner. It might be old-fashioned (probably even by Dublin standards) but at least I don't have to act paranoid about whether some asswipe is going to nick the car while I'm off for five minutes.

A Dub in Glasgo

The Wolfe Tones are a fantastic addition to the Genre of Irish Folk/Rebel songs.

As to the merits of their music? I have not seen them recently but some of their albums and songs are a joy and the best in the field. They are not mainstream and they do tackle subjects which some people want censored.

Albums like Let the People Sing and The Rifles of the IRA are class.

Long live the music of the Wolfe Tones!

gijgl

Hey pals,

first I want to say hello since I just registered. I hope I don't annoy anyone by reopening this thread, but I'm very interested in its topic and so I do.
You may have noticed by now that I'm not Irish-born, but a stranger. I'm German, but I plan to imigrate to Ireland someday, because I just love it. In an odd way I feel very close and connected to the country.

I got to the music of The Wolfe Tones through IRC and I can say it's some of the best folk music I've ever heard. I really like it and I hope to see them live on a concert once the time has come (if it's possible at all; I've heard they broke up or something?).

Well, there's not much I can tell to your past problems with Great Britain, but I'm doing my best to understand those old troubles between your two nations.

Hopefully someone answer to this post. I'd greatly appreciate it.

By the way: I always welcome posts which correct my English. I do everything to improve it and appreciate every help.

Regards

biko

I like them after seeing them live. Great music and mighty craic.

joebhoy1916

There class.

gijgl

Right.

By the way: What are the most famous bands of Ireland? I think I've something about "The Dubliners" and "The Pogues"?

Suaimhneach

That's almost a new thread ya have there gijgl!

r3nu4l

Hmm, they have their place, I'm no Celtic Jersey wearing up-the-ra type but I do value the Wolfe Tones' music in a very different way to the 'up the IRA' crowd.

They can play well, their voices aren't the best and they focus on a particular type of ballad. Overall, not a great band but we shouldn't forget those songs/ballads/times so easily.

If I had a choice to listen to the Tones or the Fureys and Davey Arthur...the Fureys would win every time

A Dub in Glasgo

I would rather have the Tones. The Foggy Dew, Sean South & Long Kesh are just fantastic versions/songs that the Tones do justice to.

jonny68

The Wolfe Tones on their day were the best ever traditional band,ive seen them in their heyday and they were fantastic unfortunately the split occured a few years back and i don't think they were the same since.

They've been overtaken in recent times by the likes of Shebeen and Spirit Of Freedom on the rebel ballad scene of which im a big fan.

the_syco

Meh. Some of their older songs are good, but I prefer The Pogues. Never seen The Dubliners in concert, but tonight will be the 3rd time I've seen The Pogues.

joebhoy1916

A Dub in Glasgo wrote:

I would rather have the Tones. The Foggy Dew, Sean South & Long Kesh are just fantastic versions/songs that the Tones do justice to.

Get the song by Shebeen (Long Kesh/ Roll of honour/ Sean south/ God save Ireland). All in one cracking song.

Terrorist or dreamer by Gary Og another good one. Slow but it's good.

The Tones are playing in Athlone on the 1st of January if anyone is interested in going.

SOUTH PAW

I have to say I love the real Wolf Tones(Brian, Noel, Tommy) I think every Irish child should go to at least one Tones concert for a history lesson:) Does anyone know where n when their playing in Ireland again?

trad mad

hey guys
as someone already said these guys have been around for years and deserve some respect, they are all excellent musicans. I think they never really set out to approve of or to even promote the IRA but instead to tell a store of our history, a history we should all be prode of, no matter what our view point. I think i've learnt more from there songs about irish history that i ever did in school. Some of there fans may be a little pro Ra, but this shouldn't have an impact on the actuall band.

This is an interesting post, some very good point made, looking forward to reading more

Suaimhneach

Kindly word of warning: do not go off topic and onto politics.
Thanks

neil_hosey

i always found the wolfe tones to be quite good but the past few years they;ve gone to ****. They're music has turned very plasticy and not nice to listen to, the instrumentals that is. Not trad backing at all.

They have had some belters of songs though and they sing some songs better than the dubliners.. such as the dying rebel.

other good songs were.. paddle your own canoe, some say the divil is dead , big strong man... etc etc.. they hve loads the more i think about it.. oh sean sabhat is done best by them 2, and broad black brimmer...

I hate them **** though in their celtic jerseys who i get associated with when i say i love trad music and rebel songs and ballads, really annoying, maybe thats why i dont like them anymore.


The Dying Rebel: such as good song.. god.. i still love hearing them singing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGlk1FTUN_Y

deisecelt

Used to like them as a kid but used to love shoutin up de ra as a kid too who didnt have an iota what he was talkin bout. Went to see em in galway three years ago just for the craic, old times and that. They were like three alcoholics on da stage and youd be cringin watchin them. In all though they did write some hilarious songs with great instrumentals in em ie. paddle your own canoe, helicopter song, twice daily etc. and they are funny to watch too. I was busted up laughin at the interview they did on the late late few years back. Its on youtube and feckin hilarious!!!

Pollythene Pam

Is this not a free country?
Did not Padraig Pearse die for our right to listen to the Wolfe Tones?
(Im being ironic here so no nasty posts about Padraig Pearce, and how he was a great Irishman.)
But seriosly, its their right to be as patriotic as they like, and if people like that, Adh Mor!!!
Personally, Id much rather the Clancy's or the Dubliners.

Pollythene Pam

oh yea,
As a proud Galway man, I hate it when people shout Yea baby let the freebirds fly, and especially when they shout IRA in the middle of the fields of Athenry.
Come to think of it, why do Liverpool and Glasgow Celtic use it as an athem.
Screw that! It belongs to the Tribesmen !(He! He!)

CSC

Pollythene Pam wrote: »

oh yea,
As a proud Galway man, I hate it when people shout Yea baby let the freebirds fly, and especially when they shout IRA in the middle of the fields of Athenry.
Come to think of it, why do Liverpool and Glasgow Celtic use it as an athem.
Screw that! It belongs to the Tribesmen !(He! He!)

I think Celtic use it as an anthem as the song is about emigration from Ireland and that's the reason that club was formed and as for Liverpool their song is the Fields of Anfield Road which is the same tune with different words.

As for the original question, the Wolfe Tones were a good folk band and have wrote some great songs but have been past their peak for a number of years now.

EastTyrone

i went to see them last year I would say their a mixture, their not rebel, you want to see rebel see the irish brigade or anyone like that, their not trad, for them see the fureys, their ore just ballad group who TRY to think their rebels

Driseog

Pollythene Pam wrote: »

oh yea,
As a proud Galway man, I hate it when people shout Yea baby let the freebirds fly, and especially when they shout IRA in the middle of the fields of Athenry.
Come to think of it, why do Liverpool and Glasgow Celtic use it as an athem.
Screw that! It belongs to the Tribesmen !(He! He!)

I think the liverfoolers robbed the tune and sing "The Fields of Anfield Road"....cringing to say the least.

mosesgun

It's fair to say that the Wolfe Tones are just not as relevant in modern Ireland as they used to be. The country, or most of them anyway, have moved on and are less interested in stories and songs of the past. It's almost frowned upon nowadays to call yourself a patriot or a republican. I've seen them play live loads of times and I've always really enjoyed them. People feel ashamed that they still sing songs like "sean south" and "The ballad of Joe McDonnell" etc. However, these are real stories and they were real people. It is history and when listened to in this context can still be hugely entertaining and educational. To be fair to the Wolfe Tones, the last time I saw them they made a point of saying that there music was hostorical.
There are two types of Wolfie fans - the scummer with the Celtic Jersey and the average joe who loves ballads and Irish music.

A Dub in Glasgo

What are you trying to say? I have a Celtic jersey and I love ballads and Irish music

mosesgun

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

What are you trying to say? I have a Celtic jersey and I love ballads and Irish music

Perhaps a bit of a generalisation there. Not everyone with a Celtic Jersey is a scummer. However, I've seen the Wolfies everywhere from the Barrowlands in Glasgow to the Gleneagles in Killarney and theres always a group of lads, invariably dressed in their Celtic Jerseys, locked out of their heads roaring "up the 'RA" and generally acting like idiots. This is not an isolated observation, it is evident at every wolfe tones gig. To be fair they're probably giving wolfie fans and celtic fans a bad name.