Lovely songs - Irish mammies' favourites

George White

Was watching an old TOTP, and Mary MacGregor's "Torn Between Two Lovers" reminded me of that genre of songs beloved by Irish mammies.
My gran's favourite song was "One Day At A Time", which she insisted on singing all the time in her dying days, in the middle of conversations.

An Riabhach

I remember my mother used to often sing "She Moved Through The Fair".
That,as well as anything by Elvis Presley,Patsy Clyne,Gladys Knight....

I know the thread title is directed at Irish mammies,but I gotta mention one that me oul fella used to sing "There was an old woman who lived in the woods....",and it used to terrify us.

byhookorbycrook

An Riabhach wrote: »

I gotta mention one that me oul fella used to sing "There was an old woman who lived in the woods....",and it used to terrify us.

Weelia weelia, wallia?

byhookorbycrook

A Mother's Love is a Blessing
Silver Threads Among the Gold
Scarlet Ribbons
Danny Boy
Amazing Grace
Rose Of Tralee/Mooncoin/Avondale

byhookorbycrook

Grace
Boolavogue
Kelly the Boy from Killane
The Minstrel Boy
Que SeraSera
That's Amore
Welcome To My World
The Isle of Innisfree

bottlebrush

my mother used to always sing a johnny mcevoy song 'I once said I loved only you Maggie (or nora)! that was it she never want past that line!

Ruu

Anything by Johnny Mathis.

Zaph

Bunch of Thyme by Foster and Allen. For years it was my mother's party piece, and probably the closest I ever came to matricide when having to endure it yet again.

Queenalocin

Goodnight Irene
Tears on the Telephone
Ruby, don't take your love to town

Mech1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiaY2GQuuzA

Feckin terrible song when your 10!

L1011

Anything by Clifford T. Ward, Simon & Garfunkel, Charlie Landsborough or Johnny Duhan. If I never have to hear "My Forever Friend" or "What Colour Is The Wind" EVER again I'll be happy, although the first two artists are perfectly acceptable.

Skid X

One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus.

Or "Any nice songs where the singer sings clearly so you can understand what they are saying" apparently.

bottlebrush

-I am the Boston Burglar and no-one can deny
-Walk tall, walk straight and look the world right in the eye
-And nobody knows I am crying cos I'm walking the streets in the rain
-In the valley of Slieve Na Mon
-If you don't happen to like me, pass me by
-Come down the mountain, Katy Daly, come down the mountain Katie do

My mother used to sing these when we were children - she only used to sing the one line in every song...!

An Riabhach

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Weelia weelia, wallia?

Yes....
"...down by the River Sáile".

I used to hate it...the ould wan in that song was an evil witch with a capital B

katkin

An Riabhach wrote: »

Yes....
"...down by the River Sáile".

I used to hate it...the ould wan in that song was an evil witch with a capital B

Very interesting wikipedia on it, we sang this when little, only now realising how creepy it was!! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_River_Saile

doolox

...part of my work is involves playing and singing for people of an advanced age.

Keep the suggestions coming because my own tastes would differ from what my audience needs.

I would be a seventies child into SKA, reggae, rock etc which would not go down too well with the target audience.

I find Elton John, Queen and Rod Stewart goes down unexpectedly well but mostly Marty Robbins, Jim Reeves also suit the scene.

Mech1

doolox wrote: »

...part of my work is involves playing and singing for people of an advanced age.

Keep the suggestions coming because my own tastes would differ from what my audience needs.

I would be a seventies child into SKA, reggae, rock etc which would not go down too well with the target audience.

I find Elton John, Queen and Rod Stewart goes down unexpectedly well but mostly Marty Robbins, Jim Reeves also suit the scene.

You need this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpA0oPR_EOQ

and this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PablFo3yaa4

George White

Mech1 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiaY2GQuuzA

Feckin terrible song when your 10!

Oh god, a surprise UK No 1 (surprisingly only No 9 in Ireland) which I think had minor shockwaves on the internet when TOTP 76 was repeated.
Billy Connolly did a pretty good spoof. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd2B4UQDJqs

Ted Plain

Anything by John Denver or Don Williams.

Aglomerado

Pal of my Cradle days.
A lot of older folk sing this at sing songs.
Terrible, maudlin stuff that makes me want to go outside the pub and have a fag, and I don't smoke!

cml387

Anything by Johnny Mc Evoy.
Funny this should come up since my mother passed away over Christmas this year.
Val Doonican was another favourite.
We had some of those old "Glenside" 45's. Joe Lynch singing "The Whistling Gyspy" for example.
I also notice a Larry Cunningham record "Among the Wicklow Hills" .On the record label it says produced by Noel Kelehan. Who arrranged the string sections on The Joshua Tree. From Larry Cunningham to Larry Mullen

whatismyname

P. Breathnach

doolox wrote: »

...part of my work is involves playing and singing for people of an advanced age.

Keep the suggestions coming ...

Many older people are compelled to dance by Ricky Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttMt9SHRwsM

You could create a scene like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUjslsQRRgA

Whitewinged

An Riabhach wrote: »

I know the thread title is directed at Irish mammies,but I gotta mention one that me oul fella used to sing "There was an old woman who lived in the woods....",and it used to terrify us.

I sing this to my 3 and a half year old. She does the "weile weile waile" part. She's intrigued by the story but also did ask once if the woman was bad.

Someone else mentioned "Ruby, don't take your love to town", I sing this to my husband if I'm going on a night out. He knows I wouldn't eh take my love to town but it annoys him because he thinks that I think that it annoys him which in turn annoys him

My mam used to listen to Elvis, Patsy Cline, Tammy, Dolly, Kenny Rodgers, Kris Kristopherson, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, The Dubliners and Bob Dylan. I listen to them all too.

Oh and her beloved Joe Dolan. Ah I don't mind his songs in a guilty pleasure kind of way

An Riabhach

Has "Spancil Hill" already been mentioned?
Apologies if it has-but it was played on my local radio station this morning and I instantly remembered my mother singing it.

padd b1975

Zaph wrote: »

Bunch of Thyme by Foster and Allen. For years it was my mother's party piece, and probably the closest I ever came to matricide when having to endure it yet again.

Same story in our house, thankfully without the singing!

Every time it's played on the radio my mother says "that's the one that made them!"

endacl

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Weelia weelia, wallia?

Ah, the old infanticide lullaby...

L1011

Skid X wrote: »

Or "Any nice songs where the singer sings clearly so you can understand what they are saying" apparently.

If it wasn't for the song you had I was getting worried we were siblings.

My mother still moans about singers "not singing clearly" despite some of the bands she liked from her youth being pretty bad at it.

Summer wind

Skid X wrote: »

One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus.

Or "Any nice songs where the singer sings clearly so you can understand what they are saying" apparently.

This post made me laugh out loud because it's exactly what my mam says. Whitney Houston has always been loved in our house because "you can hear and understand every word she sings". Also loved are "One Day At A Time" and "Amazing Grace" for the same reasons. Then there's "Unchained Melody" and "Four Roads To Glenamaddy" and absolutely anything by Joe Dolan. "Do You Want Your Auld Lobby Washed Down" is another big favourite. I think everyone's dad sang "There Was An Old Woman" too:)