Did anyone else watch the BBC4 programmes over the weekend on Irish folk music?
OK, so I know it's my bag more than most on here, but it was just superb. Even the embarrassing bits, like seeing a semi-comatose, nodding-dog-like, drooling Shane McGowan 'singing' in an Irish bar, were totally compelling, if only to confirm your existing suspicions.
The bits with Ronnie Drew and Luke Kelly, members of the Dubliners, were hugely enjoyable, and the way the programme was put together, weaving the evolution of modern Irish folk music with The Troubles, and with the explosion of the Irish economy, quite fascinating. It was a glimpse into some netherworld, with bizarre characters making amazing sounds.
I saw the Dubliners at Huddersfield Town Hall in around 1994. It was a turning point. I must write about it sometime. Something atavistic was going on. Something got to me. But anyway. Luke Kelly died in 1984, so sadly, I never got to see him.
Watch this brief snippet of the programme for a flavour. It lasts less than 4 minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_99gvsSJNQ&mode=related&search=
Incredible voices, extraordinary characters.
