In Search of the Craic: One Man's Pub Crawl Through Irish Music: A Pub Crawl Through Irish Music

In Search of the Craic: One Man's Pub Crawl Through Irish Music: A Pub Crawl Through Irish Music

by Colin Irwin (Author)

Synopsis

There is nothing quite like Irish music to stir the blood and lift the soul. Slow airs to make you weep, jigs to make you happy, songs to make you sing and reels to make you dance like a dervish. It travels well, but still there's nothing quite like hearing Irish music in Ireland. Not on big concert halls or grand arenas, or even the popular taverns on the tourist route, but in the small pubs in remote areas where the locals habitually gravitate for those informal sessions that invariably develop into a serious social occasion universally known as the craic. For those who play it, it's not a style of music, but a way of life, producing its own culture and characters. After 25 years visiting Ireland both as a music writer and a tourist, Colin Irwin goes in search of the craic. He talks to some of the leading Irish musicians like Christy Moore, Donal Lunny, Paddy Moloney, Martin Hayes, Andy Irvine, Cara Dillon, Paul Brady and Frankie Gavin about their experiences and they direct him to places where the craic is mightiest. This is the story of his journey into Ireland's musical soul and the extraordinary characters he meets along the way. But Ireland, being Ireland, nothing ever goes quite according to plan...

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 416
Publisher: Andre Deutsch Ltd
Published: 01 Sep 2003

ISBN 10: 0233000046
ISBN 13: 9780233000046

Media Reviews
There is nothing quite like Irish music to stir the blood and lift the soul. Slow airs to make you weep, jigs to make you happy, songs to make you sing and reels to make you dance like a dervish. It travels well, but still there's nothing quite like hearing Irish music in Ireland. Not on big concert halls or grand arenas, or even the popular taverns on the tourist route, but in the small pubs in remote areas where the locals habitually gravitate for those informal sessions that invariably develop into a serious social occasion universally known as the craic. For those who play it, it's not a style of music, but a way of life, producing its own culture and characters. After 25 years visiting Ireland both as a music writer and a tourist, Colin Irwin goes in search of the craic. He talks to some of the leading Irish musicians like Christy Moore, Donal Lunny, Paddy Moloney, Martin Hayes, Andy Irvine, Cara Dillon, Paul Brady and Frankie Gavin about their experiences and they direct him to places where the craic is mightiest. This is the story of his journey into Ireland's musical soul and the extraordinary characters he meets along the way. But Ireland, being Ireland, nothing ever goes quite according to plan.
Author Bio
Colin Irwin has been writing about music for over 25 years. He was assistant editor at Melody Maker, and has contributed to such publications as the Guardian, Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Times. He's been a tv and radio presenter for BBC2 and BBC Radio 2 where he presented 5 series of Acoustic Roots. Previous publications include The Name of the Game: The Abba Story, Dire Straits, and he has contributed to Rough Guide to World Music and the Virgin Rock Yearbook.