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Tommy Makem   •   Rolling Home

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  • Rolling Home
    • 1989 - Shanachie 52021 CD (USA)
  • Tracklist
    1. Rolling Home (T. Makem)
    2. Those Factory Girls (Roy Arbuckle)
    3. Courting In the Kitchen
    4. The Town I Love So Well (Phil Coulter)
    5. Brendan
    6. Waltzing With Bears (Dale Marxen)
    7. The Boys of Mullaghbawn
    8. The Battle of Benburb
    9. The Songs the Water Sings
    10. Whaler's Tale (Ken Graydon)
    11. Long Winter Nights

  • Musicians
    • Tommy Makem: vocals, banjo, tin whistles, bokwhistles, and Bodhrán
    • Ronnie D'Addario: 6 and 12 string guitars
    • Ray Harvey: Mandolin and Guitar
    • Gene Ragosta: Bass (Tracks: 2, 6, 8, 9, 11)
    • Woody Woodward: Bass (Tracks: tracks 1, 3-5)
    • Johnny Cunningham: 5 string fiddle.
    • Charlie Jennison: Synthesiser, piano and flute
    • Back-Up Vocals: Ronnie D'Addario, Ray Harvey, Gene Ragosta, Eugene Byrne, Jim McKague, Charlie Jennison, Jeff Landrock, Julie Dougherty, and Pat Woods
  • Credits
    • Cover Design: Gibson Enterprises, Dundalk, Ireland
    • Cover Photo: Thorn Hindle
    • Recorded and Mixed at Fishtraks Studios, Portsmouth, N.H.
    • Engineer: Jeff Landrock
    • Mixing: Jeff Landrock and Tommy Makem

Rolling Home
A grand old sea song of which there are numerous versions, such as "Rolling Home To Old New England", "Rolling Home To Caledonia" etc. Having been unable to find an Irish version I decided to write one; this it.

Those Factory Girls
A lovely song about the girls who work in the shirt factories in Derry. Written with great affection by Roy Arbuckle, and dedicated to all the ladies everywhere who very rarely get the praise in song that they deserve.

Courting In The Kitchen
A big favourite in Ireland for many years. The person who wrote this song deserves great credit for being able to complete a song in which the word "kitchen" has to be rhymed in every verse.

The Town I Love So Well
After returning to his native Derry, from having been around the world making his living as a musician, Phil Coulter was deeply angered and saddened by the destruction and devastation he saw in the town where he had been born and nurtured. He put his feelings in words and music and this the result.

Brendan
St. Brendan was a sixth century Irish Saint who was called "Brendan The Navigator" because of his love of the sea and the numerous voyages he made. On his most famous voyage, of which he kept a log that has been translated and published recently, he left from just outside Dingle in Co. Kerry in a cowhide boat with some of his monks and after many adventures he finally made land fall in Newfoundland in Maritime Canada. From there he sailed down the east coast of North America for forty days and his final stop was around St. Augustine in Florida before he sailed for home. We Irish can rightly claim that "Brendan The Navigator" was the original discoverer of America.

Waltzing With Bears
This delightful song was written by Dale Marxen of Madison, Wisconsin and I learned it from the singing of Ann Mayo Muir. This has become one of my favourite songs and I have no doubt that it will become one of yours also.

The Boys Of Mullaghbawn
An Eighteenth Century song from my own native South Armagh. The Squire Jackson of the song was of that rare breed, a decent landlord who treated his tenants kindly. He lived in Forkhill around the 1740's. Two men, Grant and Donnelly were in Armagh jail charged with robbing Colonel Ogle's court and for which they were apparently transported. Grant supposedly wrote the song. The "Cuckoo" who left her station was one Betty O'Neill who had informed on the men and was to have been given a bag of gold for her information. Instead she was given a bag of halfpennies and from that time on she was known as "Betty The Bag O' Ha'Pence". When it became known that she was an informer, she had to leave the district or "leave her station" as the song says.

The Battle Of Benburb
On June 6th, 1646, Owen Roe O'Neill led his Irish army to a "glorious victory" over the English under the command of Munroe. The battle was fought at Benburb on the banks of the Northern Blackwater that divides Co. Tyrone from Co. Armagh.

The Songs The Water Sings
Water and Sun were both worshipped by our prehistoric ancestors as the great providers of all life. Both still sing mysterious songs.

Whaler's Tale
Apparently this a true tale told by Scammon of his whaling experiences in the Baja Lagoon that was named for him. Ken Graydon wrote this song based on Scammon's writings.

Long Winter Nights
Time for hibernating like the bear and enjoying and savouring once again, all the things we learned, experienced, and enjoyed through spring, summer and autumn.