 |
 |
|
| more images |
My Love Is A Tall Ship — I've always had the call ol the sea in my soul. Some years ago, I shipped as a trainee sailor on Ireland's sail-training brigantine, Asgard 2. The song,naturally, wrote itself.
The Dog in the Manger — Inspired by one of Aesop's fables and the power of destiny which surrounds us all.
What Put The Blood — First line as classic Child murder ballad (13). On fragile Irish neutrality and against the decision of the Irish government to grant fueling and landing rights to U.S. warplanes en route to bomb the sleeping, ancient city of Baghdad.
I Knew Ye When You Were Nothing — There was once a time in Ireland when the worst sin a person of humble roots could commit was to moke a comfortable living The begrudges may be silent now, but wall to wall materialism rules the roost.
The Green Island — I wrote this song in New York while performing there in the Spring of '87. The multitude of young Irish emigrants in the ballad bars around Woodside, Queens and Frank O'Connor's book on Michael Collins gave inspiration.
Fungi — Being a macaronic childrens' song on Dingle Bay, Co. Ferry's first citizen.
Roisin's Sweet Song — In my lifetime I've witnessed the deaths of a couple of Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) communities: linguistic and philosophical realities which at one time embraced the whole island of Ireland. My fear, as the song suggests, is that we may be on tbe threshold of the final conquest. and steely
Stone Hearts and Steely Face — The oldest part of Cork city, "The Marsh", sits between the two channels of the river Lee. Our lords and masters had designs on replacing this ancient community with a motorway. Fortunately, the people of the Marsh and Lucy Keane, their spokesperson, were made of sterner stuff.
In and Out — Growing up in Douglas, Co. Cork in the fifties was pure magic. A strange old errant wind blew the smells, emotions and echoes back to me one enchanted day, in the form of this song.
Postcards — A version of this song appears on an earlier album of mine, "Somethings Never Change". The heady scented lanes of Wexford may have enhanced the romance, but in reverie, contuse the pangs of unrequited love.
Place not a harness round my Soul — You can't always do it on your own, you know. When the words and music barely fill the sails, its time to call on Riína nDúl (the King of the Elements) to move the ship along. He didn't refuse in this case.
Mrs. President — Yes, there is a South American connection, in more ways than one. My attempt at a musical timetable of a busy President's day.
For thirty years, Jimmy Crowley has sung the songs of real people in his own voice. Songs of love and joy of pain and social condition. What makes his singing loved from Aberdeen to Adelaide; Los Angles to Leipzig, is the distinctive and honest way he tells the story of each song. Here, among a clutch of songs he has written himself, are songs both grave and grámhar. Songs that chart the life of the ordinary people of the nation and personal songs of universal experience. The uncompromising singing tradition which Crowley has championed for three decades rings true in every song.
Of course, there is a degree of experimentation, all traditional music requires it. But the integrity of the folk song as the voice of the people is preserved in Jimmy's inimitable way, in this the most exciting of his six albums.
Tony Caniffe
"The final test of any singer is whether or not you listen to him — I have Jimmy Crowley's "Jimí Mo Mhíle Stór" in the car at all times"
Liam Clancy
"Jimmy and I have been on the one road for many's the mile and my journey is always shortened when I meet him"
Christy Moore
"Since I have known Jimmy Crowley, which is quite a while, the qualities which I have admired most in him are his constancy, his integrity and his ability to adapt and to be receptive to all kinds of music, his uniqueness. And for me, he embodies the spirit and voice of Cork and he's a great singer"
Ronnie Drew
"Jimmy Crowley is a musical icon In Irish tradition. He sings out from his own ground to a world of listeners. And the lift and lilt of his voice is the listener's joy"
Micheál O Súilleabháin
Irish World Music Centre, University of Limerick.
"His singing style is truly unique nobody hearing Jimmy Crowley could possibly mistake him for anybody else".
Mick Moloney
"Tá aithne mhaith ag Jimmy or mhuintir Ghaeltachtaí no Mumhan áit a bhfuil ard-mheas ar a chuid ceoil agus amhránaíochta. Tuigeann na daoine seo, go bhfuil a dtraidisiúin coimeádta acu féin go bhfuil traidisiúin dá chuid féin á choimeád beo ag Jimmy"
Diarmaid O Súilleabháin
"For me he embodies all that is good and true about the music in which we are involved."
Martin Carthy
"The first time I heard Jimmy Crowley was in Taylors Hall in Dublin in the late 70's. I was so taken with his performance that night that I talked about it for a long time afterwards. He remains, to this day, a unique interpreter of songs both traditional and contemporary with a special gift lor communicating with his audience"
Mary Black
"For the distinctive urban folk songs of Cork, with all their sly wit and sidelights on city life, Jimmy Crowley, singer musician and collector, should be among your first ports of call."
Nicholas Carolan
Irish Traditional Music Archive
