The Top Lyrical Irish Songs

Since I grew up in a double Irish household (emigrees on both sides of my family had traveled to the US to escape the Great Potato Famine), we were taught many, many tunes that originated in the Emerald Isle. When I was a child, my parents watched The Lawrence Welk show faithfully. Every St. Patrick's Day the in-house Irish Tenor, Joe Fenney, would serenade them with one or more of these songs. An Irish Tenor has a particularly lovely upper vocal range. My mother would practically swoon when she heard Joe Feeney sing.

At my mother's wake, she had the sheet music for "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" set up in her coffin. That's devotion.

#1-"When Irish Eyes are Smiling"
Both the tune and the lyrics are lilting and lyrical. The tempo is very close to a waltz feeling. "When Irish Eyes are Smiling, Sure 'tis like a morn in spring; with the lilt of Irish Laughter, you can hear the angels sing". Please note that humility is not a hallmark of Irish songs. In my experience, only Texans seem to have more ego about where they are from and who they are. Anyway, this is also my favorite since it is at least a little upbeat. Many lyrical Irish songs are melancholy.

#2-"Oh Danny Boy"
Here is the perfect melancholy Irish song, often heard at funerals. "Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling". I wondered about those "pipes". In my younger days I thought they meant bagpipes - which I thought were exclusively Scottish. Not so. The Royal Hibernians, a traditional Irish musical group that can be found in any decent St. Patrick's Day Parade, wear kilts and play the bagpipes and drums. The "pipes" can also be the pan flute - a high pitched, difficult to play ancient instrument with a haunting sound, made better-known by James Galway.

#3-"Wearing' of the Green"
The troubles bewteen factions in Ireland have raged for ages. U-2's "Bloody Sunday" speaks of the violent confrontations that the world is now familiar with. The song "Wearing of the Green" was one of the earliest protest songs. The music is lyrical, even though the lyrics are filled with anger and violent images. As a child the most memorable one for me was "they're hanging men and women for the wearin' of the green".

#4-"My Wild Irish Rose"
"The sweetest flower that grows. You may search everywhere, but none can compare..." This is a love song werein the young man professes his love to his incredribly beautiful girlfriend. The song is sweet and lovely. I am only puzzled by one phrase that I was always too shy to asks about. In the last stanza the young man sings "some day for my sake, she may let me take, that bloom from my wild Irish rose". It just seems a bit of a shock in an otherwise very sweet and innocent song.

#5-"Tu Ra Lu Ra Lu Ra"
This is an Irish Lullaby, as the song is subtitled. And it is lovely and innocent, "hush now don't you cry" croons the singer. Simple enough for the youngest singer to learn its lyrics, and a bit sing-songy as to be easy for the youngest ear to hear. This one is very good for a group sing-a-long.

#6-"A Little Bit of Heaven"
Again, not the least bit humble, but not really swagger either. Just a sweet, beautiful melody and lyrics so loving you'd think someone's mother must have written them.

"Sure a little bit of Heaven fell from out the sky one day
and it nestled in the ocean in a place so far away
and when the angels found it sure it looked so sweet and fair
they said suppose we leave it for it lookes so peaceful there

So they sprinkled it with stardust just to make the shamorcks grow
it's the only place you'll find them no matter where you go
then they darted it with silver just to make the lakes look grand
and when they had it finished sure they called it Ireland"

You can hear the music and see all the lyrics to these songs in many locations on the web. Just put "Irish Music" into your search engine and enjoy.