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Shaun That KelticDead Guy

Herr Mannelig (Dear Mankind)

There are many variants of this tune in the endo-European areas, and I translated several versions from Swedish and Russian into English. 
 
The origin of the tunes/songs is believed to be quite old, though there were many variants in the middle ages. The Scandinavian areas of Europe were populated around 50,000 years ago by a mix of people, some of whom were Celts from the Balkan areas, and others from Mongolia, India, and Asia. The theme of the song is about a devil (troll) tempting mankind with wealth, power, and possessions; an eternal struggle. 
 
Earnie Taft and Linda King helped me put this together, and it has that "ancient," eastern European flavor. Kind of jazzy for a tune that comes out of the past ... maybe 50,000 years ago. Powerful message.
 
Shaun, That KelticDead Guy
Shaun That KelticDead Guy

Greensleeves From the street buskers versions in the 1580s

In this project, Earnie Taft helped out with his fiddles, and the tune can be played easily with a C six hole whistle. The myth about this tune was that it was written by King Henry VIII for Ann Bolen, but the truth is it was one of the many "street busker" tunes developed in the 1580s, years after King Henry's death. While there have been many, many variations of the lyrics, I chose four of them in what I hope captures the meaning and feeling in the tune about a young man who is treated very badly by the woman he adores.
 
In was also in this time that the concept of the Broadsides were developed. The street buskers would print their lyrics on a large sheet of paper and fold it in such a way as to make them into very "cheap" books (called "Chap Books") and either give them away to people during their performance, or to sell them in the town square or in festivals. Broadsides were the forerunners of what is now known as a "newspaper" developed in the 20th Century. They were also the format of the "Dime Westerns" popular in America in the latter part of the 19th Century.
 
Also visit www.KelticDead.com 
 
Shaun, That KelticDead Guy
Shaun That KelticDead Guy

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In 1916 a young Scots soldier, Donald Choruna, wrote a letter while fighting in the trenches in WWI to his love in Scotland. It was written in Scots Gaelic, and I translated four of the verses into English to set into the melody composed for it. I arranged the tune to play with the Low-octave, Irish-tuned Mandolin (aka Irish Bouzouki), the Asturias C whistle, the MK1 Low-C whistle, and the bodhran. 
 
Over 17 million people died in that WW1 conflict; The "War to end all Wars." In the early 20th Century WWI was the last of the European (Continental) Wars that actually began in the 1600s. Even in the 1600s, terms like "New World Order," and "Global Government" were used. The United States and other countries were brought into WWI near the end which then ushered in a new kind of "Global Warfare." The results of the defeat of the old Germany gave birth to the NAZI regime which ushered in the conflicts of WWII. Concepts of "Marxist/Communists" followed that, and in the end, it was/is yet another form of control over people. This is why the concept of the rights of man being endowed by God in the U.S. Constitution has been (and continues to be) so hated by those who embrace the NWO. 
 
The madness of these wars spills over into all the same tactics that have been used in warfare since man first began fighting for power and control over others, now affecting economies, food supplies, and genocides (on a global scale). The more one learns of the history in these "wars," the more one can see the reasons for why they continue, and possibly, this clarity gives us a chance of ending this madness once and for all. It is an evil on a scale that is hard to fathom, ... but we must try for the sake of our children and for our world.
 
For More Information Visit KelticDead Music 
Shaun That KelticDead Guy

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The original melody for this song was created by two Russian composers in 1926 from a Russian Gypsy Folk song as a "lost love" song, "On The Long Road." Gene Raskin (from New York) created a new set of lyrics in the 1960s as "Old Friends" ballad, "Those Were The Days," to which he copyrighted the lyrics as "made public with credits given to him."

The KelticDead Music Initiative is a free, web-based, music education resource that features Celtic, Folk, Old-Time, and Seafaring tunes, songs and stories that are now found throughout the world and in every culture.
Visit the KelticDead Music website for more information and links.

Shaun That KelticDead Guy

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This ballad was created in the latter part of the 17th Century about a notorious roadside robber (a highwayman) named Patrick Fleming. Patrick was born into an Irish potato farming family in Athlone, Ireland in the mid 1600s. At age 13, he went into service with Elizabeth Nugent, Countess of Kildare, but was soon removed after he discovered the priest in the household sleeping in an obscene position which caused a scandal. Before leaving the household, Patrick stole over 200 pounds and fled to join a gang located around Dublin. In his time, he maimed and killed many in his robberies, mostly English elites, but because the Irish were at odds with English Patrick was somewhat romanticized. Most highwaymen, when caught, were hung on the spot and while that was the fate of Patrick and his band as well, this “romantic” version of the robber was very popular as an “Irish” pub song. 

The KelticDead Music Initiative is a free, web-based, music education resource that features Celtic, Folk, Old-Time, and Seafaring tunes, songs and stories that are now found throughout the world and in every culture.
Visit the KelticDead Music website for more information and links.

Shaun That KelticDead Guy

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This seafaring song about whaling was created in the mid 1800s by a miller who never went to sea or was ever a whalerman. George Scroogie lived in the Aberdeen area in Scotland where the whaling industry was centered. His poem and song was very popular among seamen and whaler men. 

The KelticDead Music Initiative is a free, web-based, music education resource that features Celtic, Folk, Old-Time, and Seafaring tunes, songs and stories that are now found throughout the world and in every culture.
Visit the KelticDead Music website for more information and links.

Shaun That KelticDead Guy

 

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To show how Celtic-Folk tunes and songs merge into other cultures in the world, this ballad, "Wraggle Taggle Gypsies" was originally created in Scotland in the time when there was a very strict ruling against "gypsies" living and working in the country. If caught they were executed on the spot. To avoid detection, they referred to themselves as a "Johnny Fey" or "Jockies." They lived "outside" of the cultures and were often confused with the "Travelers" who had a similar life style. One such Johnny Fey enticed a very young lady to abandon her station in life with her husband and her baby to live with the gypsies. The song eventually migrated into the Appalachian regions of the United States with the settlers there. "Doc Watson" was well known in folk music, and he created a version of the ballad as "Gypsy Davey." As a note, in the original ballad, when the Lord caught up with the band of gypsies, he killed them all, and instead of killing the wayward wife, he imprisoned her in a tower. A quick death would have been more merciful. The KelticDead Music Group plays this ballad with live instruments that are normally used in Celtic-Folk music sessions.

The KelticDead Music Initiative is a free, web-based, music education resource that features Celtic, Folk, Old-Time, and Seafaring tunes, songs and stories that are now found throughout the world and in every culture.
Visit the KelticDead Music website for more information and links.

Shaun That KelticDead Guy

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Dunmore Lasses (also known as "Road to Cnoc") is one of the mystery journey tunes that relate to mysterious places, standing stones, old castles, battle areas, and others where shey (fayrie) folk might be found. Michael Carroll joined the KelticDead Music Group to play his hammered dulcimer for this tune.  

The KelticDead Music Initiative is a FREE on-line, web-based music-education resource about Celtic, Folk, Old Time, and Seafaring tunes, songs and stories that are now found throughout the world and in every culture. For more information about this initiative, visit www.KelticDead.com .

Shaun That KelticDead Guy

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Turlough OCarolan was Ireland's most famous blind harpist in the late 17th Century into the 18th Century. At 16 he was blinded by smallpox, and yet continued on with his skills as a minstrel which in those days was a respected profession in Ireland. He composed SidheBeg, SidheMor as his first composition about an ancient battle that was fought in the area of his first patron, Squire Reynolds. The tune became his most popular and famous tune out of the more than 200 musical compositions he is accredited with in his lifetime. Our KelticDead Music Group plays a variant of this famous tune with live instruments commonly used in Celtic music sessions. The meaning of the tune is "spirit little, spirit large" and refers to the fayrie (mystery) world in the region of Lough Scur in Ireland where Squire Reynolds lived. As Gaelic had no written script in Turlough's day the spelling has many forms; SiBegSiMor, SheebegSheeMor, SighBegSighMor, and a few others.  Also visit the Current Broadside page in the KelticDead Music website.

It's all fun. Shaun, That KelticDead Guy
 

The KelticDead Music Initiative is a FREE on-line, web-based music-education resource about Celtic, Folk, Old Time, and Sea Faring tunes, songs and stories that are now found throughout the world and in every culture. For more information about this initiative, visit www.KelticDead.com .

Shaun That KelticDead Guy


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This KDM Video selection is a variant of a Celtic Folk song from the 1700s.  I sang the ballad from a man's view set in the mid 1800s during a Potato Blight in Ireland, Scotland and England where millions of refugees crowded into port cities in hopes to escape death. Millions of girls and boys suffered starvation, disease, prostitution (as young as 10 years old), and imprisonment for even the slightest infraction. Because Eric Burdon (Animals) during the 1960s picked up on this Celtic ballad while on tour with Chuck Berry and adapted the song to what seemed like an American based ballad many thought it was an American Folk song for many years.

Our KelticDead Music Group (Myself, Earnie Taft, and Linda King) created lyrics (made public) to focus the theme of the KDM Broadside on these mid-1800 events and times. We arranged and played the tune with live instruments that are commonly found and used in Celtic music sessions. The KelticDead Music Initiative presents audio-video arrangements of Celtic, Folk, Old Time, and Seafaring tunes and songs that are now found throughout the world. Visit www.KelticDead.com . It's all free and all fun.