Toora Loora

“Some people say hurling isn’t very important in the scheme of things. But to hurling people hurling is the scheme of things.” – Ger Loughnane, former Clare Hurler and Clare Hurling Manager.

Bold Thady Quill is a traditional humours song about a Cork hurler, and it's the perfect backdrop for an episode all about the 3000 year old stick and ball game.

Join Josh, Kristian and their very special guest, good friend and member of The Boxty Gang, Rory Costello, in this deep dive into Irelands national sport, Hurling.

The Clancy Brothers - Bold Thady Quill: https://open.spotify.com/track/2IZNjWWsjlQkpzeiBttxUK?si=fd5a726c78714aac

Bonny Kate - The Ballad of Christy Ring: https://open.spotify.com/track/6vvQmdNYqWmj9RnL42RvA9?si=74fb2c05f218475c

The Game. The Story of Hurling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IFE2QOHaQY

Who in the Jaysus is Molly, and why is she the Queen of Songs?

Welcome to a very special episode, and a new concept to explore ! Classic Toora Loora - Testing the boundaries with every passing week!

This week, Kristian and Josh battle it out, and start us off on an ongoing journey to decide which Molly will be crowned the Queen of Songs - who will be the winner!? That's entirely up to you good folks in the public - head to our social media pages to find out how to vote for your winner of today's Molly Sessions (poll will be posted on Friday September 3rd)

Facebook - www.facebook.com/tooraloorapodcast

Instagram - @tooraloorapodcast

or as always, send us an email with your winner and/or any additional comments to [email protected]

"I Love You As I Never Loved Before"

A couple of weeks ago we had a request to do the immortal "When You Were Sweet Sixteen". Naturally we were delighted to, as Josh has made many an eye tear up playing it across the UK and Europe with The Fureys.

Join us for another trip down vaudeville lane, talking about love, romance and stories from the road!

The Fureys: https://open.spotify.com/track/4UWHOgf4uXQabSrodHOrvf?si=684f3c2704bd4d2c

"The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth; Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,The hills of the Highlands for ever I love." 

Continuing on the Scottish Theme (Much to Kristian's delight!), we're taking another trip back in time to the Pre-TooraLoora era and relive our first live stream, celebrating Robert Burns.

Grab yerself a Haggis and a wee dram, sit back and listen to us talk Scottish Turkey.

"Grade 1, first place, winner of the RSPB Jubilee Trophy and Banner, and World Champions for 2021 ... Toora Loora Pipe Band"

This week we dive into the world of Great Highland Bagpipes, as we talk about one of Scotlands unofficial National Anthems. It's safe to say Kristian is excited.

Pipe Major Nikolai Hagen Huse of the Oslo Caledonian Pipe Band, where Kristian is a member, joins us in this bagpipe extravaganza.

Diamonds in the Belfast Mountains

Lovely Molly

The Legend that is Alan Burke

That 'magic' moment when you hear a song for the first time and just have to make it your own

Tune in for all this and more, in this special Live Episode of 'Toora Loora' with Josh and Kristian, as they chat and research the song 'Belfast Mountains' Live from Facebook on 6th August 2021

Notable Versions:

Alan Burke - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCVAbD57WUY

The Rapparees - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwA5KMG6H9I

Ben Sands - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z1JAoUK9KY

Rise up, me bonny lassie - Make haste and come away! There's a Podcast about 'Bound For Caledonia'! (See what we did there!?)

Join the lads this week as they discuss seafaring, fair maidens posing as soldiers, blackmail, and true love (with a bit of deception and shameless self-promotion thrown in for good measure!)

Bound For Caledonia is an old sea-faring song about a lovely young girl and her true love dreaming of returning home to Scotland. But how does it all pan out? Tune in and find out!

Notable Versions:

The Boxty Gang - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW0ay4ZvSNQ

Colleen Raney - https://open.spotify.com/track/6QskfMm3FaichVQseYmGhU?si=578bfbc3b9cf414b

Mainly Norfolk - https://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/songs/caledonia.html

You've neatly and tenderly tied up my shoe!

Join Josh and Kristian today as they talk life, music, and 'Easy and Slow' with the wonderful Dublin Balladeer Billy Treacy of 'Billy Treacy and The Scope'!

"Billy Treacy is a Folk singer/songwriter from Dublin's Inner City. A modern day Balladeer with contemporary story songs using traditional instruments it neatly welds the past with the present.

His first Album "Head Above Water" was produced by Conor Brady and featured a host of musicians that Billy has played with around town. It contains thirteen tracks and features the viral video hits "Temple Bar" a humorous but truthful story about the tourist area told as only a real Dub could tell it. And "Woe!" a hard hitting tale of an Irish man trying to deal with the recession.

Billy has toured Norway, The Netherlands , France, Belgium, The Uk and The States in the past and has performed on Rte Television and several radio stations around the country.

Currently recording a new album with a more Roots sound it features Instruments such as Fiddle, Banjo (both 5 string and Tenor) and Uilleann Pipes. The Musicians known collectively as The Scope change on different days depending on the size of the gig but consist of Anna Mary Donaghy on Fiddle, Paddy Kiernan (5 String Banjo), Gavin Whelan (Low Whistle and Pipes) Anthony Warde (Tenor Banjo and Mandolin) .

During the summer of 2017 Billy Treacy & The Scope performed their new single "Moving This Way" in front of 83,000 in Croke Park Stadium. It's an emotional song about the plight and problems that Ireland has faced in the past, but especially now with the huge homeless crisis.

November 23rd 2018 was the release date for "Ma", a new ballad done in the old traditional style recorded in Floodplain Studios and engineered by Graham Watson with a lineup including Eoin Dillon (founding member of Kila) on Uilleann Pipes and Whistles.

July 20th 2019 Billy Treacy and The Scope played at the Het Lindeboom Folk and Traditional Music Festival in Loon Plage (near Dunkirk) in France.

Tune into Billy's music on all usual platforms and give him a listen today!

The Market - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUqymPzfEPo

Ma - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhvUYpnJsLg

Templebar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsqzEtprcpk

Billy Treacy and The Scope - https://www.breakingtunes.com/billytreacyandthescope

He stepped out, I stepped in again. I stepped out and she stepped in again.

By popular demand, here it is: Lanigan's Ball!

What did they actually do at that party? Was six months learning a set dance time well spent? And who was the mysterious Galway Poet that supposedly wrote the song?

Josh and Kristian also explain the etymology of the much talked about Feakle Festival, and dive into regional differences in playing styles, instrument choices and tune selection across Ireland.

Join the craic!

Notable versions:

Christy Moore: https://open.spotify.com/track/7lthnZZUQWpdG43dLi3MlV?si=0566585895d54816

Gaelic Storm: https://open.spotify.com/track/55f82UUt19MA7z7pmtsi13?si=3515f04f748a4407

Johnny Logan: https://open.spotify.com/track/4Bpt1tCDdt02rwA1TiTPUH?si=2aa9510d6f4543db

Dropkick Murphys: https://open.spotify.com/track/2aYuJhVerZYSTZgpWPqdAa?si=b5cfaf2481584fda

Fiddler's Green: https://open.spotify.com/track/4BMu74juamRuqFoMgcgv36?si=2c47b35b165e4470

Poitin: https://open.spotify.com/track/3zhuvMhf6BdMPXXIribTbq?si=38ea397ae0a04689

Killieburne Brae: https://open.spotify.com/track/21hiKfDYxSprxeYKeWQDnT?si=01642e3e303c4cd3

Check out the "Irish & Celtic Music Podcast": https://celticmusicpodcast.com

Flutes and Fiddles Everywhere, If it's Music You Want - Go To Clare!

Up The Banner and All That!

This week Josh and Kristian discuss Christy Moore's famous classic, written all about the infamous Lisdoonvarna Festival of the 1980's.

Tune in to hear chats about Clare, Music, Tunes, disappearances, festivals, Moose Burgers (wtf!?) and much much more!

Don't forget - everybody needs a break. So come and join us for yours and have a bit of craic with us as we take a journey to County Clare!

Notable Versions:

(THE OG Version) - Christy Moore : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPlsU4CR1G8

Christy Live at Vicar Street (2002) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPlsU4CR1G8

Christy on The Late Late Show : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SVo9W4QM5A