Toora Loora

Kristian has been working on a building lately. Josh thought old American Spiritual 'Working on a Building' was a fitting song to look in to, as the lads went live on Facebook - Completely unprepared. Join the craic!

Notable versions:

The Finns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxEFLLCkMLM

Bill Monroe and The Bluegrass Boys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBDZ3G4RCHc

Ring a Ring a Rosey, as the light declines

I remember Dublin City in The Rare Aul Times.

Join Kristian and Josh today as they talk about the good old days busking with Molly Malone, eating 2 Euro Chicken Rolls, drinking cheap pints, reminiscing about Burritos of days gone by, and exploring some local Dublin History! Come and join in the craic, and don't forget to send us a message with all of your old memories of Dublin City! :)

Notable versions:

Luke Kelly - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTYkbyL4Yxk

Ronnie Drew - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T7OaDDR7i8

Dublin City Ramblers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr9-BXgldbA

"I'll join the brave united men while soft winds shake the barley"

Today Josh and Kristian tackle the famous song that has lent its title to the famous Ken Loach movie. We dive into the 1798 rebellion in Ireland, explore the significance of Barley, and sing Sean-nós about Covid.

Notable versions of The Wind That Shakes The Barley:

Solas: https://open.spotify.com/track/7MGEaVNwpog9jzVsXp7Wda?si=816069af61b94eb5

Máire Ní Shúilleabháin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6wqbrPX-lA

Want to hear the song called wood taste in the ass in arse by Ronny Pøbel? https://open.spotify.com/track/3QT0Z0V3zoqG5gSOwp8q2j?si=5fa07ab585fa49b6

It's hard to dance, with the Divil on your back!

Begolly and Begorra, Josh and Kristian are with ye today to bring the chats and anecdotes surrounding the old classic, 'Lord of The Dance'.

Who was the original Lord of The Dance? Were 'The Shakers' a 1950's Rock n' Roll Band? Why shouldn't you use the word 'Riverdance' as a verb? Find out all this and much more by tuning in now!

Hop, Skip, and Jump into this episode just like Kristian and be culturally enlightened to have dancers back on the radio, where they belong!

Notable Versions:

The Dubliners - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjPGSFDy8wo

The Choir and Congregation of First Plymouth Church, Lincoln Nebraska - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkk0YodJqH8

Lord of The Dance - The Show - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E57i8dv3it4

Original Riverdance - 1994 Eurovision - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0v_pu6miJ8

Josh and Kristian first met in a classroom in a Steiner school in Bærum, Norway, on a hot summers day in 2011.

How did Kristian become obsessed with Ireland and how did he gain the title of Honorary Clare Man and where does the name Christy Barry Murphy come from?

In this episode of Toora Loora we bring you the full, unedited back story of Josh and Kristians friendship, in the form of a mini radio documentary Kristian made in 2011.

Want to reach us? email us on [email protected]

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Music from this episode:

Andy Irvine - My Heart's Tonight In Ireland

https://open.spotify.com/track/6YUY1dl6ikKL7xBL33qL6X?si=1dbed489cd624d54

The Jeremiahs - https://open.spotify.com/artist/4R7Rjr1oTAMSM78ZMEtkLS?si=PPqFoNWTSLS-vN5b0kp6jw

The Boxty Gang

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5yGlpfMyVFpBmyF6xQ2tdU?si=S8juBKQGToSLcmn9sSXk2A

Drink, Drink, the country's on the brink!

Join us for our first ever special Live Stream Episode of Toora Loora! Streamed Live on Facebook on 28.05.21

Kristian and Josh took to zoom to share some thoughts and anecdotes around the mad world of drinking songs.

There's drinking, fighting, gambling, smoking, special guest features (Kelly and Pearse!) and much more besides. Tune in and hear what we got up to.

A few honourable mentions -

'Drink' by Mick Fitzgerald - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOd4pAXmUgw

Donald, where's your trousers? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yw0bLHTOb0

'Let us pause in life's pleasures'

We've all experienced hard times in life - with luck, there'll always be light at the end of the tunnel to guide us out of the darkness.

What is a pale drooping maiden? What is Kristian's favourite tea? How can one song seemingly 'originate' from so many different places all at once? And how did the banjo travel from Africa all the way to the USA before heading back to Ireland, losing a string in the process?

Join us as we explore the many topics surrounding 'Hard Times Come Again No More' by Stephen Foster, and dive into history yet again! This was a fun one to do folks!

Special Thanks to Mr. Mick Martin for contributing his Uilleann Piping skills to this one!

Links:

How Native Americans Funded Irish Famine Relief, and how the Irish returned the favour: https://time.com/5833592/native-american-irish-famine/

Poem from scene setting - 'Don't Quit' by John Greenleaf Whittier : http://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=1820

Notable Versions:

Transatlantic Sessions : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE8L843iUy4

The Chieftains + Paolo Nutini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTrmm96h9Zo

As always drop us a line at [email protected] and join us on social media @tooraloorapodcast

See you soon folks! :)

'Dear sir, I write this note to you

To tell you of my plight.

At the time of writing it, I'm not a pretty sight.

My body is all black and blue,

My face a deathly grey,

And I write this note to say why Paddy's not at work today'.

This week we explore a humorous song with some dark connotations.

Tissues at the ready! Some serious topics hiding in here today amongst the fun and games!

What is a ganger man? Why did so many Irish emigrate to Great Britain in the second half of the 20th Century? And why will County Clare steal your heart? Find answers to all this and more in this week's episode as we explore poor Paddy and his neglect of safety on the building site!

Notable Versions:

Sean Cannon (The Dubliners) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66cxc9emQgY&t=122s

Ronnie Drew (The Dubliners) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96AbqTXjB0Q

The Forgotten Irish Men who built Britain (Article - The Irish Independent) - https://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/the-forgotten-irishmen-who-built-britain-26538068.html

Gowan Lassie! Will ye go?

Did John Lennon really play the Uilleann Pipes? If so, who taught him?

How is Hollywood ruining the Internet presence of some of our best loved Folk Songs?

Why do rural Irish folk still leave saucers of milk on their doorstep at night? And what in the Jaysus is a Piseóg?

Find answers to all this and more as we explore the coming of Summer and the world-renowned song 'Wild Mountain Thyme' !

Wild Mountain Thyme Movie Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJGwrpb_Sao

Notable versions:

The Chieftains: https://open.spotify.com/track/35DRXiBTXYVmOBFaevxyW9?si=AuuYvNRRQt2x7ufTiZ3OBg

Transatlantic Sessions: https://open.spotify.com/track/0Xr52TQhe9VwG6cWNMDETf?si=fQeVjpEbQJqKkpKHdDlMtA

The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem: https://open.spotify.com/track/71rex1GzvCrF3a1YbhYMSU?si=hloRcB-LQcmM7RVOw1AcaA

We all have that one friend that always have to outdo everyone else! You never know whether if they're telling the truth, of if they're bullshitting.

Join Josh and Kristian as they explore The Irish Rover, the most elaborate bullshit drunken bar story ever told.

What are "Bales of nanny goats' tails"? What is the soul of an Irish bar? And who's shoving cailíns around the field?

Notable versions of The Irish Rover:

The Dubliners & The Pouges: https://open.spotify.com/track/1eFIJtN58LoRtqudCoqEg5?si=xA1nNsoSRXunmO-QqHM20g

Dropkick Murphys: https://open.spotify.com/track/4ezf7rIpqEU6GwwxBj7Y0R?si=u9cih7JPS-y47ptXBtUXig

The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem: https://open.spotify.com/track/51Nu3jCu3ffL8OGaHArM51?si=LwFjCPlaRr-x9JyRRPUIEQ