The Irish Volunteer: Songs Of The Irish Union Soldier 1861-1865

Amazon.com
This is an unusual endeavor. Kincaid has collected lyrics written by or about Irish soldiers in the Union army of the American Civil War, and either recreated the music from notes or written new music in the tradition of the times. The words of the songs express love lost and missed, pride in the military prowess of the Irish soldiers, and the despair of war. Kincaid has made a simple musical accompaniment for these songs, using familiar Irish instruments such as uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes), bodhran (Irish goatskin drum), mandolin, and whistle. He sets the songs to ballads and jigs--some traditional, others original tunes that hint at tradition, but all timely and appropriate for the lyrics. He also pens one original tune of his own about a fictional Irish American captain who dies in battle--stirring, but not as direct as the old songs. This is an ambitious project, well-conceived and capable of making a lesser-known part of American history more immediate. --Louis Gibson

From the Label
Through painstaking research and musical creativity, David Kincaid brings to life THE IRISH VOLUNTEER, SONGS OF THE IRISH UNION SOLDIER 1861-1865 (RCD10395), set for release on Rykodisc February 24, 1998. Kincaid's collection delivers traditional Irish battle songs with a twist - the jigs and reels sound straight from the hills of Tipperary or Galway Bay, but these Fenians are raising their pikes and voices for Gettsyburg, not Donegal. Dedicated to the memory of the over 160,000 Irishmen who fought in Yankee Regiments against the South in the Civil War, this album celebrates the spirit and music of Irish Soldiers in America who, in battles at Antietam, Fredericksburg and a dozen other sites, gained a reputation second to none for discipline and gallantry. Although some Irish American Civil War songs have been recorded in other collections, Kincaid's THE IRISH VOLUNTEER is the only album of Civil War songs dedicated entirely to the Irish soldier and all but two of the songs are heard here for the first time since the late 1800s. This album opens the door to a fascinating time in history and comes complete with comprehensive liner notes, written by noted Civil War historian Joseph G. Bilby, while the package includes never-before-printed Civil War memorabilia. Lead singer of the twangy rock band the Brandos, David Kincaid took a break from contemporary rock music life to indulge his historical passions when he joined The 116th, a civil war re-enactment troop. He and his fellow marchers would often follow intense battle re-enactments with campfire sessions, singing the traditional songs of the Civil War soldier. Finding it strange when he was told that the Irish soldiers, a group of men raised on song and story, had no verses of their own, he scoured libraries and museums for the songs that he knew must exist, and indeed they did.

After countless hours of research in libraries across New England, Kincaid was able to discover the songs that may have been lost forever. Only one song he retrieved, "The Irish Volunteer "(Nr. 2), was found with musical notation. The others were found on broadsides, or in lyric books, with only allusions to the airs and jigs that were to be played while singing the songs. With an ear to historical details and a little bit of imagination, Kincaid composed the more obscure melodies himself and was able to finish the songs.

Tracks:

The Irish Volunteer
Boys That Wore The Green
Opinions Of Paddy Magee
The Boys Of The Irish Brigade
Paddy's Lamentation
The Irish Volunteer (No.2)
My Father's Gun
Meagher Is Leading The Irish Brigade
Free And Green
The Harp Of Old Erin & Banner Of Star
The List Of Generals
Pat Murphy Of Meagher's Brigade

Amazon.com

This is an unusual endeavor. Kincaid has collected lyrics written by or about Irish soldiers in the Union army of the American Civil War, and either recreated the music from notes or written new music in the tradition of the times. The words of the songs express love lost and missed, pride in the military prowess of the Irish soldiers, and the despair of war. Kincaid has made a simple musical accompaniment for these songs, using familiar Irish instruments such as uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes), bodhran (Irish goatskin drum), mandolin, and whistle. He sets the songs to ballads and jigs--some traditional, others original tunes that hint at tradition, but all timely and appropriate for the lyrics. He also pens one original tune of his own about a fictional Irish American captain who dies in battle--stirring, but not as direct as the old songs. This is an ambitious project, well-conceived and capable of making a lesser-known part of American history more immediate. --Louis Gibson

Customer Reviews:

"There's many an Irish girl sad tonight".......2006-05-07

Anyone who knows anything about the American Civil War (War between the States if you prefer) surely has heard about the Irish Brigade. As the CD insert notes, they were in all the major eastern battles and due to their bravery suffered a total of 4000 casualties during the war. By finding actual lyrics the Irish soldiers sang and determining the tunes they probably used, Kincaid has built a bridge 140 years long between us and them. I never believed in ghosts but this CD modified that belief. There ARE Civil War ghosts and they speak to us with haunting beauty through David Kincaid.

"Erin's Harp and the Starry Flag".......2005-04-13

Those who have studied the American Civil War or Irish American history know the tremendous contribution that the Irish made to that unfortunate conflict. Waves of immigrants where coming to America's shores from Ireland every day, and many of these were recruited to fight for the Union directly off of the ships. They often fought in units composed entirely of their country men, like the 37th New York "Irish Rifles", the "Irish 9th" Massachusetts, the 69th Pennsylvania, or General Meagher's famous "Irish Brigade, made up of the 63rd, 69th, and 88th New York Volunteers.
These men had their own music; propaganda recruitment songs, songs linking the Union cause with their own fight for liberty back home in Erin, and songs warning others to avoid coming and joining in a vicious fight that was not their own. Most of these songs disappeared after the war, never entering into America's folk music tradition as other Civil War songs did. But David Kincaid searched through old collections in museums and libraries, and rediscovered many of these rousing songs of the Irish Civil War soldiers. He then combined the lyrics he found with traditional Irish tunes (all but one of the songs he discovered lacked musical notation), and here performs them with rousing traditional Irish instrumentation. The result is a stunning success.
This is great Irish music, performed authentically with pipes, whistle, bodhran, fiddle, and mandolin. There are lilting, catchy songs like `The Opinions of Paddy Magee', `The List of Generals', and the title track `The Irish Volunteer'. Then there are more somber and mournful ones, such as `Paddy's Lamentation', `Pat Murphy of Meagher's Brigade', and `Free and Green' (the only new song, written for this project). All the elements that make for great Irish music are here.
As Civil War music, this CD is invaluable. Almost all the songs included on `The Irish Volunteer' are authentic Civil War songs that had disappeared from the historical record and are revived here. Not only do they brilliantly illustrate a particular aspect of Civil War history, but they are fine, rousing songs in their own right. No collection of Civil War music should be without it.
I have had this CD for years, and it has never fallen out of my regular playing rotation. If you have any interest in Irish music or the American Civil War, `The Irish Volunteer' is a "can't miss" purchase.

Theo Logos

GREATEST CIVIL WAR CD!.......2004-03-20

This CD arrived today. Being a huge Civil War buff, and a big fan of the "Irish Brigade" and Irish music in general, I was psyched to get this CD, though I wasn't quite sure what it was going to be like. I popped it into the CD player, and it is even better than anything I could have imagined! It isn't your typical Civil War CD by any means: dealing with this obscure material, focused on the Irish Union soldiers, you're not going to find the Civil War's "greatest hits" like "Battle Cry of Freedom", or "Dixie". But you will find the best Civil War CD out there! The authentic sound, and the great vocals of Kincaid evoke such emotion and life into the music.....I don't know if I've ever felt that with a more traditional Civil War compilation. I read an earlier review saying that this album is "addictive".....I wasn't sure how it could be until I realized that I've been listening to it for about 6 hours straight!

Bravo!.......2004-03-05

This is the grandest CD I have bought in a long time. In our time of internal strife in america, remembering the past changes your perspective. This CD does that. Mr. Kincaid has brought the best together on one cd for all of us.

Great, great album........2003-01-15

His selection of songs was excellent, and his treatment of the material even better. An album you will listen to again and again. Do yourself a favor, buy it!

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