Re: Just a small tribute to an Irish hero.

On Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:45:49 +0100, "eugene" <eugene@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


"The Highlander" <micheil@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1qq883d12vu7dmbumitkm326d6ifernju9@xxxxxxxxxx
I feel bad seeing all the anti-Ray posts, so I thought it was time I
revealed what Ray has actually achieved for Ireland.

It's a poor thing, a spur of the moment scribble, but I thought it
would be a suitable tribute for Ireland's most reknowned IRA fighter
agains the evil Brits.

Then I thought, I wonder if I could add in an accompaniment with my
bouzouki? You understand, my studio isn't really state of the art; the
kitchen table, a chair, a single headset for chattering on Skype and a
lovely piece of software called Audacity, which lets me edit music.

Two glasses of whisky later, I was in business! I recorded myself
strumming my bouzouki to help the tune, I picked along in the second
recording to make it sound less grotesque and add a bit of romance to
the tune; I could barely read the words because the bloody printer
cartridge has run dry again and the lighting in here is the shits, all
assisted by a need to give myself a laugh after a rugged week of
switching every thing on my computer away from Microsoft and over to
Mozzila.

My voice is a horror story in itself, I had trouble keeping to the
beat on the bouzouki as the voice wanders all over the bloody place,
but I lowered the recording volume to let the bum notes get lost in
the overall confusion, and of course this is the first time I have
ever played the bouzouki to an audience other than myself, and I
couldn't be arsed to practice the accompaniment beforehand so if
you're expecting to hear Stelios Kazantzidis, Greece's late great
singer, well, please accept my humble apologies! My granny was from
Donegal, so I feel I'm a part of the Ould Sod mesel, but of course I'm
an old sod anyway, so in my mind that excuses what you're about to
hear.

Ergo, here is my rendering of "AN IRISH HERO!"

http://tinyurl.com/223mwd

AN IRISH HERO!

If the heroes came back home to dear ould Ireland
From the graveyards round the world where they now lay,
Sure there's one who'd get a beating, not a greeting
The legend that they call "Dat *** head Ray"!

Crossmaglen was where he first caught our attention
As he fought the evil Brits by night and day.
There was Seamus, Pete O'Toole and Patrick Murphy
Who died beneath the bullets, thanks to Ray!

When the boys took over Dublin's famed post office
And the tricolour flew high above the fray
Michael Collins, Dev, and Pearse all spoke of fleeing
Till Ray stepped in and told them they should stay!

"Just give a thought," said Ray, "to Ireland's judgement
If it were known you'd tried to run away!"
It was Dev himself who weighed Ray's proposition,
And said, "Let's go boys - fock dat *** head Ray!"

When the Rising failed to spark The Great Rebellion
And the lads in chains were slowly led away,
And the Brits were hunting high and low for Raybo
Sure your man had long since left for Boston Bay!

Sure they say a ghostly figure walks the beaches
With gun in hand each night - who else but Ray!
He says he keeps the country safe from Britain
Dear God, do they have Brits round Boston Bay?

Oh dear Lord, if I should ever get to Heaven
And if Saint Peter says that I can stay
And if I hear Raybo telling lies to Jaysus,
I'll say! "Fock me, how did YOU get in here, Ray?!!"



Very good H! You sound a bit like Ronnie Drew. I'm sure the bold Ray will
love being immortalised.

I've been smoking like a chimney, plus I'm drinking the worst Scotch
I've ever tasted - I just hope to God I get to the end of the bottle
soon...

As for Ronnie Drew - the best pub singing voice I've ever heard!

I like to give him these little treats from time to time.

The Highlander
Tilgibh smucaid air do làmhan,
togaibh a' bhratach dhubh agus
toisichibh a' geàrradh na sgòrnanan!
.