A live recording of my take on Black 47's "James Connolly" with Eddy Hanson on fiddle. Performed at my first Fringe show (Songs for Edinburgh's unsung hero, James Connolly) on 3 Aug 2017.

Remaining shows on 11, 12, 19, 24, 25 August 2017. Doors open at 12.30pm. Show runs from 1-2pm. Tickets at https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/captain-s-folk-singer

Songs for Edinburgh's unsung hero, James Connolly

James Connolly

A recording of my first performance of Kevin Gore's song "Freedom Fighter", captured live at my Edinburgh Fringe show "Songs for Edinburgh's unsung hero, James Connolly".

Tickets for further performances at https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/captain-s-folk-singer 11, 12, 19, 24, 25 Aug 2017.

Freedom Fighter

A song inspired by events in Catalonia in late 2017 and early 2018 and particularly the #DearCatalonia letter-writing campaign to the Catalan political prisoners. More info at http://catalanprisoners.info

DEAR CATALONIA

Dear Catalonia, I write you this note
We all saw the pictures from the day you went to vote
A military police force sent to block the people's will
In the shadow of the batons, you stood peaceful and still

Visca la República Catalana (visca)
Ni un pas enrere, no passaran (oh-oh)
It’s great to see your Estelada
Ni un pas enrere, no passaran

Dear Catalonia, I hope you are well
Leaders in exile, leaders in cells
But you're like a human tower, so difficult to fell
The strength comes from the bottom, like a Catalan castell

Visca la República Catalana (visca)
Ni un pas enrere, no passaran (oh-oh)
I love to hear you sing L'estaca
Ni un pas enrere, no passaran

Dear Catalonia, I won’t forget
You wrapped Brussels up in sunshine in the cold and the wet
You ask a simple question, who will answer the call?
An attack on your democracy is an attack on us all

Visca la República Catalana (visca)
Ni un pas enrere, no passaran (oh-oh)
It’s great to see your Estelada
Ni un pas enrere, no passaran

Visca la República Catalana (visca)
Ni un pas enrere, no passaran (oh-oh-oh)
I love to hear you sing L'estaca
Ni un pas enrere, no passaran

© 2017 @gerrymulvenna

Dear Catalonia

Shall we fall in love?
Perhaps we have no choice.
There’s a growing tingle when we mingle
Now I long to hear your voice.

But my heart is buried deep
I scarce remember where
It’s a kind o’ protective hibernation
From ancient wear and tear

Tell me I’m not wrong
Can you feel it too?
I guess I lake my chances with my blushes
For a chance of loving you.

I can feel your sun rays on my heart
It starts to thaw
Like they say, when love it comes,
You don’t expect it at all
You don’t expect it at all

Shall we fall in love?
Perhaps we have no choice.
There’s a growing tingle when we mingle
Now I long to hear your voice.

Tell me I’m not wrong
Can you feel it too?
I guess I lake my chances with my blushes
For a chance of loving you.

© Gerry Mulvenna 2018

Shall we fall in love?

Voice: Linda Fergusson, guitar: Gerry Mulvenna
Recorded in Tollcross, 1986/7
Song written by Miguel Bose, I think

Blind Man On A Flying Horse

Pequeño Amor

The "Nigel Coleman Band" perform Gerry Mulvenna's song Something Special live at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in the University of Limerick on 12 March 2009. The "Nigel Coleman Band" are Nigel Coleman, Gerry Mulvenna, Kieran O'Dea and Steve Stellar.

Something Special

The late Tommy Burns sings Mack The Knife at the end of the Tommy Burns Supper (Edinburgh University 1989). Captured from cassette whose audio quality "goes" a bit near the end.

The late Tommy Burns sings Mack The Knife

A rough snippet from a 2008 rehearsal of the Last Friday Collective. You get none of the verses of the song, but it captures a rare occasion, where I get to channel my inner lead guitarist and some nice backing vocals from the lads.

The Last Friday Collective were: Nigel Coleman (guitar, vocals), Gerry Mulvenna (guitar, vocals), Kieran O'Dea (keyboards, vocals), Steve Stellar (Djembe, vocals)

Something Special (jammin' version)

During the years of the revolution, the French planted trees of liberty in their towns and villages. The custom spread throughout Europe and reached Ireland as early as 1792.

This “treasonable document” was found on a Co. Westmeath republican called Reilly in September 1798. He was flogged but managed to escape and hid in a clump of rushes until the redcoats gave up the search.

Andrew St Ledger (Woodland League) asked me to put a melody to the lyrics and this is a rough draft.

Plant, Plant The Tree

Chorus
	Plant, plant the tree, fair freedom’s tree
	Midst danger, wounds and slaughter
	Erin’s Green Fields its soil shall be
	Her Tyrant’s blood its water

They come, they come, see myriads come
Of Frenchmen to relieve us;
Seize, seize the pike, beat, beat the drum,
They come, my friends to save us;
Whilst trembling despots fly this land,
To shun impending danger,
We’ll stretch forth our fraternal hand
To hail each welcome stranger.

Those nicknames, Marquis, Lord and Earl
That set the crowd a-gazing,
We prize as hogs esteem a pearl,
Their patents set a-blazing,
No more they’ll vote away our wealth
To please a king or queen, sirs,
But gladly pack away by stealth,
Or taste the guillotine, sirs

The Parliament, who say foresooth
They represent the nation,
Shall scamper East, West, North and South,
Or Feel our indignation.
The speakers mace to current coin
We presently will alter,
For ribbons lately thought to fine,
We’ll fit each with a halter.

And when th’all glorious work is done,
Rejoice with one another,
To ploughshares beat the sword and gun.
Now every man’s your brother;
Detested wars shall ever cease
In kind fraternisation,
And will be harmony and peace
And the whole world one nation.

	Críoch

Far may the boughs of liberty extend,
For ever cultured by the brave and free;
For eer blasted be the impious hand
That lops one branch from this noble tree!
Patriots, ‘tis yours to make her verdure thrive,
And keep the roots of liberty alive.


Plant, plant the tree

I wrote this song to commemorate the centenary of the 1913 Ottawa train crash, which claimed the life of my great-uncle Pat Mulvenna and 7 other emigrants from Scotland and Ireland. More tragic than most emigrant songs, after 10 days on the boat across the Atlantic they perished on their first day in Canada in a freak railway accident.

Midsummer Sunset (c) Gerry Mulvenna 2013

It's the start of a journey / for young Pat Mulvenna
For young Pat Mulvenna / today
Dan O'Gowkstown / bids him farewell
Bids him farewell / one last time

  The Midsummer sun sets
  Across the green glens of Antrim
  Short nights and long days
  For the hopes and the dreams
  Of a new life in Canada

They queue to embark / with hundreds of emigrants
Hundreds of emigrants / on the Allan line
The SS Pretorian / she slides out of Derry
She slides out of Derry / in bright sunshine

  The Midsummer sun sets
  Ten more times across the Atlantic
  Short nights and long days
  For the hopes and the dreams
  Of a new life in Canada

Everyone's up on deck / as they land in Quebec
As they land in Quebec / at long last
Then it's all aboard / the Winnipeg train
The Winnipeg train / to the west

  The Midsummer sun sets
  Blood red on the Ottawa River
  There's eight dead in the train wreck
  With their hopes and their dreams
  Of a new life in Canada

More tragic than most / this emigrant's tale
This emigrant's tale / so sad
The news comes from Reuters / that young Pat Mulvenna
That young Pat Mulvenna / is dead

  The Midsummer sun sets
  Blood red on the Ottawa River
  There's eight dead in the train wreck
  With their hopes and their dreams
  Of a new life in Canada

gerrymulvenna

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