[Irish Folk Songs] Surprisingly Familiar Masterpieces and Standards of Ethnic Music

Foggy Dew

Sinéad O’Connor & The Chieftains – The Foggy Dew

Irish folk music often features many cheerful tunes, but among them are also heavy and powerful works.

One famous example is “The Foggy Dew.” Centered on the theme of war, its lyrics are quite brutal, depicting fighters who, under a hail of bullets, pledge loyalty to Ireland and continue the struggle to win freedom.

The melody matches this content perfectly—weighty and grand in scope.

If you explore Ireland’s historical background, you’ll be able to appreciate the song’s qualities from a different perspective.

Swallowtail Jig

Swallow Tail Jig

“Swallowtail Jig,” also known by names such as “The Dancing Master,” is a very famous traditional Irish jig and dance tune.

Jigs are characterized by their structure woven from quick triplet groupings in meters like 6/8, 9/8, or 12/8, creating a uniquely Irish blend of pastoral openness and lively drive that is a joy to listen to.

They are typically performed on instruments commonly used in Irish traditional music, such as the fiddle and tin whistle, but you can find many videos on YouTube featuring a wide variety of instruments, so I hope you’ll enjoy comparing the differences.

Incidentally, “swallowtail” can refer to a swallow’s tail or a swallowtail butterfly, but the reason for this title is unknown.

My Darling Asleep

Irish Jigs – My Darling Asleep, Blackthorn Stick, Smash the Windows

A celebrated piece among Irish folk songs, “My Darling Asleep.” It’s notable for its cheerful melody centered on the violin.

The origin of the piece is full of surprises—apparently, it’s actually themed around “love in bed.” Given how bright and sunny the melody is, that theme is quite unexpected (lol).

That said, it’s still a wonderful love song, so if you want to enjoy an Irish folk ballad, be sure to check it out.

The Lark in the Morning

St Patricks Day Jig – The Lark in the Morning

Irish folk songs include many works about indigenous beliefs and nursery rhymes, but among them are pieces based on messy romantic entanglements and sexual themes.

One such song is “The Lark in the Morning.” It tells the story of a forbidden romance between a ploughboy—a youth who drives a plow with animals—and a maid, and in the end the maid becomes pregnant.

It’s quite a hard-edged love story.

The song has a striking gap between its cheerful melody and its message (haha).

I’ll Tell Me Ma

Angelo Kelly & Family – I’ll tell me ma

The Irish folk song “I’ll Tell Me Ma” is often treated like a nursery rhyme.

Beloved not only in Ireland but across the United Kingdom, it’s also known by titles such as “The Belle of Belfast City” and “The Boys Won’t Leave the Girls Alone.” Fitting its nursery rhyme-like reception, one of its charms is a very catchy overall structure.

Incidentally, there are two strong contenders for the song’s origins—Ireland and England—and it seems there’s a familiar local rivalry over which side can claim it first (lol).

Down by the Salley Gardens

Down by the Sally Gardens-Maura O’Connell with Karen Matheson

This famous Irish folk song, with a poignantly melancholic melody that moves the heart, is quite different from the more cheerful style of Irish music.

Known as “Down by the Salley Gardens,” the piece originates from verses once hummed by Irish farm women, later edited by Ireland’s celebrated poet and playwright William Butler Yeats.

It poetically recounts the bitter end of a young man’s love.

Some may recognize it from versions by Clannad or solo recordings by members of Celtic Woman.

It also served as the original song for Aoi Teshima’s “Kazoku no Fukei,” and, perhaps surprisingly, was used as the ending theme of the anime Fractale, which became controversial in several respects.

Whiskey In The Jar

The Irish Rovers, Whiskey in the Jar (w/ lyrics)

If you enjoy a drink, this is the kind of title that would make you perk up! With a cheerful rhythm and a melody that conjures images of everyone in a pub breaking into a rousing sing-along, ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ is a song whose exact origins are unclear, though it’s said to have already been sung by the 17th century, and by the 1950s it had been recorded by many artists.

It spread worldwide after the late 1960s, when the Irish folk band The Dubliners featured it on their albums and singles, and in 1973 it became a major hit thanks to a cover by Thin Lizzy, the legendary rock band hailed as Irish heroes.

The version by Metallica—the best-selling metal band in the world—was likely based on Thin Lizzy’s cover.

It was included on their 1998 covers collection Garage Inc.

and later released as a single.

As an aside, despite its overflowing party vibe, the lyrics themselves are actually quite dark and dramatic…