'Hear My Song': Irish Theatre and Popular Song in the 1950s and 1960s

by Joseph Greenwood

Overview

Arguing that certain song types constitute forms of collective memory, this book explores Irish theatre from the 1950s and 1960s to show that songs provide valuable insights into changes in the popular consciousness. As well as illuminating the performances and reception of the plays, it also challenges orthodox narratives of de Valera's Ireland.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783034319157
Publisher:	Peter Lang AG, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Publication date:	09/29/2017
Series:	Reimagining Ireland , #85
Pages:	314
Product dimensions:	5.91(w) x 8.86(h) x (d)

About the Author

Joseph Greenwood holds a PhD from Queen’s University Belfast. He is currently a lecturer in English literature at Soran University in Iraqi Kurdistan, where he is carrying out research into Kurdish songs about independence and emigration.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS: «And fond ones are flown»: Song, Memory, and Catharsis in John Murphy’s The Country Boy (1959) – «Why do you always be singin’ that oul’ song? »: The Subversion of Emigrant Ballads in John B. Keane’s Many Young Men of Twenty (1961) – «Gar O’Donnell and the Philadelphia»: Traditional Song and «The Irish Showband» in Brian Friel’s Philadelphia, Here I Come! (1964) – «Erin, how fallen is thy fame!»: Song and Cynicism in Louis D’Alton’s This Other Eden (1953) – «When Erin sings and laughs and shouts / Instead of always weeping O!»: Song, Nation, and Rejuvenation in Sean O’Casey’s The Drums of Father Ned (1957) – «You died for old Ireland with a bullet in your bum»: Song, Satire, and Bardic Danger in John B. Keane’s Many Young Men of Twenty (1961) – «Oh, who wouldn’t be a tinker when he’s free? »: Song and the Trope of the «Tinker» in Donagh MacDonagh’s God’s Gentry (1951) – «Tis the changing of the times»: «Tinkers» and Song Culture in John B. Keane’s Sive (1959) – «Will they put us off the roads altogether? »: Song and the Travellers’ Voice in The Honey Spike (1961) by Bryan MacMahon.

Editorial Reviews

«[...] Greenwood invites readers, and theatre-makers, to return to original creative works – many of which have been neglected – with a renewed critical appetite. For these reasons, Hear My Song is a useful and attractive addition to Peter Lang’s Re-Imagining Ireland Series; the 85th title published since its launch in 2008.»
(Victor Merriman, The Irish Times Mar.3, 2018)

From the Publisher