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Irish Music

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Songs (Print & Online)

Library Research Guide

Online Song Resources

A selection of freely-available sites for Irish songs and song lyrics:

Song Collections (Print Compilations)


A select list of well-known Irish song collections:

Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem. The Irish Songbook. New York: Oak Publications, 1979. (Burns Library: Irish Music Archives M074/2000-1/BK040)

Clandillon, Seamus. Londub an Cairn: Being Songs of the Irish Gaels in Staff and Sol-fa with English Metrical Translations. London: Oxford University Press, 1927. (O'Neill Library: M1744.H2 ; Burns Library: M1744.H2 1927 IRISH)    

Cole, William. Folk Songs of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Secaucus, N.J.: Warner Bros., [1993?]. (O'Neill Library: M1738.C69 F6 1993; Burns Library Irish Music Archives: M074/2000-1/BK042) 

Cronin, Elizabeth. The Songs of Elizabeth Cronin, Irish Traditional Singer: the Complete Song Collection. Compiled and edited by Dáibhí Ó Cróinín. Dublin: Four Courts, 2000. (O'Neill Library: M1744 .C88 2000). Accompanied by CD.  

Henry, Sam. Sam Henry's Songs of the People. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1990. (O'Neill Library: M1745.3.S35 1990; Burns Library Irish Music Center: M1745.3.S35 1990 GENERAL) 

Kennedy, Peter. Folksongs of Britain and Ireland. London: Oak, 1984. (O'Neill Library: M1738.K4 F6 1984; Burns Library Irish Music Archives: M074/2000-1 BK094)

Loesbeg, John. Folksongs and Ballads Popular in Ireland. Cork: Ossian, 1980- . (O'Neill Library: M1744 .F7 1980) (In four volumes.) 
 
Mangan, James Clarence. Poets and Poetry of Munster. Dublin: J. Duffy, 1884. (O'Neill Library: PB1395.M7 M32; Burns Library: PB1395.M7 M3 1909 IRISH ) 
Milner, Dan. The Bonnie Bunch of Roses. New York: Oak, 1983. (O'Neill Library: M1738 .B66 1983)

O Baoill, Manus. Ceolta Gael. Cork: Mercier, 1975. (O'Neill Library: M1744 .C363x 1975)

O Baoill, Manus. Ceolta Gael 2. Cork: Mercier, 1986. (O'Neill Library: M1744 .C364 1985)
 
O'Rourke, Brian. Blas Meala: A Sip from the Honey-Pot: A Selection of Gaelic Folksongs with Prose Translations and Verse Equivalents. Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1985. (O'Neill Library: PB1424 .O57 1985)
 
O'Rourke, Brian. Pale Rainbow: An Dubh ina Bhán: A Selection of Gaelic Folksongs with Prose Translations and Verse Equivalents. Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1989. (O'Neill Library: PB1424 .O57; Burns Library Irish Music Archives: PB1424 .O58 1990 GENERAL)

O'Sullivan, Donal. Songs of the Irish: An Anthology of Irish Folk Music and Poetry with English Verse Translations. Dublin: Mercier, 1981. (O'Neill Library: M1744.O83 S6x 1981)

O Tuama, Sean Og. An Coisir Ceoil. Ath Cliath: An Claisceadal Cois Life, [1952-ca. 1962]. (Burns Library Irish Music Archives: M1744 .O788 FOLIOS - volumes 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10.)

Shields, Hugh. Shamrock, Rose and Thistle: Folk Singing in North Derry. Belfast: Blackstaff, 1981. (O'Neill Library: M1745.3 .S45 1981; Burns Library Irish Music Archives: M074/2000-1/BK159)

Wright, Robert L. Irish Emigrant Ballads and Songs. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1975. (Burns Library Irish Music Center Reference: M1744 .I655 REF)
 

Print Indexes

 

Brunnings, Florence E. Folk Song Index: A Comprehensive Guide to the Florence E. Brunnings Collection. New York: Garland, 1981. (Burns Library: Irish Music Center Reference ML128.F75 B83 1981 REF)
 

Havlice, Patricia Pate. Popular Song Index. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1975-2005. (O'Neill Library Reference: ML128.S3 H4)