CD of Kildare songs launched in Kilcullen

The launch of a new CD in Kilcullen on Saturday, Songs from the Short Grass, will bring the opportunity for a new generation to hear many ballads about which they may have never known, writes Brian Byrne.

The event in Kilcullen Heritage Centre was part of the AGM and Seminar of the County Kildare Federation of Local History Groups, which supported the production of the CD featuring Prosperous entertainer Darren Brereton.

Brian McCabe, Kill Local History Group; Darren Brereton, Prosperous; Cllr Suzanne Doyle, Cathaoirleach of Kildare County Council; and Mario Corrigan, Executive Librarian, Kildare County Council.

The album was launched by the Cathaoirleach of Kildare County Council, Cllr Suzanne Doyle.

Paddy Behan, chairman of the Federation, reminded the attendance that Darren's musical pedigree goes all the way back to The Dandies local band, initially all siblings of the Brereton family from Prosperous, which played top pubs and cabaret lounges in the region during the 1960s and 1970s. Darren's father was among the lineup.

The Dandies. Pic: Prosperous Heritage.

The genesis of the Songs from the Short Grass collection was in the 'resurrection' of a forgotten song for last year's Prosperous Heritage festival, The Battle of Prosperous.

The song about the local battle in the 1798 Rebellion was originally a very long one, and only the lyrics were known. "It was suggested to me that I write the music for it in advance of the Festival," Darren says. "I worked on it, and came up with a version that doesn't take 45 verses to tell the story."

Mario Corrigan of the Kildare Library & Arts Service heard the song while giving a talk at a school in Prosperous, and suggested that it be recorded. This resulted in a three-song EP, funded by Kildare County Council and released a year ago. In addition to the Battle of Prosperous, the CD included Sean Bhean Bhoct and The Curragh of Kildare.

"This year we expanded the idea, and came up with the Songs from the Short Grass project," Mario says. "Paddy Behan and the Federation came in enthusiastically behind it — Paddy himself has been collecting Kildare songs for 40 years. We went through all the songs to make a selection, and in some cases we had to find airs, which is not always easy."

Some of the songs are very recognisable — A Road to Kildare was recorded in recent times by The Pogues. Pretty Susan, The Pride of Kildare; and The Old Bog Road are others, that last an iconic one. "The fact that most are out of copyright made the job easier, but that also means that for some generations they are also totally forgotten. So this helps to bring them back."

For Darren, it is initially Kildare people who are into their history who will possibly be interested in this collection. "But I always wanted it to be more than just an album of Kildare songs. It turned out to be a case of 13 great songs, all with really good sound and feel but sticking to the traditional. There are some wonderful stories in them, about Kildare and the Rising, like the escape from the Curragh Camp by The Ferrets of Kildare."

At Saturday's launch, Darren provided a three-song taster of the album, singing live to the very appreciative audience. A copy of the CD was presented to Cllr Doyle by Paddy Behan.

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