Snakes & Shamrocks 2020

Written By Matt Williams
“I traveled far and wide
And laid this head in many ports
I was guided by a compass
I saw beauty to the north
I drew the tales of many lives
And wore the faces of my own
I had these memories all around me
So I wouldn’t be alone”
— Rose Tattoo, Dropkick Murphys
 

You can enjoy the Snakes & Shamrocks 2020 playlist in its entirety on Spotify. Just click on the included Spotify plugin.

Featured Find: Rose Tattoo, Dropkick Murphys

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! And what a weird St. Patrick’s day it will be. St. Patrick’s day parades and celebrations are being cancelled all over the world due to COVID-19.

Even though I’m a bit of a mutt, genealogically speaking, I cling most closely to my Irish heritage. I grew up listening to Irish music on family road trips and attending Irish dancing competitions, where my sisters performed. I attended a boarding school in Ireland for a year in high school and had the opportunity to travel all through Ireland seeing the unbelievable natural beauty in the Killarney forest, Cliffs of Moher, and the beautiful Connemara peninsula. One of my favorite memories from that year was attending an annual match between Ireland and Australia that blended the rules of gaelic football and Australian football at Croke Park in Dublin. At half-time, the entire crowd joined together belting out The Fields of Athenry. Here is a little taste of what that was like. If you’re missing out on sports right now, it’s worth watching a bit of footage from that International Rules Series.

Ireland is perhaps best known for its cheerful pub songs, but Irish music has a deep catalog of songwriting and singing talent (from Bono, to the Cranberries and Van Morrison). Irish music often dives deep into some of life’s most difficult moments drawing from some of the tragedies, wars, and famines that have shaped the resiliency of the Irish people. So I wanted to share some of my favorite Irish tunes that I’ve compiled over the years, as well as a few new discoveries for me this year.

And before wrapping up, I want to share with each of you, this traditional Irish blessing:

May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rain fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I hope this Snakes & Shamrocks playlist can help you to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and perhaps be a bit of a salve in a time where all of us might be a little raw from the uncertainty and isolation that we are experiencing around the world. Sláinte! 

If you have a specific song that you’ve recently discovered or come to love, we’d love to hear from you. Just email us at freshcutfinds@gmail.com.

Each month, we put together a playlist of our favorite discoveries new & old. Each playlist will be about the length of a mix CD (80 mins) and will be sent on the 1st day of the month. Subscribe with your email address to receive the monthly Unearthed playlist, plus other occasional speciaty playlists.

Matt Williams
Previous

Planted and Enchanted: Vol. 2 - March '20
Next

Unearthed Vol. 8 - March '20