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Home The Saga Archives Wild Geese Shops Bookstore Classifieds Heritage Key Dates Events WGT Forum Gallery Lands of Exile Living History Resources Bibliography Guest Book Contact WGT About Us PROUD SPONSORS OF WGT: David Kincaid presents "The Irish-American's Song: Songs of the Union and Confederate Irish Soldiers, 1861-1865," his long-awaited sequel to "The Irish Volunteer". With 36-page full-color booklet with lyrics, photos, and illustrations. Can anyone ignore the situation of Ciarán Ferry? If forced to return to Belfast, Ferry, his wife and 2-year-old daughter (both U.S. citizens) will be in grave danger. Please help. "NO IRISH NEED APPLY": New CD offering the history of an Irish Brigade regiment through 14 Civil War-era songs—most not heard for a century. Includes 40 pages of history and lyrics. From The Gallant Sons of Erin. For questions or a purchase, e-mail us. To learn more, visit our site. Now in paperback: Commanding Boston's Irish Ninth, edited by Christian G. Samito "These letters reveal the very soul of a very special Irish immigrant." —The Irish Edition $20 fordhampress.com, 1-800-247-6553. Only available at the Newshound Bookstore: FREMANTLE MISSION by Séan Ó Lúing. Published in 1965, it remains the best account of this tremendous Irish-American success story from 1876. NEWSHOUND: Links to Daily Newspaper Articles About Northern Ireland. VISIT THESE OTHER FINE IRISH SITES: Tara Hall, Headquarters for 'Fighting 69th' and Irish Brigade Memorabilia, online at Fighting69th.com. Get an "Irish Brigade" t-shirt or sweat shirt with the graphic shown above from the Wild Geese Today's Irish Brigade Shop The Irish have fought in every corner of the globe and in nearly every uniform. Read their stories in A Military History of Ireland. Get an "Irish America: The Fenian Tradition" shirt, or other WGT item at the Wild Geese Today Store

Register for The Wild Geese Today e-mail updates. 'No Irish Need Apply' Also a Standout CD Kincaid's 'The Irish-American's Song' Worth the Wait New album's original settings, extraordinary musicians, 36 pages of history bring the role of the Irish in America's Civil War to new life. By G. Leslie Sweetnam Special to The Wild Geese Today David Kincaid's new album "The Irish American's Song" follows, in style Click to buy "The Irish-American's Song" and intent, his deservedly praised 1998 album "The Irish Volunteer,"and certainly meets the high standards set by that work. This work, though, offers a more complete look at the Irish experience during America's Civil War, containing six Confederate songs, along with 36 pages of liner notes. This new CD serves to enhance Kincaid's stature as a first-rate music historian as well as musician. We who love this music are the fortunate beneficiaries. Kincaid has unearthed, in various archives, including The American Irish Historical Society, The Georgia Historical Society, and Brown University, some more fascinating songs about the Irish Americans (WGT Shops Link) who fought in the war, here alternating Union with Confederate. Interest in "The Irish-American's Song" should far transcend those devotees of America's bloodiest conflict, though. This music will fascinate anyone interested in The Wild Geese's inspirational legacy among Irish warriors and expatriate patriots. Almost every song includes historical references to the Irish Brigade of France (WGT Shops Link) or to issues concerning the past or future Irish struggle for independence. A detail from the artwork on the back cover of Kincaid's CD. Kincaid's selections run from humorous to martial to tragic, but the threads of the American Civil War and of Irish history and future are woven throughout. In "Kelly's Irish Brigade," a Confederate song, Federal troops are compared to the British invaders of Ireland: "They have called us Rebels and Traitors, but themselves have thrown off that name of late; They were called it by the English Invaders; At home in the year of Ninety-eight." In "We'll Fight for Uncle Sam," a pro-Union song, the lyricist points out that the hated British are allies of the South: "Och, sure, we never will give in, in any sort of manner, Until the South comes back agin, beneath the Starry-Banner, And if John Bull should interfere, he'd suffer for it truly, For soon the Irish Volunteers would give him Ballyhooly." In "Song for the Irish Brigade," the valor and exploits of the original Irish Brigade are invoked: "With pale affright and panic flight, Shall dastard Yankees, base and hollow, Hear a Celtic race, from their battle place, Charge to the shout of 'Faugh-a-ballagh!'" Soldiers too are reminded of America's help during the Great Hunger, in this refrain from the album's title song: From a period patriotic envelope Michael Corcoran, James Mulligan, and Thomas Francis Meagher, left to right, three heroes of Irish America, in an image found in "The Irish-American's Song." "Whose aid to cheer us came, Flag of the Free, When to proud England's shame, Flag of the Free, Famine swept o'er our land, Death ravaged ev'ry band, And loosed the tyrant's hand, Flag of the Free!" In "Young American and ould Ireland," Irish Americans are reminded that their new martial skills may enable a new Irish revolt: "Sure there's hope for ould Ireland, when Irishmen learn How to handle a gun, or a bayonet turn. And by this and by that, if we once get the chance, There'll be rifles in England that don't come from France!" The history in and of the songs is explained in the 36-page booklet authored by Joseph G. Bilby, historian and author of "Remember Fontenoy! The 69th NY and the Irish Brigade in the Civil War." There are beautiful photographs of Irish American soldiers and relevant Irish artifacts from the war. Photo by Rob Gibson, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania David Kincaid Kincaid is also a reenactor with the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry. Many of us reenactors find the singing of authentic Civil War songs on the march or around the campfire more reverently evocative of the spirits of the men we portray than the inaccurate and often silly powder-burning battles that the general public knows us by. However, most popular Civil War music has been recorded using contemporary instruments and style. To Kincaid's credit, these songs are an outstanding exception, as their settings are as painstakingly correct as he can make them and differ in style as much as the songs themselves. Many of Kincaid's arrangements, in fact, are in very traditional Old Irish, featuring uileann pipes (Jerry O'Sullivan), button accordian (seven-time Irish champion John Whelan), fiddle (Cherish the Ladies' Liz Knowles), bodhran, and David's guitar. The American banjo, which is used on appropriate songs in this album, is skin-headed, fretless, gut-stringed and played in the period style. When an original song-sheet of "Camp Song of the Chicago Irish Brigade" turned up, Kincaid performed it as written, with full piano and four-part vocal arrangement, showing eloquently how Irish musical culture was changing and adapting to its new home in the New World. This CD is no less than a collection of studied musical reenactments. Bravo to Kincaid for this commitment to historical, as well as musical, fidelity. Close your eyes and you can travel in time, to campfire, recruiting drive, or parlor. (Kincaid's gift for phrasing the most awkward lyrics as though they had actually been written in the same meter as the tune makes me wish he might someday record that most unsingable of great songs, "Garry Owen.") AT A GLANCE The Irish-American's Song Songs of the Union and Confederate Irish Soldiers, 1861-1865 Haunted Field Records, Inc. 2003 12 Songs, 36 pages of liner notes Price: $ 14.99 Buy it here. I was grateful to find three songs in Kincaid's first album to add to my own reenacting unit's songbook, and contemporary Confederates who felt left out by the lack of Southern songs then now have new songs they can learn, including one to the tune of "Rosin the Bow." The chorus of this suitably bellicose song ends, "Didn't those cowardly Lincolnites tremble, When they met with the Irish Brigade?" Meself, I'm off to learn the title song and "Young America and Ould Ireland," which includes the following bit of poetry: "In the Seven Days' fight sure I stood at my post, And each pop of my gun made some rebel a ghost. And whenever the word came to charge, by me soul, I made in some blackguard a bayonet-hole!" Kincaid's first album was produced by Rykodisc. His own Haunted Field Music has produced this one, and has conjured up a dozen ghosts here, as historically dressed as only true ghosts can be and real enough to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. WGT G. Leslie Sweetnam is a member of the 27th Connecticut Volunteers Civil War re-enactment unit. His folk music roots go back to the turbulent 60s (1960s, that is) and he has been playing banjo and singing Civil War and Irish songs for more years than he probably wants to think about. Leslie keeps himself busy making a fine line of bentwood wall, table and floor lamps. He is also available to do a first-person portrayal of the life of a Civil War soldier, complete with music, for schools or any interested organization. A top-notch pilot, Leslie has recently launched an aerial photography business. Learn more about Leslie's varied wares at GLSweetnam.com. Editor’s Note: WGT and Kincaid have presented the stories behind his discovery of several of the songs so far, a series that will continue through the year.          'The Irish Sixty-Ninth'          'Kelly's Irish Brigade' RELATED RESOURCES You can listen to MP3 cuts from each song and order the CD at: Haunted Field Music Buy a hat, shirt, mug or other great "WGT" item at Show the world you are one of "The Wild Geese" Search WWW Search TheWildGeese.com E-mail us for more information about The Wild Geese Today Click to return to The Wild Geese Today's Home Page Copyright © 2003, GAR Media. All rights reserved.