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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. 'The Irish-American's Song' Well Worth Waiting For New "No Irish Need Apply" CD Is Worthy Debut album a stand-out in the Civil War music genre In recent years, collections of mid-19th century Irish-American music have been recorded by prominent artists such as Derek Warfield, David Kincaid, and others. The latest in this genre, and one of its finest entries, is the new album titled "No Irish Need Apply" by the Gallant Sons of Erin. WGT's Kevin O'Beirne reports. "No Irish Need Apply," the album from new recording artists "Gallant Sons of Erin," includes 14 original recordings of Civil War-era tunes written about Irish-American soldiers in the Union army. All but two of the songs are either rare or presented in recorded form for the very first time. The tunes were all recorded in the studio using period instruments, including guitar, banjo, bodhran, whistles, upright bass, and others. Various sources were consulted while the album's songs were being researched and selected. IMAGES COURTESY OF COMPANY K, 28TH MASSACHUSETTS (REENACTED) Band member Mark DeAngelis reported in an e-mail interview that the band "pored over countless original songsters in the collection of the John Hay Library at Brown University", researched microfilm copies of Civil War editions of Boston's The Pilot newspaper, and others. The album kicks off with "The Irish Jaunting Car," which was the basis for the Confederate tune "Bonnie Blue Flag" and the title track of Kincaid's 1998 album, The Irish Volunteer. The album's only other well-known track—a version of the tune often called "Paddy's Lamentation" (here titled "Pat in America")—is fairly traditional in its arrangement and lyrics. The men of Co. K, 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (reenacted) Most of the songs in "No Irish Need Apply" leave no doubt about their ethnic origin with titles like "Paddy and the Know-Nothings," "The Irish Volunteers!" "Red Haired Boy," "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway," "Green Grows the Laurel," the catchy "Irish-American Army," and the album's title track. "No Irish Need Apply" is the group's debut recording. The New England-based band is largely comprised of Civil War reenactors who portray Company K of the Irish Brigade's 28th Massachusetts Infantry regiment. The band is an ensemble, with several members providing very accomplished lead vocals. Gallant Sons of Erin includes members of the Connecticut-based DeAngelis family: Mark, his daughter Caitlin, and his brother David, along with Todd Bryda, Bill Meehan, and Mark Lapointe. Meg Galante-DeAngelis assisted with research. The 28th Massachusetts follows its green flag into action. From The Boston Pilot. The album is subtitled, "A History Through Song of an Irish Brigade Regiment in the Civil War" (WGT Shops Link) and is accompanied by a slick, 40-page booklet of liner notes with the lyrics and history of each song. An Internet link to a website produced by the band offers additional historical information on the songs and the history they represent. The website includes an extensive collection of further links to primary source material and other interesting documentation. Noted Mark DeAngelis: "The booklet was an integral part of the project. We always saw this as being about history more than the music. We could have created a CD of campfire songs, but we wanted to present the history of the 28th Massachusetts in a new genre. When coupled with the interactive notes on the website, we think we have a product that teachers can use in the classroom, and that we hope is of interest to historians, musicians, and others interested in Civil War and Irish-American history." DeAngelis recounted the album's genesis: "We have been researching Irish-American music from the Civil War era over the last decade as part of our regular living history portrayals. The ultimate impetus for the CD came when we were forced to focus our material and rehearse for a workshop that we were presenting on Irish-American music (WGT Shops Link) of the Civil War at the Civil War Heritage Music Festival in Windham, N.Y., in August 2002. Mark "Goat Boy" DeAngelis (Ask him to explain that when you order the CD.) "The workshop and concert performance were well received, so we seized the moment and began recording in September of that year." The derogatory and common 1850s expression, "No Irish Need Apply," seems, at first glance, an odd title for a collection of songs that celebrate the valor of Irish soldiers. DeAngelis explains: "The album name is the title of the song that we believe best expressed the essence of the Irish immigrant experience of the era. We felt the reader or hearer would immediately understand that the CD was a reaction to or an explanation of the 'No Irish Need Apply' syndrome - as is John Poole's original composition - and not an endorsement of it. AT A GLANCE No Irish Need Apply, Gallant Sons of Erin, 2003 14 Songs Price: $16.00 + $1.50 shipping & handling Buy it: here. "The irony of the NINA syndrome was palpable in the Civil War years. The Irish were encouraged and sometimes even coerced into the service of the Union and by this act were asked to give the ultimate gesture of citizenship: to serve and perhaps die for their adopted country, but at the same time they were seen by many as not being worthy of even the most menial jobs in civilian life." The album, which was produced by the band, is available from various reenactment-based vendors (Editor's Note: These sometimes go by the name "sutlers") and can also be ordered via the Internet for $17.50, including postage and handling, by sending an e-mail to gallantsons@yahoo.com. "No Irish Need Apply" is a wonderful addition to the history of Irish-Americans in the Civil War (Amazon.com Link), musically pleasing and offering the fruits of extensive research. I highly recommend it. WGT Kevin O'Beirne has been a contributing editor for WGT since 1997. He is the author of more than numerous articles on Irish-Americans in America's Civil War and living history. He is the associate editor of the Civil War reference book, "The Columbia Rifles Research Compendium." He can be reached at kob@thewildgeese.com. RELATED RESOURCES Buy the "No Irish Need Apply" album at the 28th Massachusetts homepage. 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