Comments on: A MISERABLE NATION WITH GREAT TUNES http://dublinopinion.com/2009/01/20/a-miserable-nation-with-great-tunes/ It's a group blog. What more do you need to know? Tue, 22 May 2012 22:39:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Seán Báite http://dublinopinion.com/2009/01/20/a-miserable-nation-with-great-tunes/#comment-69283 Seán Báite Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:55:30 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2009/01/20/a-miserable-nation-with-great-tunes/#comment-69283 There's something in what you say - the strongholds of Irish were far from 'urban' alright. Not too sure what the geography of the spread of Welsh speakers is - and if there are all that many left in the (ex)industrial South. I'll take your word for it that there was a good deal of discourse in Welsh down there well into the last century. A few of the bands mentioned above are actually from North Wales - which is a bit more urban than Connemara or Donegal but not greatly so. Always regretted it though - much as I like trad - a sort of 'Datblygu' as gaeilge would've been wonderful... Ronan O Snodaigh's bodhrán can't even make up for the lack of one :- There’s something in what you say - the strongholds of Irish were far from ‘urban’ alright.
Not too sure what the geography of the spread of Welsh speakers is - and if there are all that many left in the (ex)industrial South. I’ll take your word for it that there was a good deal of discourse in Welsh down there well into the last century.

A few of the bands mentioned above are actually from North Wales - which is a bit more urban than Connemara or Donegal but not greatly so.

Always regretted it though - much as I like trad - a sort of ‘Datblygu’ as gaeilge would’ve been wonderful…
Ronan O Snodaigh’s bodhrán can’t even make up for the lack of one :-

]]> By: Bartholomew http://dublinopinion.com/2009/01/20/a-miserable-nation-with-great-tunes/#comment-69274 Bartholomew Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:40:12 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2009/01/20/a-miserable-nation-with-great-tunes/#comment-69274 Great clips. 'I am still unable to explain to myself why an Irish-language scene as rich as this Welsh-language one has never existed.' Maybe because Irish never became an urban language in the way Welsh did. The towns created by the industrial revolution in South Wales were Welsh-speaking, and in those towns popular politics was in Welsh, religion was in Welsh, working-class life (and indeed middle-class life) was in Welsh, well into the twentieth century. Irish-speaking migrants went to Liverpool, Boston and so on, and rapidly assimilated into an English-speaking environment. Great clips.
‘I am still unable to explain to myself why an Irish-language scene as rich as this Welsh-language one has never existed.’
Maybe because Irish never became an urban language in the way Welsh did. The towns created by the industrial revolution in South Wales were Welsh-speaking, and in those towns popular politics was in Welsh, religion was in Welsh, working-class life (and indeed middle-class life) was in Welsh, well into the twentieth century. Irish-speaking migrants went to Liverpool, Boston and so on, and rapidly assimilated into an English-speaking environment.

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