Search - Irish Rovers :: An Irish Christmas

I want a slice of Miss Fogarty's Christmas cake

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 10/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These men obviously had great fun recording this album - there are plenty of upbeat songs including Christmas in Killarney, Miss Fogarty's Christmas cake, Good King Wenceslas and Grandma got run over by a reindeer - but they also show that they are well capable of singing carols with the appropriate respect.I particularly like Bells over Belfast, a song that one of them wrote themselves, showing that Christmas is a time of peace in that troubled city. Perhaps one day they will be able to sing Happy Xmas (war is over) and mean it, but that could be some years away so it's not included here.The holly bears the crown is actually the traditional classic The holly and the ivy with a different tune but (I think) the same lyrics, and it works very well.My favorite song here, however, is Miss Fogarty's Christmas cake, It sure sounds tasty !!!!There are many other wonderful songs, some obscure, some famous, all with that distinctive Irish flavor.This is a great, generally upbeat Christmas album which will work as background music, regardless of whatever else is happening, but if you give it dedicated attention, it has plenty to keep you interested."

A great Christmas album

Debra Keais | San Diego, CA USA | 01/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love Christmas albums and this is one of my favorite albums. Songs included:



1. Bells Over Belfast - one one the best songs on the album. You'll find yourself humming it to yourself during the day.

2. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen

2. Christmas Caroling

4. Silent Night

5. Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake - another one of my favorite songs on this album. Very funny song.

6. Angles We have Heard on High

7. The Christmas Traveller

8. Away in a Manger

9. The Holly Bears The Crown

10. Christmas in Killarnay - yet another one of my favorite songs

11. What Child is This?

12. We Three Kings

13. Good King Wencestas

14. All Through the Night

15. Down Among the Bushes of Jerusalem

16. Grandms Got Run Over by a Reindeer

17. It's Christmas Time Again

18. We Wish You a Merry Christmas"

"Santa Claus, you know, of course, is one of the boys from h

Mary Whipple | New England | 12/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whether it is "Christmas in Killarney," where Santa is "one of the boys," or the remotest corner of the world, anyone who is Irish or loves Irish traditions will celebrate the Christmas season with delight if they have this CD. The Rovers pay homage to the traditional songs of the season--"Silent Night," "Away in a Manger," and "Angels We Have Heard on High"--bringing a "new" sounds to these old favorites by using traditional Irish folk instruments--guitars, pennywhistle, Uilleann pipes, flute, accordion, and even the saw. Their beat is insistent, almost inspiring hand-clapping, and even the serious songs are sung with a spirit that shows how the "good news" informs the lives of the people of the countryside.



It is in their off-beat and original songs that they Rovers really hit their stride, however. "Bells Over Belfast," written by Rover George Millar (with Jimmy Ferguson) in 1963, begins with a traditional carillon, then immediately takes a rollicking turn with accordian and drums as the song takes wing and the toe-tapping starts. "Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake" shows us the Fogarty family home during the holidays, as Miss Fogarty presents her cake, filled with "plums, prunes, cherries," but the cake has a crust that seems nailed on with glue, and those who eat it soon wish they hadn't. In "The Christmas Traveler" a young boy tells good tidings of great joy, singing "Ha-la-la-lay, Halleluia," a joyous "folky" song about the birth of Jesus, told colloquially.



The most interesting song, to me, is "Down Among the Bushes of Jerusalem," a song of revolution in which Jesus is depicted as a "rebel through and through," hiding in the bushes to escape the soldiers of the king who track him because prophets have foretold the overthrow the royal family by a boy. The parallels between this tale and the revolution in Ireland against the British crown are unmistakable.



Subtlety is not a strong suit of the Rovers, but their enthusiasm, their toe-tapping beat, and their upbeat rhythms played on traditional instruments announce the joys of the holiday season in the Irish countryside more effectively than more somber productions. A wonderful celebration of the season, this CD is one of the happiest recordings ever made for some of the season's most spirited and most sacred songs. n Mary Whipple



Songs of Christmas, another Rovers CD

Carol of the Drum: A New Age Christmas, Chieftains CD

Silent Night: A Christmas in Rome, Chieftains, CD

Irish Christmas, various artists

Home for Christmas, Irish Tenors CD



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