This Song is about a fella in Rural Ireland who is suffering from Rural Isolation because all the places he used to meet his friends & neighbours are closing down around him. He decides to take matters into his own hands and heads off to Europe to plead his case to the European Union but is unsuccessful. He returned home and ends up with a psychiatrist who takes all his money. But hope is restored when he hears of the ‘Rural Drink Link Bus Scheme’ which Shane Ross introduced to support people in Rural Ireland to continue to Socialise when the new stricter Drink driving legislation was introduced. However all did not end well until the Healy Rae’s of all people arrived to save the day.
Author: mickbrown99@gmail.com
Annual Busk for Cope Galway’s work with the Homeless
I took the this picture while out walking the prom along with other happy go lucky Galwegians. I have been privileged to have worked many years in the area of homelessness, met some wonderful characters who taught me so much. However these past few years, I have never seen so many people sleeping on the streets. This particular picture really makes me emotional, I think it may be the art piece of the Galway Hooker beside where this homeless person is sleeping. The Galway Hooker is such an iconic image of all that is good about Galway, and look what we have become !!! Surely we can do better than this.
This Wednesday 04th December 2pm to 6pm we will be doing our annual Busking event for the Homeless of Galway on Shop St, Galway. All the money collected will be going towards COPE Galway’s Resettlement team and will go directly to their work on the ground supporting people to move out of homelessness.
This year as always, we will have the wonderful support of the people of Galway with their generosity which is so inspiring. Musicians from The Western Hotel and The Imperial Hotel Thursday Sessions who call themselves the ‘Eyre Square Ceili Band’ will be joining us. Jim Cotter will be bringing his band of merry men and women from the Mervue Community Music session which meets every Friday in Mervue GAA Club and the musicians from Killorans will be marching in from Salthill to join us on Shop St. As usual it will be all hands on deck, Singers, Dancers, jugglers, bucket shakers, comedians and chancers all welcome, for a great cause.
Huckleberry Finn & Me
This song is about my younger brother and I growing up adventurous little kids, roaming wild and free through the countryside. Its about looking at the world with eyes of wonder, fun and seeing new possibilities, yes we still can.
Continue reading Huckleberry Finn & MeLike the River Flows – Supporting Book Launch
I can’t stop writing songs, I suppose it’s a good complaint and I always did like a fresh challenge. I met Evelyn, a nun who started writing in her 80’s at a Spiritual talk recently and she told me that she had a book launch coming up. I asked her what the name of her new book, and she said: ‘Like the River Flows’. Instantly I said, I’ll write a song for you as I loved the title. She scuttled off and came back with the book, I brought it home, that night I had a song written. A couple of days later I had another song written, all inspired by her book. My words go as follows;
“Swift – the river flows, gushing down the mountain, Through the rushy glen, where the blackbird sings Amen. Dancing with delight, an orchestra of light, nourishing the land where the hare and pheasant stand. Flow river flow gently she goes back into the ocean of love, Flow river flow, gently we go back into the ocean of love.”
So we have met since, and she read from the book and I sang the songs and she is happy that the songs are complementing her text. She is launching her book in Ballinasloe Library on 30th Nov 2019 and in Croí Nua, Galway city on 7th Dec 2019. Looking forward to it, that’s what I love about songwriting, it always leads me down unusual and wondrous paths where I meet some really interesting people.
Kinvara FM Radio – Crinniú na Mbád Festival 2018
I had great fun at the Crinniú na mbád festival in Kinvarra being interviewed on Rose O Connor’s Come West Along the Road Radio Program. Had a wonderful time with Rose and all the gang in Kinvara FM. I played my song ‘The Sands of Inis óirr’ and my song ‘Gaillimh Abú’ for the galway hurlers. I was joined by a drummer who happened to be in the studio on the day, an impromptu session, mighty craic altogether.
Kinvara FM Radio Interview with Rose O Connor, Come West Along the Road Show
Songs ‘The Sands of Inis óirr and Gaillimh Abú
“Mick is a very popular singer with kinvara fm” – Rose O Connor, Presenter ‘Come West Along the Road with Rose’ Radio Show
The Robin Song
A Friendly Robin
On Recruitment trail for Musicians for Christmas 2019 Annual Busk for charity for the Homeless, COPE Galway
This year 2019 will be the 11th year that I’ve been involved in organising a Christmas Busk to support local charity COPE Galway in their work with the homeless in Galway. Every Year, come hail, rain or shine, we have a large group of musicians who busk on Shop St Galway. It is always a great atmosphere and a very heart filled occasion and the generosity of the people of Galway always lifts my heart with the real meaning of Christmas. This year the annual Christmas Busk for the Homeless will take place on Shop St on Wed 4th Dec 2019 2pm to 6pm, as always, if you sing, dance, play an instrument, shake a bucket, tell jokes you will add to the occasion, all welcome.
On the Campaign Trail
Song – Hope is the Answer
Looking for Musicians, Singers, Dancers Bucket Shakers for our annual Christmas Busk for COPE Galway Homeless Resettlement & Tenancy Sustainment Service
Gaillimh Abú – Galway All Ireland Hurling song
Here’s my song Gaillimh Abú that I wrote for the Galway Hurlers who won the the All Ireland Hurling Final 2017. I got to play the song at Pearse Stadium in front of 40,000 ecstatic Galway Fans for the homecoming celebration when the team brought the Liam McCarthy Cup home to Galway. What a night that was, a fantastic experience, Gaillimh Abú. The following year I sang the song to 5000 Galway fans in Eyre Square for the all Ireland Hurling final, an event organised by The Galway City Business Association. There were a lot of families at the event with all the generations dancing along together, which is a great thrill for me to see. The song has brought a lot of happiness to Galway people, having over 34,000 views on YouTube which I am delighted about.
Lyrics
We’re in the hurling final, let’s get behind our Team
For Victory in September, it’s the Galway Hurling Team
By train and bus and plane, we will make our way
To Croke Park, where in 80’s, The Connolly Brothers played
Chorus
It’s the ‘Clash of the Ash’, the ball is in the air
Puck that sliotar hard, she’s gone over the bar
With Coen on the left and Canning on the right
The Liam McCarthy Cup is coming to Galway tonight
Every man, woman, child, will answer to the Call
We’ll raise up the Banners outside every Parish Hall
The Artane Boys Band are playing “The Fields of Athenry”
For the Galway boys are Hurling, the dream it is alive
Chorus
And we’ll all sing together, “The West Is Awake”
From Portumna to Kilkerrin, across sea and land and lake
From the hills of Connemara, to the fields of Athenry
Our County united, Galway is alive !
Chorus
Chant
Galway! Galway! Gallimh abú!
Come on Galway! Gallimh abú!
Accross the river Corrib, hear the People sing
Galway! Galway! Gallimh abú!
Galway! Galway! Gallimh abú!
Words & Music by Mick Brown, Copyright©2017, Mick Brown, All Rights Reserved.
Acknowledgements
- Mick Brown: Guitar, Vocals
- Neasa Flaherty Burke: Piano & Vocals
- Mick Roche: Percussion, Whistle, Vocals
- Axel Grude: Mandolin, Piano, Choir Production
- Music Production: Roads End Studios, Axel Grude
- Video Production: Axel Grude & Mick Brown
- Galway live footage by Mick Brown
Thanks to MPM Publications for social media consultancy.
Shout out to Galway Bay FM for hosting our live session.
Thanks to all the musicians, Neasa Flaherty Burke, Mick Roche and Axel Grude.
Hats off to Emma O Sullivan for her wonderful dancing and the Galway Street Band for performing on the video.
Much gratitude to all the people of Galway who appear on the video
Thanks to Noreen Collins for support and creative advice
Thanks to Seamus Ruttledge, Songwriter for his support and advice.
Thanks to creativecommons.org for hurling footage:
- Padraig Mannion of Galway – Seaninryan – CC BY-SA 4.0 (commons.wikimedia.org)
- Cathal_Mannion – Seaninryan – CC BY-SA 4.0 (commons.wikimedia.org)
- Johnny Coen – Seaninryan – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index…
We all Need a Home – Song about Homelessness
This is a song I wrote about homelessness in Ireland. It is performed at a fundraiser for Cope Galway Homeless Resettlement team on Shop Street, Galway on 6th December 2017. We raised over 900 euros for Cope Galway and the great work that they do on the day. Thanks to all the Galway musicians/buskers who turn up every year for this annual event and especially this year where it rained so heavily – non stop in a Galway fashion. We had every instrument guitar, banjo, tin whistle, flute, pipes, bodhran, accordian, dancers and singers all for a great cause, well done everyone
