Christy Moore started in the music business in the mid-sixties, when his life as a bank clerk was interrupted by a bank strike, and he moved to England. There he became involved in the folk music scene at the time, and spent a few years playing pubs and clubs around the country.
His return to Ireland was marked by the album 'Prosperous', which proved to be a milestone in the rapprochement of Irish music to the popular mainstream. This album benefited from a collaboration of the leading talents of contemporary folk music, musicians such as Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny and Liam O'Flynn, and this one-off was to lead to the formation of Planxty, a band who were soon to be at the leading edge of the revival of Irish traditional music.
Over the following years the musical status of Planxty became legendary both in Ireland, Britain and throughout Europe. However in 1974 the band split up to pursue solo projects. It was during this period that Christy continued to explore new ground as a solo artist recording a number of solo albums including 'The Iron Behind the Velvet' (TARACD2002) which featured Andy Irvine and 'Live in Dublin' (TARACD2005) with Donal Lunny.
The original Planxty lineup of Christy, Andy, Liam and Donal then reformed in 1979. They recorded two further albums with Tara Records 'After the Break' (TARACD3001) and 'The Woman I Loved So Well' (TARACD3005). There were several additions and changes to their lineup most notably the addition of Matt Molloy, flautist from The Bothy Band, who later joined The Chieftains, and Bill Whelan.
In 1981 Planxty performed a Bill Whelan arrangement called 'Timedance' as the intermission piece for the Eurovision song contest, held that year in Ireland. Later it was released as a single and is now included on Bill's CD of 'The Seville Suite' (TARACD3030) released by Tara in 1992.
In the eighties Christy again teamed up with Donal Lunny to form Moving Hearts, another ambitious and innovative Irish band which sought to mix jazz into the folk-rock fusion. Ever the wanderer, Christy was soon breaking out on his own again, and it was in the eighties that he began to establish himself as one of Ireland's leading solo artists with a string of acclaimed albums and high profile tours.
In the mid-nineties Christy decided to take a break from the music for a few years. In the year 2000 Christy return to live performances with a series of Dublin concerts. Over the last few years he has released a number of solo projects including a television series, a live album and a 6 CD boxset.
Continental Céilidh
Christy Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A-playing and they′re spinnin' out the Continental Ceili,
They're comin′ in their cars from the bars over in Leitir and Killane just to hear the famous Gunther Reynolds playing.
Out the Star of Munster with Hans O′Donoghue
Neatly tappin' out a tango on the spoons.
Such commotion will act like a lotion on the struttin′
At the Continental Céilí tonight.
Klaus is playin′ a slow air on the bodhrán.
Quinn from fin his fiddle tucked beneath his chin
Ssh! He's going to play the Bucks of Oranmore now.
And an old-fashioned lady begins to sing a song.
Ah! Lads a bit of order over there.
Clarinbridge for the chowder, keep your powder dry,
For the Continental Céilí tonight.
Ciarán closing his eyes pretends he′s in disguise,
When he sees and old flame comin' over
He's singing for the Swedes in their tweeds doin′ all he can to please – the night′s at such a delicate stage,
Later on he'll give an audience to one of them or two,
He′ll sing the the Dyin' Swan to touch their feelings,
Tonight′s his night and tomorrow night will be just the same.
Ada let me out to the bar where the boys are goin' far
And they′re spinnin' out the Continental Ceili.
Never mind the liquor, the music's in my soul
So long as I can hear the band a-playin′
The pipes and the flutes and the fiddles are in tune.
Whoo! I′d love to meet a European girl
Ada now me head is goin' light and the band is playin′ tight At the Continental Céilí tonight.
All the publicans are there, 'tis like a hirin′ fair
Tryin' to figure out how much McCann is makin′.
To keep their pubs outta Stubbs they're lashin' out big subs
In a burst of fierce anticipation.
Moguls from Muckhill are starin′ at the till
Tryin′ to get the lowdown on the line-up
They'll be buyin′ free porter for the members of the band
At the Continental Céilí tonight.
Christy Moore's song Continental Céilidh is a tribute to the tradition of Irish music and dance. The lyrics describe the scene of a Continental Céilidh, a popular social event where people come to dance, listen to live music, and socialize. The first verse introduces the band and their music, with Gunther Reynolds on the accordion, Hans O'Donoghue on the spoons, and Quinn from Fin playing the fiddle. The chorus encourages people to come out to the dance and enjoy the atmosphere, with the promise of "such commotion [that] will act like a lotion on the struttin'."
The second verse continues with the introduction of more musicians, including Wolfgang on the comb and Klaus on the bodhrán. A romantic storyline is introduced with the mention of Ciarán, who is singing for a special someone in the audience. The chorus repeats the invitation to come out to the dance and enjoy the music, with the added emphasis that "the music's in my soul."
The final verse describes the business aspect of the dance, with publicans trying to figure out how much money McCann is making and moguls from Muckhill buying free porter for the band. The song ends with the chorus repeating the invitation to come out to the dance, emphasizing the joy and energy that can be found in Irish music and dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Over in McCann′s there's a grand type of danceband
McCann's has a fantastic dance band tonight
A-playing and they′re spinnin' out the Continental Ceili,
They are playing and performing the Continental Ceili dance
They're comin′ in their cars from the bars over in Leitir and Killane just to hear the famous Gunther Reynolds playing.
People are coming from bars in Leitir and Killane to hear the famous Gunther Reynolds play
Out the Star of Munster with Hans O′Donoghue
They are playing the Star of Munster tune with Hans O'Donoghue
Neatly tappin' out a tango on the spoons.
Hans is tapping out a tango on spoons with precision
Such commotion will act like a lotion on the struttin′
The excitement will act like a soothing lotion to the dancing mood
At the Continental Céilí tonight.
It's all happening at the Continental Céilí tonight
Wolfgang's playing on the comb, someone shouts at him go home.
Wolfgang is playing a comb as an instrument, but someone is telling him to leave
Klaus is playin′ a slow air on the bodhrán.
Klaus is playing a slow air on the bodhrán drum
Quinn from fin his fiddle tucked beneath his chin
Quinn from Fin is playing his fiddle with it tucked under his chin
Ssh! He's going to play the Bucks of Oranmore now.
Quiet! He's going to play the Bucks of Oranmore tune now
And an old-fashioned lady begins to sing a song.
An old-fashioned lady is beginning to sing a song
Ah! Lads a bit of order over there.
Guys, please maintain some order over there
Clarinbridge for the chowder, keep your powder dry,
Go to Clarinbridge for the chowder and keep your energy intact
For the Continental Céilí tonight.
We are all gathered here for the Continental Céilí tonight
Ciarán closing his eyes pretends he′s in disguise,
Ciarán is closing his eyes and pretending to be someone else
When he sees and old flame comin' over
When he sees an old love interest walking towards him
He's singing for the Swedes in their tweeds doin′ all he can to please – the night′s at such a delicate stage,
He is singing for the Swedes in their tweed clothes, trying to please them, as the night is at a crucial point
Later on he'll give an audience to one of them or two,
Later on he will give his attention to one or two of the Swedes
He′ll sing the the Dyin' Swan to touch their feelings,
He will sing the Dyin' Swan to stir their emotions
Tonight′s his night and tomorrow night will be just the same.
Tonight is his night, and tomorrow night will be similar
Ada let me out to the bar where the boys are goin' far
Ada has allowed me to go to the bar where the boys are having a great time
And they′re spinnin' out the Continental Ceili.
They are dancing the Continental Ceili with joy
Never mind the liquor, the music's in my soul
I don't care about the drinks, the music is what matters to me
So long as I can hear the band a-playin′
As long as I can hear the band playing
The pipes and the flutes and the fiddles are in tune.
The pipes, flutes, and fiddles are all in harmony and playing in tune
Whoo! I′d love to meet a European girl
I would love to meet a European girl
Ada now me head is goin' light and the band is playin′ tight At the Continental Céilí tonight.
Ada, my head is feeling giddy with excitement, and the band is playing exceptionally well at the Continental Céilí tonight
All the publicans are there, 'tis like a hirin′ fair
All the publicans are here, and it feels like a jobs fair
Tryin' to figure out how much McCann is makin′.
They are trying to estimate how much McCann is earning
To keep their pubs outta Stubbs they're lashin' out big subs
They are spending a lot of money to keep their pubs from going bankrupt
In a burst of fierce anticipation.
They are eagerly waiting with great excitement
Moguls from Muckhill are starin′ at the till
Wealthy people from Muckhill are staring at the cash register
Tryin′ to get the lowdown on the line-up
They are trying to gather information about the band's performance
They'll be buyin′ free porter for the members of the band
They will buy free porter for the band members
At the Continental Céilí tonight.
Because tonight is the night of the Continental Céilí
Writer(s): Johnny Mulhearn
Contributed by Henry P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Oisin feehilly
on By Barna
Hellow Lady, Can I borrow your teddy
Samuel Joseph Donnelly
on Whacker Humphries
Ask "whacker" about the Provo they marched on and set up for votes in council elections- set up by a brasser from the Barn named Lilly Healy- 18 fucking years in blocks/cages/ torture centres and back stabbed by wannabes from Dublin! Between Active service ( killing etc whacker in case you didn't know!!
Chloe Mcl
on Hey Paddy
Is that the words Brendan O'Carroll sing