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 Ceili
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 Corofin 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.
The song "Continental Ceili" by Christy Moore is about a particular night at McCann's, a pub where the famous Gunther Reynolds and his band play, and people come from far and wide to hear them. The lyrics detail the atmosphere and excitement of the night, with various musicians and dancers taking turns to showcase their talents. There is a sense of competition and anticipation among the attendees, with publicans trying to figure out how much money McCann is making and moguls trying to get the lowdown on the line-up.
Throughout the song, there is a strong focus on the music, with various instruments such as the spoons, bodhrán, fiddle, pipes, and flutes being mentioned. The lyrics capture the vibrant energy of the event and the joy that music brings to people's lives. There are also references to love and romance, with Ciarán singing to impress an old flame and hoping to meet a European girl. In essence, "Continental Ceili" is a celebration of music and community, and the sense of belonging that comes with being part of a supportive, energetic crowd.
Line by Line Meaning
Over in McCann′s there's a grand type of danceband
At McCann's pub, there's an amazing dance band playing.
A-playing and they′re spinnin' out the Continental Ceili,
They're 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 Leitir and Killane bars in their cars to listen to the famous Gunther Reynolds playing in the band.
Out the Star of Munster with Hans O′Donoghue
Hans O'Donoghue is playing the spoons and tapping a tango beat to the Star of Munster tune.
Neatly tappin' out a tango on the spoons.
Hans is playing the spoons and tapping a tango beat neatly.
Such commotion will act like a lotion on the struttin′
The excitement and energy in the air will make people feel confident as they strut their stuff on the dance floor.
At the Continental Céilí tonight.
This is all happening at the Continental Ceili tonight.
Wolfgang's playing on the comb, someone shouts at him go home.
Wolfgang is playing on a comb, and someone is telling him to go home because he's not playing a real instrument.
Klaus is playin′ a slow air on the bodhrán.
Klaus is playing a slow tune on the Bodhrán, an Irish drum.
Quinn from Corofin his fiddle tucked beneath his chin
Quinn from Corofin has his fiddle tucked under his chin.
Ssh! He's going to play the Bucks of Oranmore now.
Shh! He's going to play the tune 'The Bucks of Oranmore' now.
And an old-fashioned lady begins to sing a song.
An old-fashioned lady starts to sing a song.
Ah! Lads a bit of order over there.
Lads, please be quiet and show some order over there.
Clarinbridge for the chowder, keep your powder dry,
Clarinbridge has chowder, so keep your gunpowder dry.
For the Continental Céilí tonight.
This is all happening at the Continental Ceili tonight.
Ciarán closing his eyes pretends he′s in disguise,
Ciarán is closing his eyes and pretending to be in disguise.
When he sees and old flame comin' over
When he sees an old love coming 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's trying his best to please the Swedish people who are wearing tweeds, as it's a very delicate stage of the night.
Later on he'll give an audience to one of them or two,
Later on, he will sing for one or two of them as a private audience.
He′ll sing the the Dyin' Swan to touch their feelings,
He will sing the song 'The Dying Swan' to touch their emotions.
Tonight′s his night and tomorrow night will be just the same.
Tonight is his night, and tomorrow night will be the same.
Ada let me out to the bar where the boys are goin' far
Ada let me out to the bar where the boys are going far.
And they′re spinnin' out the Continental Ceili.
They are dancing to the Continental Ceili.
Never mind the liquor, the music's in my soul
I don't need alcohol, the music is all I need because it's in my soul.
So long as I can hear the band a-playin′
As long as I'm able to listen to the band playing.
The pipes and the flutes and the fiddles are in tune.
The pipes, flutes, and fiddles are all playing in harmony.
Whoo! I′d love to meet a European girl
Whoohoo! I would love to meet a European girl.
Ada now me head is goin' light and the band is playin′ tight
Now my head is going light, and the band is playing tight.
At the Continental Céilí tonight.
This is all happening at the Continental Ceili tonight.
All the publicans are there, 'tis like a hirin′ fair
All the publicans are there, and it feels like a job fair.
Tryin' to figure out how much McCann is makin′.
They're trying to figure out how much money McCann is making.
To keep their pubs outta Stubbs they're lashin' out big subs
To keep their pubs out of trouble, they're providing big bribes or donations.
In a burst of fierce anticipation.
They're eagerly anticipating something exciting soon.
Moguls from Muckhill are starin′ at the till
Wealthy people from Muckhill are staring at the cash register where the money is being collected.
Tryin′ to get the lowdown on the line-up
They're trying to get information about the musicians who are performing tonight.
They'll be buyin′ free porter for the members of the band
They'll be offering free beer to the band members as a way to thank them.
At the Continental Céilí tonight.
This is all happening at the Continental Ceili tonight.
Writer(s): Christy Moore, Johnny Mulhearne
Contributed by Dylan S. 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