That’s precisely why Culann’s Hounds has been a favorite on the San Francisco scene for six years—and is now bringing their self-described punk-Irish-hoedown sensibility to a larger audience. The melodies of Steve Gardner (fiddle) and Renee de la Prade (button accordion); harmonies of Mike Kelleher (guitar); and rhythm of Scott Marshall’s bodhran meld with rich vocals that are a staple of the Irish tradition.
The Hounds connect with their audience because they are as adept with traditional arrangements as they are with bringing their eclectic artistic backgrounds to an original brand of Irish-inspired music.
The band boasts an impressive musical pedigree: Gardner played Red Rocks with Grammy winning favorites Blues Traveler; and wows crowds with his work on fiddle, guitar, mandolin and vocals. Kelleher’s ability to connect with and uplift a crowd with raucous humor and hard driving songs is a key; Marshall’s years drumming for punk band The Nuns gives him the straight ahead power that he harnesses on the bodhrán (and instrument he learned at the beginning of his stint with the Hounds); and de la Prade the Berklee graduate (barely, she says) started her love affair with the Cairdin Irish button box backstage at a Pogues show.
Four very different musical paths have converged to create performances rambles.net described as having ”the innate strength of Cuchullain.”
Considering that Cuchullain fought with the ferocity of a berserker, that’s quite a claim for any band. But when you spend a little time speaking with members of the group, or attend a live show, you see the proof: there’s creative zeal simmering beneath the surface that bursts out when these artists start talking about Irish music.
In their early years, Culann’s Hounds opened for musical greats Paddy Keenan, Martin Hayes, Liam Clancy, Lunasa, Tommy Peoples, The Boys of the Lough, Solas, Susan McKeown, Josephine Marsh, Gary Shannon, Andrew McNamara, Tempest and Seven Nations. They made their debut as a headlining act at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek in 2000. Recurring gigs for a variety of West Coast events followed soon after.
In 2006, Culann’s Hounds debuted their second CD, Year of the Dog, at a March 17 headliner at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. The band’s latest is enriched by collaborations with Blues Traveler harmonica virtuoso John Popper; East Clare button accordion master Andrew McNamara; Irish singer Susan McKeown; bassist Ben Bernstein; and Hounds alum Conall O’Raghallaigh, one of the West Coast’s best uilleann pipers.
Popper’s collaboration on Year of the Dog, and the musicians’ openness to stretching their genre it rpresents, speaks to where Culann’s Hounds is likely to find itself next: grounded in the mythic energy and spirit of traditional Irish music, and performing in front of entirely new audiences yearning for something different.
http://sfhounds.com
The Carlow Set
Culann's Hounds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That black Fitzwilliam stormed your place, drove you to the Fern
Grey said victory was sure soon the firebrand he'd secure;
Until he met at Glenmalure with Fiach Mac Hugh O'Byrne.
Curse and swear Lord Kildare
Fiach will do what Fiach will dare
Now Fitzwilliam, have a care
Fallen is your star, low
On we'll go for by the Lord
Fiach MacHugh has given the word,
Follow me up to Carlow.
See the swords of Glen Imayle, flashing o'er the English Pale
See all the children of the Gael, beneath O'Byrne's banners
Rooster of a fighting stock, would you let a Saxon cock
Crow out upon an Irish rock, fly up and teach him manners.
Curse and swear Lord Kildare
Fiach will do what Fiach will dare
Now Fitzwilliam, have a care
Fallen is your star, low
Up with halbert out with sword
On we'll go for by the Lord
Fiach MacHugh has given the word,
Follow me up to Carlow.
From Saggart to Clonmore, there flows a stream of Saxon gore
O, great is Rory Óg O'More, sending the loons to Hades.
White is sick and Lane is fled, now for black Fitzwilliam's head
We'll send it over dripping red, to Queen Liza and the ladies.
Curse and swear Lord Kildare
Fiach will do what Fiach will dare
Now Fitzwilliam, have a care
Fallen is your star, low
Up with halbert out with sword
On we'll go for by the Lord
Fiach MacHugh has given the word,
Follow me up to Carlow.
The song "The Carlow Set" by Culann's Hounds is a powerful invocation of Irish rebellion against English oppression in the 16th century. The song refers to historical events, including the attack on the town of Carlow by Fiach Mac Hugh O'Byrne, an Irish clan leader, in response to the English invasion of his lands. The song begins with a call to action, as Lift MacCahir Óg is urged to lift his head and take up the fight against the old disgrace of English rule. The lyrics describe the bravery and determination of Fiach Mac Hugh O'Byrne, who faced off against the English lord Fitzwilliam at the battle at Glenmalure. The chorus is an exhortation to other Irish leaders to join the fight, with Fiach MacHugh's call to follow him up to Carlow.
The second verse of the song calls for unity among the Irish people, with a reference to the "children of the Gael" who join together under O'Byrne's banners. The lyrics express contempt for the English, depicted as a Saxon cock crowing on an Irish rock, who must be taught manners by the Irish rooster of a fighting stock. The final verse describes the bloody battle between Irish rebels and English soldiers, as the stream of Saxon gore flows from Saggart to Clonmore. The English lord Fitzwilliam is targeted for revenge, as the Irish vow to send his head to Queen Elizabeth I.
Overall, "The Carlow Set" is a stirring tribute to Irish courage and defiance in the face of English oppression. The lyrics speak to the power of unity and the determination to fight for one's land and one's people, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Line by Line Meaning
Lift MacCahir Óg your face brooding o'er the old disgrace
MacCahir Óg, raise your head from brooding over the past disgrace
That black Fitzwilliam stormed your place, drove you to the Fern
Fitzwilliam attacked and forced you to flee to the Fern
Grey said victory was sure soon the firebrand he'd secure;
Grey promised victory and to capture the firebrand Fiach Mac Hugh O'Byrne
Until he met at Glenmalure with Fiach Mac Hugh O'Byrne.
Grey met his match when he encountered Fiach Mac Hugh O'Byrne at Glenmalure
Curse and swear Lord Kildare
Lord Kildare, express your anger and frustration
Fiach will do what Fiach will dare
Fiach is fearless and will do whatever he wants
Now Fitzwilliam, have a care
Fitzwilliam, be careful and cautious
Fallen is your star, low
Your reputation and power have diminished greatly
Up with halbert out with sword
Take up your weapons and prepare to fight
On we'll go for by the Lord
We will continue to fight, with the Lord on our side
Fiach MacHugh has given the word,
Fiach Mac Hugh O'Byrne has given the order
Follow me up to Carlow.
Join me in attacking Carlow
See the swords of Glen Imayle, flashing o'er the English Pale
Witness the swords of Glen Imayle, shining over the English boundary
See all the children of the Gael, beneath O'Byrne's banners
See all the Irish people, rallying behind O'Byrne's leadership
Rooster of a fighting stock, would you let a Saxon cock
Are you, a fighter like a rooster, going to let the English try to take over?
Crow out upon an Irish rock, fly up and teach him manners.
Come and fight the English on Irish soil, and show them how to behave
From Saggart to Clonmore, there flows a stream of Saxon gore
From Saggart to Clonmore, there is a river of English bloodshed
O, great is Rory Óg O'More, sending the loons to Hades.
Rory Óg O'More is powerful, and sends his enemies to hell
White is sick and Lane is fled, now for black Fitzwilliam's head
White is ill and Lane has fled, we must now take revenge on Fitzwilliam
We'll send it over dripping red, to Queen Liza and the ladies.
We will send his head to Queen Elizabeth and the ladies, covered in blood
Contributed by Jonathan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.