The band has kept up the mix of traditional Irish or Scottish songs and self-written tracks, though the self-written tracks have progressively become less and less folky. The band's influences are wide and varied, but obviously heavily influenced by Celtic rock bands like the Pogues, the Waterboys and Great Big Sea. Recent albums also see a clear influence from Gothic rock music. Having enjoyed growing success in and around Germany, the band reached 1000 played concerts in 2004 (the only band member to play them all is bass player Rainer Schulz), which was celebrated with a concert at Castle Hoheneck. This concert was filmed and released on two DVDs: Celebrate! and Jubilate! The concert saw participation from former band members and other guest musicians. Main lyric and music writer Peter Pathos has left the band in summer 2006 and was replaced by Patrick 'Pat' Prziwara. A live DVD Folk's not dead was released to celebrate the band's 20th anniversary in 2010
Members:
Ralf 'Albi' Albers - Vocals, Guitar, Bouzouki
Tobi Heindl (Tobias Anton Heindl) - Violin, Vocals (since 2000)
Rainer Schulz - Bass
Stefan Klug - Accordion, bodhrán (since 1991)
Frank Jooss - Drums, percussion (since 2001)
Patrick 'Pat' Prziwara - Guitar, vocals (since 2006)
Former members:
Dr. Robert Oppel (1990 - 1991) - Violin
Eric Obst (1990 - 1995) - Drums
Wolfram Kellner (1995 - 2000) -Drums
Tobias Rempe (1991 - 1995) - Violin
Tobias Schäfer (1995 - 2000) - Violin
Peter Pathos (Peter Müller) (1990 - 2006) - Guitar, whistle, mandola
Discography:
Fiddler’s Green (1992)
Black Sheep (1993)
King Shepherd (1995)
Make Up Your Mind (1996)
On and On (1997)
Spin Around (1998)
Stagebox (1999) (Live)
Another Sky (2000)
Folk Raider (2002)
Nu Folk (2003)
Celebrate! (2005) (Live)
Celebrate! DVD (2005) (Live)
Jubilate! DVD (2005) (Live)
Drive Me Mad! (2007)
Sports Day at Killaloe (2009)
Folk's not dead DVD (2010) (Live)
Wall of Folk (2011)
Winners and Boozers (2013)
Connemara
Fiddler's Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The waves of the sea are lapping
Against the wild shores of Connemara
The sky breaks
Dazzling light pierces through
Down to the water
Giving forth a thousand reflections of silver
So that I have to close my eyes
I fly away to all the places
I've never seen"
He said his eyes where looking queer
"Can't you take me out of here?
Can't you see the sky of Connemara?"
This is how his warning goes:
"Beware the night a whirlwind blows
Better leave this town for Connemara"
We hit the road, we hitched a ride
The morning faded into night
But we were on our way to Connemara
Asylum was a basic right
But socialism lost the fight
Thousands headed down to Connemara
In my imagination
I can feel the wild wind blow
The morning breeze will wipe away my fear
In my imagination
I can hear the howling sea
The cottage on the shore belongs to me
And when we reached the Emerald Isle
We stayed in Dublin for a while
But soon we reached the cliffs of Connemara
It's just the place I want to be
Shining in my fantasy
Can't you take me back to Connemara
Connemara, Connemara on my mind
Connemara, where even the rain shines
Connemara, leaving all my troubles behind
Connemara on my mind
The singer is sitting by the sea in Connemara, observing the waves and the sky. The dazzling light pierces through the sky and reaches down to the water, reflecting a thousand reflections of silver. The singer closes his eyes and feels the wind, which takes him away to different places that he has never seen before. In the second stanza, the singer meets someone whose eyes look queer, and he asks the singer to take him out of there, where the sky of Connemara can be seen. He warns the singer to beware of the night when a whirlwind blows and advises him to leave the town for Connemara. They hit the road, hitch a ride, and reach Connemara. In the last stanza, the singer states that he wants to stay in Connemara, where even the rain shines and all his troubles would be left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
While I'm sitting here
As I sit down and ponder
The waves of the sea are lapping
The sound of the ocean waves persists
Against the wild shores of Connemara
Crashing against the rugged landscape of Connemara
The sky breaks
The clouds begin to clear
Dazzling light pierces through
Blinding sunlight shines forth
Down to the water
Reaching all the way to the ocean
Giving forth a thousand reflections of silver
Creating infinite shimmering reflective surfaces
So that I have to close my eyes
I must shield my eyes from the intense radiance
And then together with the vile wind
Accompanied by the unpleasant gusts of wind
I fly away to all the places
My imagination takes me to various unknown destinations
I've never seen
Places I have yet to discover
"Can't you take me out of here?
Won't you help me escape this dreariness?
Can't you see the sky of Connemara?"
Don't you see the beauty of the Connemara skyline?
This is how his warning goes:
This is the cautionary tale he shares
"Beware the night a whirlwind blows
Be cautious when the tempest arrives
Better leave this town for Connemara"
It's preferable to depart for the peacefulness of Connemara
We hit the road, we hitched a ride
We begin our journey by hitchhiking
The morning faded into night
As time goes by, the day transitions into darkness
But we were on our way to Connemara
Making our way to the destination of Connemara
Asylum was a basic right
It is a fundamental right to have a place of refuge
But socialism lost the fight
The socialist ideals did not prevail
Thousands headed down to Connemara
Many sought the seclusion of Connemara
In my imagination
In my mind's eye
I can feel the wild wind blow
I sense the untamed gusts of wind
The morning breeze will wipe away my fear
The calming wind of the morning will soothe my worries
I can hear the howling sea
I can discern the echoing sounds of the ocean
The cottage on the shore belongs to me
The dwelling by the shore is my haven
And when we reached the Emerald Isle
Eventually arriving at the picturesque landscape of Ireland
We stayed in Dublin for a while
Spending some time in the urban center of Dublin
But soon we reached the cliffs of Connemara
Making our way towards the majestic cliffs of Connemara
It's just the place I want to be
The idyllic location I yearn for
Shining in my fantasy
Envisioned as radiant in my imagination
"Can't you take me back to Connemara
Won't you please return me to my dreamland of Connemara?
Connemara, Connemara on my mind
Connemara, Connemara occupying my thoughts
Connemara, where even the rain shines
The rain in Connemara glimmers, illuminated by light
Connemara, leaving all my troubles behind
Abandoning all worries and cares in Connemara
Connemara on my mind
Connemara persisting in my thoughts
Contributed by Peyton G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.