I guess "Whiskey in the Jar" is out...

March 14, 2007 1:34 PM

My mother the preschool teacher would like links to downloadable kid-friendly Irish music.

(Too bad Rothsay-O has drinking and fighting in the lyrics. Any bowdlerized versions of that one out there?)

posted by Soliloquy to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

Good Irish songs for children I can think of include "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" (which kids may know as "the ants go marching one by one" and "Cockles & Mussels". Counting songs are also good, including "The Rattling Bog" (link direct to MP3) mentioned in the other thread.

Mo Ghile Mear is one of my favorite Irish songs, doesn't mention drinking and has an mp3 and lyrics available online. But it's in Gaelic and has a bit of a complex tune for preschoolers.
posted by goingonit at 2:13 PM on March 14, 2007

I love, love, love The Unicorn Song. It has been my favorite since I was a little girl. Many songs by the Irish Rovers on the Unicorn CD would be appropriate.
posted by MeetMegan at 2:27 PM on March 14, 2007

Anything by U2 or Christy Moore? Or do you mean traditional Irish music. Bit of a difference there.
posted by ReiToei at 2:43 PM on March 14, 2007

Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers. Catnip instead of whiskey, seems silly and safe enough for kids. (via a comment by jamesonandwater on the blue)
posted by krix at 3:10 PM on March 14, 2007

I was going to second the Irish Rovers. Just skip "Lily the Pink." Most of the Pogues albums have some (lyricless) reels on them. Selected tracks by Oysterband or the Tannahill Weavers may also be in order. There are some collections from Green Linnet (like this one) that might also be just the thing.
posted by ilsa at 4:28 PM on March 14, 2007