Gracehill Fair
Encyclopedia
Gracehill Fair is the 2010 album release by The Irish Rovers
, Rover Records
. The album and title track are named after an annual fair in the County Antrim
of Northern Ireland
. It was recorded in Canada and Ireland, and mixed in Nanaimo, British Columbia, with cover and liner notes artwork by Celtic artist Hamish Burgess. The album includes new original rollicking drinking songs for which the band is best known, as well as a selection of original ballads.
The album was nominated Album of the Year, and title track nominated Song of the Year by the 2011 Vancouver Island Music Awards in Canada. The title track won the 2011 VIMA Song of the Year award.
Additional musicians
The Irish Rovers
The Irish Rovers is a Canadian Irish folk group created in 1963 and named after the traditional song "The Irish Rover". The group is best known for their international television series, and renditions of traditional Irish drinking songs, as well as early hits, Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn",...
, Rover Records
Rover Records
Rover Records is a Canadian independent record label founded in 1993. The company was developed to produce musical releases of The Irish Rovers, the well-known Canadian Irish folk group created in 1963...
. The album and title track are named after an annual fair in the County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It was recorded in Canada and Ireland, and mixed in Nanaimo, British Columbia, with cover and liner notes artwork by Celtic artist Hamish Burgess. The album includes new original rollicking drinking songs for which the band is best known, as well as a selection of original ballads.
The album was nominated Album of the Year, and title track nominated Song of the Year by the 2011 Vancouver Island Music Awards in Canada. The title track won the 2011 VIMA Song of the Year award.
Track listing
- "Ireland Boys Hurrah" – 2:20
- "Home to Bantry BayBantry BayBantry Bay is a bay located in County Cork, southwest Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km wide at the head and wide at the entrance....
" (George MillarGeorge Millar (singer)George Millar, is a singer/songwriter and guitarist with the Irish-Canadian music group The Irish Rovers.George was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, ca. 1947, the brother of Will Millar and Sandra Beech. As children, they performed as "The Millar Kids" in Ireland, before the family emigrated to...
) – 3:11 - "The Dublin Pub Crawl" (George MillarGeorge Millar (singer)George Millar, is a singer/songwriter and guitarist with the Irish-Canadian music group The Irish Rovers.George was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, ca. 1947, the brother of Will Millar and Sandra Beech. As children, they performed as "The Millar Kids" in Ireland, before the family emigrated to...
) – 4:28 - "The Boys of KillybegsKillybegsKillybegs is the largest fishing port in County Donegal and in Ireland. It is located on the south coast of the county, north of Donegal Bay, near Donegal Town. The town is situated at the head of a scenic harbour and at the base of a vast mountainous tract extending northward...
" (Tommy MakemTommy MakemThomas "Tommy" Makem was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo, guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes, and sang in a distinctive baritone...
) – 3:10 - "Pretty Susan The Pride of Molyclare" – 4:22
- "Jigs-Trotting to Larne/The Knotted Chord/The Wise Maid" (Arr. Wilcil McDowellWilcil McDowellWilcil McDowell is a member of the Irish-Canadian music group The Irish Rovers. He plays an accordion or keyboard, and is the only member of the group who does not sing....
) – 4:05 - "The Lass with the Bonny Brown Hair" – 4:50
- "The Girls of DerryDerryDerry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
" (George MillarGeorge Millar (singer)George Millar, is a singer/songwriter and guitarist with the Irish-Canadian music group The Irish Rovers.George was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, ca. 1947, the brother of Will Millar and Sandra Beech. As children, they performed as "The Millar Kids" in Ireland, before the family emigrated to...
) – 3:05 - "Let Him Go Let Him Tarry" – 2:50
- "I'll Return" (George MillarGeorge Millar (singer)George Millar, is a singer/songwriter and guitarist with the Irish-Canadian music group The Irish Rovers.George was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, ca. 1947, the brother of Will Millar and Sandra Beech. As children, they performed as "The Millar Kids" in Ireland, before the family emigrated to...
) – 5:02 - "Reels-Egan's Favorite/The Dawn" (Arr. Wilcil McDowellWilcil McDowellWilcil McDowell is a member of the Irish-Canadian music group The Irish Rovers. He plays an accordion or keyboard, and is the only member of the group who does not sing....
) – 4:00 - "Drink, Sing and be Jolly" (George MillarGeorge Millar (singer)George Millar, is a singer/songwriter and guitarist with the Irish-Canadian music group The Irish Rovers.George was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, ca. 1947, the brother of Will Millar and Sandra Beech. As children, they performed as "The Millar Kids" in Ireland, before the family emigrated to...
) – 3:48 - "GracehillGracehillGracehill is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies about 3 km from Ballymena and is in the townland of Ballykennedy . It is part of the Borough of Ballymena....
Fair" (George MillarGeorge Millar (singer)George Millar, is a singer/songwriter and guitarist with the Irish-Canadian music group The Irish Rovers.George was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, ca. 1947, the brother of Will Millar and Sandra Beech. As children, they performed as "The Millar Kids" in Ireland, before the family emigrated to...
) – 3:42 - "And the Sun it Still Rises" (George MillarGeorge Millar (singer)George Millar, is a singer/songwriter and guitarist with the Irish-Canadian music group The Irish Rovers.George was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, ca. 1947, the brother of Will Millar and Sandra Beech. As children, they performed as "The Millar Kids" in Ireland, before the family emigrated to...
) – 5:55
Personnel
The Irish Rovers- George MillarGeorge Millar (singer)George Millar, is a singer/songwriter and guitarist with the Irish-Canadian music group The Irish Rovers.George was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, ca. 1947, the brother of Will Millar and Sandra Beech. As children, they performed as "The Millar Kids" in Ireland, before the family emigrated to...
– vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but... - Wilcil McDowellWilcil McDowellWilcil McDowell is a member of the Irish-Canadian music group The Irish Rovers. He plays an accordion or keyboard, and is the only member of the group who does not sing....
– accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.... - John ReynoldsJohn ReynoldsJohn Reynolds may refer to:* John Reynolds , English writer* John Reynolds , soldier in the English Civil War* John Reynolds , farmer and agricultural innovator from Kent, England...
– vocals, guitar, bass - Sean O'DriscollSean O'DriscollSean Michael O'Driscoll is an English-Irish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having been relieved of his duties as manager of Doncaster Rovers in September 2011. He joined Doncaster in September 2006 following Dave Penney's departure. He was previously manager at...
– vocals, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but... - Ian MillarIan MillarIan Millar, CM is a Canadian show jumping world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Due to his longevity and accomplishments, he is often nicknamed "Captain Canada" in his sport. He is tied with Austrian sailor Hubert Raudaschl for most Olympic appearances .-Biography:Millar was born in Halifax,...
– vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass - Fred GrahamFred GrahamFred Graham is the chief anchor and managing editor of Court TV.Graham was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and graduated from West End High School in Nashville, Tennessee. He later received a B.A. from Yale University in 1953, an LL.B...
– vocals, bodhranBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Additional musicians
- Patrick Davey – uilleann pipesUilleann pipesThe uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, whistle - Morris Crum – keyboards and backup vocals
- Davey Sloan – backup vocals
- Joe Millar – harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
- Sheila Gary – fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
- Larry Egan – button-key accordion
- Geoffrey KellyGeoffrey KellyGeoffrey Kelly is a Canadian rock musician.He plays guitars, flutes and bodhran for the folk rock band Spirit of the West, for whom he is also the lead vocalist on some songs. He and John Mann are the band's primary songwriters.Kelly is also a full time member of The Paperboys, and released a solo...
– bodhranBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side... - Billy Antrim – heavy drums and spoons