| Patsy Watchorn, well known Balladeer, Banjo Player and Dublin GAA fan has chosen these Irish ballads from his vast repertoire of songs to make up this collection of some of his favourites. Such classics as Pete St. John's Rare Ould Times to the more modern ballad from Liam Reilly - The Flight Of Earls. Songs and stories documenting times past and present in the ever changing development of Ireland and her people. Patsy has been playing and singing with numerous performers and musicians "as long as I can remember" and was also a member of the Dublin City Ramblers. "I hope you enjoy listening to the songs on this collection as much as I have enjoyed singing them." - Patsy Watchorn |
| You may own Patsy's pub CD's, but do you own some of the real stuff? Have you ever heard giving all of his heart into a song? Have you heard him tell tales of old Ireland, of happiness and sadness, of the face of his hometown ever changing, of the long for freedom and the brave Irish men who lived and, often enough, died for that dream, of war and death and sorrow, of clear blue eyes and smiling skies, have you ever? It starts out with the eternal Rare Ould Times which was written for Patsy by song-writing legend Pete St. John back in 1977 and over the years, not surprisingly, became Patsy's theme song, forever associated with him. On this CD, you are treated with a rather recent recording that Patsy did just a couple of years ago that surpasses his own original version by far, played slower, giving him more room to expand on the lyrics and the meaning of the song; believe your webadmin, but you'll drop everything you do once Patsy sings the first words and you'll not be able to anything else than listening until it's over - this is the best version of this song ever recorded and one of the most beautiful ballads you'll hear for as long as you live. The Ferryman follows and actually was the follow-up to the Rare Ould Times, also penned by Pete St. John and a chart-topper. As the CD runs from highlight to highlight, you enjoy The Punch And Judy Man next which was given to Patsy by famous former Republic of Ireland soccer hero Ray Tracey. Flight Of Earls, written for Patsy by Liam Reilly, is cut no. 4; Patsy still vividly remembers how Liam introduced the unifinished song to him and he knew instantly that this would become another hit; known by countless people with Irish roots across the world, Patsy often was amazed how the audience could sing along every single word of this song. Next is Heaven Around Galway Bay, performed exceptionally tender and making you want to take the next flight to Galway. Half way through the album, you hear now an oldie but goldie: Ewan McColl's Dirty Old Town. Isle Of Inisfree is a must-include on a collection of Patsy's Greatest: Maureen O'Hara most favourite singer is Patsy Watchorn and so he was flown into New York to a big tribute night to perform Isle Of Inisfree in front of Maureen and half o'Hollywood (check full story here). There are some folks who can paint a picture in words and music; the O'Meara brothers definitely belong to them and Meet Me At The Pillar is a wonderfully sad step back in time. With Fields Of Athenry, Pete St. John is back, and once again its proven that there's no one that can perform Pete's songs as unique and convincingly as Patsy. Rose Of Mooncoin is the only real traditional tune of the album - an aspect which underlines the fact that Patsy at all times was loved by song-writers and most of his big hits were written for him in mind, which is also the case with the haunting Danny Farrell, which is the fourth Pete St. John tune on the disc. The album closes with Right All Right, another song - yes, you guessed right! - written for Patsy by Liam Neif, a fast and charming tune leaving you with only one desire: That Dolphin soon releases Volume 2 of a Patsy Watchorn collection. |
