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This two-tape set is a must for anyone who enjoys Irish music, Celtic dance,
Feet of Flames, the St. Paddy's Day parade, and anything else Irish or honorarily so. The first tape is a well-documented and -researched Ken Burns-esque documentary on the history of Irish music and its mutations and influences on the American shore. Combining interviews with such experts as Tommy Makem with stills and moving narration, the tape traces the traditions of the itinerant harpers across the Irish countryside, moving from village to village and sharing songs and folk tales. After the great potato famine in the 1850s, when more than a million Irish left their beloved country for places like America, Irish music continued to thrive and adapt to its new surroundings. An especially fascinating segment demonstrates how the Irish music and dancing tradition shaped vaudeville (step dancing was the mother of modern tap routines, as well as the soft-shoe) and Tin Pan Alley (where the sentiment of Irish-Americans longing for a homeland they'd never known was brought forth in over-the-top ballads like "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling").
The second tape is a 48-minute performance at the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago, including traditional step dance performed by the Trinity Dance Company. Also on the bill are the Makem Brothers, the sons of Tommy Makem, who continue the late-'50s and early-'60s tradition of Irish folksinging, with an emphasis on seafaring shanties. These young men are clearly true believers in the form, and their enthusiasm is infectious. --Anne Hurley
