Today we have a trio of bands that all function under the umbrella term of Celtic Punk. All three of these bands (plus many more like them that fall under the celtic punk category) are all heavily influenced by Irish music, culture, politics and history. The thing that I find funny about most of the bands in this category is that almost none of them are actually Irish. If you scratch below the surface of their influences even just a little bit, you will find that all three bands hail from areas where Irish culture is celebrated. In addition, the members of all three bands will cite The Pogues and, in particular, singer Shane MacGowan as influences that helped to shape their creative world views. The Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly and The Mahones are all North American bands that play a mixture of Irish folk tunes and original punk songs. While all three bands have many studio albums out between them, they are best known for the strength of their live shows. At these shows, each band is adept at creating an atmosphere of kinship with their audiences by tapping into their sense of Irish cultural pride, along with promoting values such as honesty, good character, emotional strength and determination no matter what the challenges are that life may throw at them. If you ever find yourself at a Mahones concert or one by Flogging Molly or the Dropkick Murphys, then you are guaranteed to have a good time. So let’s raise a glass to three of my favourite faux Irish bands as we examine that subgenre of punk known as Celtic Punk. Enjoy.
Rose Tattoo by The Dropkick Murphys
The Dropkick Murphys formed in the mid-1990s in Boston. As many of you may know, Irish cultural roots run deep throughout the Boston area. The Dropkick Murphys (or simply The Murphys) as they are known to their fans, have been one of the hardest working bands in America in the two plus decades of their existence. Their early albums contained many songs, such as “Shipping Up To Boston” from The Warrior’s Code album, that helped to make their music synonymous with the city they call home. One measure of the high regard in which this band is held can be seen in the fact that they were contacted by the estate of late singer Woody Guthrie and offered the opportunity to go through his unpublished manuscripts to see if there was anything they thought they could use for material. “Shipping Up To Boston” was just one of the sources of inspiration that was gleaned from their time spent with the Woody Guthrie archives.
The Dropkick Murphys have been very good at allowing their music to be used at public events in the Boston area, such as at sporting events like Boston Bruins hockey games and Boston Red Sox baseball games. But they have also licensed many songs for use as area fundraisers. “Rose Tattoo” is one such example. You may recall a decade or so ago that there was a terrorist attack during the running of the famed Boston Marathon road race. In reaction to this traumatic moment in Boston’s civic history, a movement known as #BostonStrong came to be. The Boston Strong movement was one in which public figures such as athletes, politicians and members of the local Arts community all rallied together to promote a spirit of recovery and resilience in the face of the attack. The Dropkick Murphys released a song called “Rose Tattoo” from which all funds raised were donated to the families of the victims of the bombing. Bruce Springsteen offered to help. His voice can be heard in the background as backing vocals on this track. As for the song itself, singer Ken Casey has a rose tattoo of his grandfather on his forearm. Casey was raised by his grandfather after his own father passed away when he was a child. Casey claims that his grandfather’s strength of character was what shaped him into the man he is today and that he is forever grateful to have had the time with him as a young man that he did. When the song “Rose Tattoo” was released at the time of the Boston Marathon bombing, the message of the importance of family and of unity and of personal conviction rang through loudly and clearly. In fact, without having to say anything, legions of fans went out and got their own rose tattoos as a sign of solidarity. Images of those “fan tattoos” were uploaded and included in the official video that accompanies this post. The Dropkick Murphys are one of the biggest celtic punk acts in North America. They have been a favourite band of mine for many years now. I can’t wait to see what they come out with next. Whatever it is, I am sure it will have meaning, be a boatload of fun to listen to and that it will have Irish culture woven into the fabric of its lyrics and musical structure.
The link for the video for a live version of “Shipping Up To Boston” by The Dropkick Murphys can be found here. ***The lyrics version is here.
The link to the video for the song “Rose Tattoo” by The Dropkick Murphys can be found here. ***The lyrics video can be found here.
The link to the official website for The Dropkick Murphys can be found here.
Drunken Lullabies by Flogging Molly
Flogging Molly is a Celtic Punk band that was formed in Los Angeles in the late 1990s. The name of the band comes from a bar called Molly Malone’s that served as home base for them when they were just starting out as a band. Because they were always putting up promotional posters and flyers around the city, it came to feel like they were flogging the name of the bar, so they decided to formalize that by officially calling themselves Flogging Molly.
Flogging Molly is led by singer Dave King, who was actually born in Dublin. As a young man, King played in hard rock bands with members of Motörhead, and so he was used to playing loud and fast and hard. When King came to America, he felt that there was a niche in the hyper competitive Los Angeles music scene for a band with an Irish musical sound combined with punk rock sensibilities. Like many of their fellow Celtic Punk peers, Flogging Molly became known for the intensity of their live shows. Thus, it came as no surprise that their debut album was, in fact, a live album called Alive Behind the Green Door. The “green door” in question was the entrance door to Molly Malone’s bar. I first came to know their music via a song called “What’s Left of the Flag”. This is a song that traces its roots back to Ireland and the troubled history of sectarian violence there. What struck me about the song was the passion found in Dave King’s voice, the poetry of the lyrics and the inclusion of so many musical instruments that have come to be associated with Irish music, such as penny whistles, accordions, banjos and fiddles. Discovering “What’s Left of the Flag” led me to finding other songs of theirs including today’s featured song, “Drunken Lullabies”. Like many Flogging Molly songs, “Drunken Lullabies” reads like poetry while the music rages like machine gun fire. The song is about those most well known of events in Irish culture…the Irish funeral. The song offers a lament for the endless procession of “Drunken Lullabies” that have been needed due to the cycle of inter-generational violence that has plagued Northern Ireland, in particular. “Drunken Lullabies” presents as a party song, but it is a mournful reflection of Ireland’s troubled past. Having said that, Flogging Molly is a fantastic band. I am a big fan of theirs. I hope that you will give their music a chance. While their live videos are my personal choice when it comes to listening to their music, you may find the lyric videos a better place to start so that you can get a better sense of the lyrics and how literate and thoughtful they actually are.
The link to the video for the song “What’s Left of the Flag” by Flogging Molly can be found here. ***The lyrics version is here.
The link to the video for the song “Drunken Lullabies” by Flogging Molly can be found here. ***The lyrics version is here.
The link to the official website for Flogging Molly can be found here.
Last Call at the Bar by The Mahones
The Mahones were formed in 1990, making them the most senior of today’s Celtic Punk bands. They were formed in Kingston, Ontario as a bit of a joke on St. Patrick’s Day. But the reception that the band received that night gave them pause to consider starting a band for real. Thus, The Mahones were born. The Mahones are led by another actual Irish descendant named Finny McConnell. The name for the band comes from the Irish phrase pogue mahone, which roughly translates as “kiss my arse”. This was the original name of the band The Pogues, who dropped the “mahone” part of the phrase. In order to pay homage to their heroes, Finny McConnell and the boys picked up the “mahone” part of the phrase and called themselves The Mahones going forward.
The Mahones have released a total of thirteen albums since their inception. However, like almost all Celtic Punk bands, their live shows tend to outweigh their studio work in terms of fan reactions and preference. The Mahones have toured with almost anyone and everyone from Steve Earle to Vancouver’s D.O.A., to Ireland’s own Stiff Little Fingers and even Canadian legends The Tragically Hip, who were always so good at promoting Canadian acts that they felt were deserving of reaching a wider audience. Members of The Pogues have made several guest appearances with The Mahones over the years as well. The Mahones’ latest album is called Jameson Street. It was voted as being the top Celtic Punk album of 2022. From that album comes the song called “Last Call at the Bar”. It is a song that attempts to describe that feeling you get as a pub patron when the time comes when you are asked to leave. It also tells the same story from the point of view of bartenders and wait staff whose night is finally over and they are free to go home. “Last Call at the Bar” is a song about the bonds of community and the freedom/hardship that comes with independence. The Mahones’ biggest hit happens to be a song called “Paint the Town Red”, which was commissioned for the soundtrack of the big budget movie called The Fighter. This movie starred Mark Wahlberg and told the story of the life of Boston area boxing legend “Irish” Micky Ward.
Whether or not the Celtic speed punk of The Mahones is your cup of tea or mug of beer is up to you. For my tastes, I like them, but I find them slightly less polished than the likes of The Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly. For some, it is in that very rawness that their appeal can be found. Regardless, The Mahones remain Canada’s preeminent Celtic punk band. As far as I can tell, they show no signs of stopping. So, keep your eyes peeled for tour dates in your area. If you ever get a chance to see The Mahones live, you will be guaranteed a sweaty, fistpumping, physically draining, throat straining good time! Raise your glasses, everyone! It’s The Mahones!
The link to the video for the song “Last Call at the Bar” by The Mahones can be found here. ***There is no lyrics version for this song..
The link to the video for the song “Paint the Town Red” by The Mahones can be found here. ***There is no lyrics version for this song.
The link to the official website for The Mahones can be found here.
I hope that you have enjoyed this brief look at three of the biggest bands in the thriving genre known as Celtic Punk. The Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly and The Mahones all bring it every night at every show. You are always guaranteed a good time amid a crowd of strangers who will all feel like family by the time the show is over. To conclude this post, I will leave you with a song by a band that all three groups hold up as being one of the main sources of their inspiration, and that is The Pogues. The Pogues mastered the art of boozy poetry, mixing it well with a reverence for Irish history and culture and an irreverence for many of the societal norms that governed other aspects of life. Here is one of their most well-known songs: “If I Should Fall From Grace With God”. Enjoy. Thanks, as always, for reading my words. Cheers to you all.
The link to the video for the song “If I Should Fall From Grace With God” by The Pogues can be found here. ***There is no lyrics version by The Pogues but there is a good cover by the Young Dubliners. Their lyrics version is here.
The link to the official website for The Pogues can be found here.
***Just a reminder that the title for this series of punk-related posts was inspired by a line of lyrics from a song called “Boxcar” by a terrific band called Jawbreaker. It would be nice if some of you reading this post could take a few moments of your time to head on over to Jawbreaker’s website and check it out. They have tour dates, concert tickets, music videos and lots of cool merch for you to enjoy. Thanks. The link to their official website can be found here.
***As always, all original content contained in this post remains the sole property of the author. No portion of this post shall be reblogged, copied or shared in any manner without the express written consent of the author. ©2024 http://www.tommacinneswriter.com
I do enjoy music from this genre all be it in small doses. I have to confess to being a bad Canadian as I’d forgotten about The Mahones . Thanks for the reminder and pointing out they were there at the beginning. This music always appears when I blog about St Patrick’s day and Sea Shanties. Great stuff.
I’m not sure what makes these bands Punk, but they play pretty good Celtic music. I liked the Dropkick Murphys best, but I wonder who today knows the meaning of dropkick.
There is a lot of rock n’ roll in punk. As I have tried to say throughout this series, “punk” is as much an attitude than it is a look or a way of playing. But there is certainly a lot of rock bleeding into punk acts.