The Irish Rovers Are Still Rovin' After All These Years

I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Irish gal, and one way that expresses itself is in the music I listen to. One of my favorite bands is the Irish Rovers, the Irish-Canadian group who first made a powerful impression on me when I was a toddler listening to Tales to Warm Your Mind, their early collection of quirky narrative songs. In the years since, I’ve seen them in concert several times and amassed a collection of their albums. My most recent acquisition is Still Rovin’ After All These Years, which features bandleader George Millar, instrumentalists Sean O’Driscoll and Fred Graham, balladeer John Reynolds, accordionist Wilcil McDowell and Ian Millar. The last I knew, balladeer Joe Millar was still with the group, so I was dismayed to see that he’d left, and I wonder when it happened, since the album makes no mention of it. Nonetheless, in their present form, the Irish Rovers are still just as much fun as ever.

A Long Time Ago - A lively start to the album. It was written by George Millar, and given the commemorative nature of this album, it seems as though it’s an autobiographical song, with the Irish Rovers reflecting on four and a half decades in the business. A nice group number, with soloists switching off on the verses and cheerful flutes backing them up. “A long time ago, a long time ago, for we’re the boys who made the noise a long time ago.”

Forty Years A-Roving - George wrote this one as well, and it also seems very autobiographical. I assume this was written for their 40th anniversary. Another great group song made more fun by the pipes and accordion. “Forty years a-rovin’, we haven’t had enough. Forty years a-rovin’, and we’ll never give it up…”

Rambling Boys of Pleasure - The accordion is especially prominent on this song, also by George, which celebrates the joys of a carefree life that includes considerable imbibing. A fun song with a lengthy instrumental portion midway through and again at the end that seems to encourage getting up and dancing. “We’ll rant and roar upon the spree, sing and dance right heartily. No sorrows, cares or woe have we, the rambling’ boys of pleasure.”

The Dear Little Shamrock Shore - A gentle song bemoaning the pain of emigration. John’s husky voice stands out to me most here, and the guitar accentuates the folksy tone of the ballad. The high whistle and the nautical sound effects add to the sense of loneliness the song conveys. Probably my favorite track. “Farewell to the ones I adore and the land I will see nevermore, for I’m sayin’ goodbye with a tear in my eye to the dear little shamrock shore.”

Up Among the Heather - The first song on the album not written by George. This one is a traditional tune with a bit of a nonsensical edge to it; the main purpose seems to be the see how fast they can sing and play. Entertaining but rather silly. “Up among the heather on the hill of Benakee, rollin’ with a wee girl underneath a tree, a bumbee stung me right above the knee up among the heather on the hill of Benakee.”

I Will Go A-Rovin’ - Another traditional song, this one fairly in line with Forty Years A-Roving, though it doesn’t apply as specifically to the band. It’s a song that revels in having the freedom to wander. There’s a thread of parting running through this, but it feels jubilant rather than regretful. “Now, I wouldn’t trade my life at all for the King of Spain’s own riches. I’m happy ramblin’ ‘round the hills and jumpin’ streams and ditches.”

Liza Jane - This traditional song rhapsodizing about the titular woman is sung by Ian, who holds his own well with balladry. A bit of a downer with an earnest man pining after a shallow woman, but a nice change from all the group songs. “…And little I thought that I’d soon be caught in the snares of Liza Jane.”

The Wild Colonel Boy - A fairly involved folk ballad about a young man who leaves the comfort of Ireland for an uncertain life as an outlaw in Australia. Probably the most narrative of the tracks, it’s peppy but with a splash of tragedy, and everyone In the group gets a chance to shine. Another favorite, though as I am a fan of the actor James McAvoy, I find one of the lines rather troubling… “He robbed the rich; he helped the poor; he shot James McAvoy. A terror to Australia was the wild colonial boy.”

Dunluce Castle - George takes the lead on this upbeat ode that he wrote to a castle that endured many attacks until it was undone by some nasty weather on “a dark and stormy night.” A mostly chipper tune with deep percussion that adds to the sense of regality. “Dunlace Castle fell to no man, sword or pike or cannonball, roving clans or Spanish foemen, Dunlace stood against them all.”

Brady of Strabane - This peppy traditional song is the only one on the album that I knew ahead of time from a previous Rovers album. This version seems faster than I remember, and it’s distinguished by prominent flutes. Basically a song of complaint against a boss who works the speaker a little harder than he expects. “’Well, you’re welcome with me, Johnny, and you’re with a decent man.’ But little I knew what I had to do for Brady of Strabane.”

Little Skillet Pot - A nostalgic song rather along the lines of Phil Coulter’s Gold and Silver Days. It’s just a series of questions asking if the listener remembers certain blissful times from younger years, going from early childhood to the joys of young love. A sweetly wistful song that concludes with an extended instrumental segment. “Oh, weren’t them the happy days when troubles we knew not and our mothers made colcannon in the little skillet pot?”

Rory Murphy - Another traditional ballad on which the singers trade off verses. Burly Scotsman Rory is a piper who is beloved throughout the land for his music but is undone by his drinking problem. Mostly an upbeat tune complete with pipes and austere drums to give us a sense of the music he spread. “Saw ye Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, saw ye Rory Murphy, piper o' Dumbarton?”

Home From the Sea - This mellow track, the last one aside from the instrumental medley that follows, is another George original, and it threw me at first because it’s also the name of a Coulter song that is the central point in Celtic Thunder’s new Heritage album. This mandolin-enhanced tune is entirely different, however, a lighthearted song about a rambling rover who falls in love and decides to settle down. Makes a nice bookend to the early tracks about happy wandering. “I’m home from the sea; no more I’ll go rovin’. I’m home from the sea; no more will I stray.”

The Jig Set: Father Kelly’s Jig / Langstrom’s Pony / The Lark in the Morning - Few instruments in the world can compare with the beauty and joy produced by Irish instruments, and the Rovers aim to bring that across here. A fun medley to get the toes tappin’.

Allegedly, this disc includes four bonus live tracks, but despite their presence on the track listing, I seem to lack to ability to make them magically appear. Three of the four - Black Velvet Band, The Unicorn and Wasn’t That a Party - are well-worn Rovers classics. The fourth, entitled Boogevogue, is one I’ve never heard of before, but evidently it’s another lively jig. I’m not sure how I ended up with a copy that seems to be missing four tracks, so that’s a bit disappointing, but I don’t really care because I have three of them on other albums anyway. Still, just something to watch for. It’s possible that you’ll only end up with 14 tracks when you’re expecting 18.

That complaint aside, this is another nice collection from the Irish Rovers. It’s sad to see another original member of the group fall by the wayside, but from the sounds of Still Rovin’ After All These Years, the remaining Rovers have plenty more ramblin’ yet to do.