''Plain and Simple'' is a studio album by
The Dubliners
The Dubliners were an Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in personnel over their fifty-ye ...
, the last to be produced by
Phil Coulter
Philip Coulter (born 19 February 1942) is an Irish musician, songwriter and record producer from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was awarded the Gold Badge from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors in October 2009.
Coulter ha ...
. Released on the
Polydor
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States ...
label in 1973, it featured a number of tracks penned by Coulter himself, including "The Town I Loved So Well", written about
The Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an " ...
in his hometown of
Derry, and "The Ballad of Ronnie's Mare", a satirical song inspired by
Ronnie Drew
Joseph Ronald Drew (16 September 1934 – 16 August 2008) was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor who achieved international fame during a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners.
He is most recognised for his lead vocals on the si ...
's equestrian interests. It was the last studio album to feature all five original members of the group.
Track listing
Side One
# "
Donegal Danny"
# "Queen of the Fair/The Tongs by the Fire"
# "
Fiddler's Green
Fiddler's Green is an after-life where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle that never stops playing, and dancers who never tire.
In 19th-century English maritime folklore, it was a kind of after-life for sailors who had served at least fifty ye ...
"
# "
Johnston's Motor Car"
# "The Wonder Hornpipe"
# "The Jail of Cluian Meala"
Side Two
# "
The Town I Loved So Well"
# "The Ballad of Ronnie's Mare"
# "The Three Sea Captains"
# "
Skibbereen
Skibbereen (; ) is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is located in West Cork on the N71 national secondary road. The name "Skibbereen" (sometimes shortened to "Skibb") means "little boat harbour". The River Ilen runs through the town; it reac ...
"
# "Rebellion -
Wrap the Green Flag 'Round Me Boys/The West's Awake/
A Nation Once Again
"A Nation Once Again" is a song written in the early to mid-1840s by Thomas Osborne Davis (1814–1845). Davis was a founder of Young Ireland, an Irish movement whose aim was for Ireland to gain independence from Britain.
Davis believed that song ...
"
Personnel
*
Ronnie Drew
Joseph Ronald Drew (16 September 1934 – 16 August 2008) was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor who achieved international fame during a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners.
He is most recognised for his lead vocals on the si ...
*
Luke Kelly
Luke Kelly (17 November 1940 – 30 January 1984) was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor from Dublin, Ireland. Born into a working-class household in Dublin city, Kelly moved to England in his late teens and by his early 20s had become i ...
*
Barney McKenna
*
Ciarán Bourke
Ciarán Bourke (18 February 1935 – 10 May 1988) was an Irish musician and one of the original founding members of the Irish folk band The Dubliners.
Early life
Ciarán Bourke was born in Dublin on 18 February 1935, but lived most of his life ...
*
John Sheahan
John Sheahan (born 19 May 1939) is an Irish musician and composer. He joined The Dubliners in 1964 and played with them until 2012 when The Dubliners' name was retired following the death of founding member Barney McKenna.
Early years and m ...
{{Authority control
The Dubliners albums
1973 albums
Albums produced by Phil Coulter
Polydor Records albums