''The Rising of the Moon: Irish Songs of Rebellion'' is a collection of traditional

Irish folk Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there w ...

songs performed by

The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. It was the group's first album and was initially recorded in 1956. For the original recording, the only instrument used was

Paddy Clancy Patrick Michael Clancy (7 March 1922 – 11 November 1998), usually called Paddy Clancy or Pat Clancy, was an Irish folk singer best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. In addition to singing and storytelling, Clancy playe ...

's harmonica, since

Tommy Makem Thomas Makem (4 November 1932 – 1 August 2007) was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo ...

had damaged his hand and

Liam Clancy Liam Clancy ( ga, Liam Mac Fhlannchadha; 2 September 1935 – 4 December 2009) was an Irish folk singer from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest member of the influential folk group the Clancy Brothers, regarded as Ireland's ...

was still learning how to play the guitar. The group had yet to develop its distinctive musical sound, so there was little ensemble singing. In 1959, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem re-recorded the album with different arrangements. For this new version, they brought in backup musicians on guitar and harp, and Tommy Makem played the whistle and drums. Both editions of ''The Rising of the Moon'' were released by

Tradition Records Tradition Records was an American record label from 1955 to 1966 that specialized in folk music. The label was founded and financed by Guggenheim heiress Diane Hamilton in 1956. Its president and director was Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, who was soon ...

, the Clancy Brothers' home label run by eldest brother Paddy Clancy, who also wrote the liner notes for the album. ''The Rising of the Moon'' has been reissued on LP, cassette, CD, and digital download on several occasions. The cover, depicting a white shirt bloodied by a wound to the heart under the rising moon was designed by

Louis le Brocquy __NOTOC__ Louis le Brocquy ''HRHA'' (; 10 November 1916 – 25 April 2012) was an Irish painter born in Dublin to Albert and Sybil le Brocquy. His work received many accolades in a career that spanned some seventy years of creative practice ...

Reception

In his review of the original 1956 album, ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' music critic Robert Shelton wrote that the quality of the album was "somewhat uneven," but praised the "virile singing" of the group. He picked out "O Donnell Aboo," "Rising of the Moon," and "Kelly the Boy from Killane" as the best numbers on the album, which offered, in his words, "a capsule history of the Irish struggle for freedom."

Reissues

The second version of the album was reissued under the same name in 1998 for the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influence ...

. All the tracks from the 1959 edition appear on this CD. The original 1956 version of the album has never been reissued. The first track, "O Donnell Aboo" (an apostrophe was not initially included in the title name) with harmonica accompaniment, is the only song to have been re-released from this version. It is now more commonly reproduced on compilation albums and reissues than the 1959 version with

Irish harp The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring great ...

and

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

. It appears on the 2006 album, ''28 Irish Pub Songs''. Besides the initial track, all the rest of the songs on the album from ''The Rising of the Moon'' are taken from the 1959 version. The CD also contains the group's follow-up album, ''

Come Fill Your Glass with Us ''Come Fill Your Glass with Us: Irish Songs of Drinking & Blackguarding'' is a collection of traditional Irish drinking songs that first brought The Clancy Brothers and their frequent collaborator Tommy Makem to prominence. It was their second a ...

''. The album (with the original "O Donnell Aboo" only) was once more released with ''Come Fill Your Glass with Us'' in 2009 on a single CD, entitled ''Irish Songs of Drinking and Rebellion''. The 1956 track and rest of the 1959 record also appears on the 2012 double CD, ''Raise a Glass to the Sounds of...The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem''. These albums are also available for digital download. In late 2013 the album was released on CD with the original "O Donnell Aboo" as part of ''The Clancy Brothers Collection 1956-1962''. This compilation also includes the group's later

albums, ''Come Fill Your Glass with Us'' and ''

'', and their third Columbia album, ''

The Boys Won't Leave the Girls Alone ''The Boys Won't Leave the Girls Alone'' is a collection of mostly traditional Irish folk songs performed by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. It also includes several songs from other countries, such as the Scottish folk song, "Marie's Weddin ...

'', as well as selections from the group's first Columbia record, ''

A Spontaneous Performance Recording ''A Spontaneous Performance Recording!: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem'', sometimes simply called ''A Spontaneous Performance'', is a 1961 collection of traditional Irish folk songs performed by The Clancy Brothers with frequent collaborato ...

''.

Track listing

The songs and lead vocalists are the same for both versions of the album. Track lengths are based on the 1959 edition. All songs are traditional.

Personnel (1956 edition)

Patrick Clancy Patrick Michael Clancy (7 March 1922 – 11 November 1998), usually called Paddy Clancy or Pat Clancy, was an Irish folk singer best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. In addition to singing and storytelling, Clancy playe ...

- vocals, harmonica *

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...

- vocals *

- vocals

Personnel (1959 edition)

- vocals, harmonica *

- vocals *

- vocals, tin whistle, drum * Jack Keenan - guitar * Jack Melady - Irish harp The 1961 and later reissues of the album include the group name, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, on the front cover. The original 1956 and 1959 versions of the album had simply listed their individual names.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rising of the Moon, The 1959 albums The Clancy Brothers albums Tradition Records albums