Ah, sure, isn’t it grand? Rosie O’Keeffe’s St. Paddy’s DeJamz

Rose O’Keeffe, Content Managing Editor • March 10, 2025

It’s a little-known fact that I actually studied abroad (insert dramatic cigarette drag) in Ireland this fall. Did you know I worked in the Irish parliament? Why, yes darling, I met the Taoiseach, a very nice bloke indeed.

Of course, I am having you on. My name is practically Rose “I studied abroad in Ireland” O’Keeffe. It is all I talk about, think about and apparently all I write about. But even before I lived and worked in the land of my ancestors, I was enthralled with the rich sound and richer history of Irish music. This St. Patrick’s day, set down your Guinness, stagger to the jukebox at Irish Eyes and request some of these raucous tunes. Next round on me.

“Pastures of Plenty” by Solas

This song transports me to lazy Saturdays cleaning the kitchen with my dad. We’d always blare music, more often than not Irish music, so we could boogie while we buffed. When “Pastures of Plenty” came on, my dad — a founding member of Trinity Irish Dance — taught me how to reel across the kitchen floor, Swiffer in hand. So whenever I hear the beat of the bodhran, I think of Eamonn yelling “one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, up two three, back two three. Around the house and mind the dresser!”

“In a Lifetime” by Clannad and Bono

Here’s Bono again in my DeJamz, back like a bad penny! (or a bad pence, depending on your geographical persuasion). Bono’s reappearance is for good reason: “In a Lifetime” is mystical, a trance-like reverberation of vocals and percussion that is certainly not your granny’s Irish melody. Instead, the band Clannad (named for the family of singers and musicians with the surname ‘Clannad’) create a slow, melancholic beat. I’m no music expert, but whatever they’ve got going on is as smooth as Kerrygold.

“The Foggy Dew” by The Chieftains and Sinead O’Connor

The first time I heard this song was in the passenger seat of my family’s 2012 Toyota RAV4. I was moved to tears by Sinead O’Connor’s powerful voice, the gentle harp and the powerful uilleann pipes, a staple of classic Irish folk tunes such as this. Sinead almost cries out like the proverbial banshee, singing,“‘Twas better to die ‘neith an Irish sky.” The tune — written by Father Charles O’Neill in 1919 after the first sitting of the Dail (the Irish Parliament, independent of Britain) — pays homage to the brave Irish patriots who staged the Easter Rising in 1916 and fought in the Irish war of independence.

There sat my dad and I, staring out our respective windows, talking about Ireland, getting verklempt on the way to drop off the dry cleaning. Jaysus.

“Toss the Feathers” by The Corrs

I want to start by apologizing to any roommate I’ve ever had, all of whom likely have a less fond association with “Toss the Feathers” than I. That’s because “Toss the Feathers” is my alarm, tossing my Irish arse awake at 6:30 every morning rain or shine. The tune comes in hot with a feverish fiddle solo, later buttressed by drums and electric guitar. It’s like a burst of cold water for the ears. Sorry Courteney.

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About the Contributor

Rose O’Keeffe, Content Managing Editor

Rose is a senior majoring in Communication and Media and minoring in Journalism and History. When not writing, Rose can be found indulging in Irish breakfast tea and watching Downton Abbey or Reba.