Will Millar
Celtic Evergreen
30 of the Worlds Favourite Irish "Heart" Songs"
1996 - BMG 74321376092 CD
Track List:
Old Mud Cabin
Old Bog Road
Emigrants Letter
Lament Of The Irish Emigrant
Wild Rover
Whistlin' Gypsy
Bonny Irish Girl
Maggie
Molly Malone
Rosie Mccann (Star Of The County Down)
Meeting Of The Waters
The Isle Of Innishfree
Green Glens Of Antrim
Mountains Of Mourne
Mothers Irish Eyes
Irish Lullaby (Toor A Loor A)
Connemara Cradle Song
The Spinning Wheel
Wild Mountain Thyme
Rose Of Tralee
Wild Irish Rose
Bunch Of Thyme
Holy Ground
Take You Home Again Kathleen
Homes Of Donegal
Fields Of Athenry
Danny Boy
Carrickfergus
Ally Bally
Lovely Derry
When You Were Sweet Sixteen [1] [2]
Irish Gold
1999 - Oceanic Records 3001-2 CD
re-issue: 2005 - Increase INCR 3001 CD
Track List:
Farewell to Ireland: Holy Ground, I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen, Homes of Donegal, Fields of Athenry
The Fair Colleens: Bonnie Irish Girl, Maggie, Molly Malone, Rosie McCann (Star of the County Down) [2]
Gypsy Rovers: Wild Rover, Whistlin' Gypsy
Erin's Lovely Shores: Meeting of the Waters, The Isle of Innishfree, Green Glens of Antrim [2], The Mountains of Mourne
Celtic Lullabies: Mother's Irish Eyes, Irish Lullaby, Connemara Cradle Song, The Spinning Wheel
Rose of Old Erin: Wild Mountain Thyme, Rose of Tralee, Wild Irish Rose, Bunch of Thyme [2]
The Emigrants: Old Mud Cabin, The Old Bog Road, Emigrant's Letter, Lament of the Irish Emigrant
Irish Myst: Danny Boy [2], Carrickfergus [2], Ally Bally [1], Lovely Derry
Credits (from the "Irish Gold" titled release)
Will Millar: Irish Whistle, Banjo, Lude
Ian Millar: Six & Twelve-String Guitars
Bob O'Donovan: Violin, Viola & Mandolin
Eric Rigler: Irish Uilleann Pipes
Davey walker: Keboards & Piano
Dale Patrick O'Sullivan: Bass
Mary Murphy: Celtic Harp
Moritz Buem: Violin
Joyce Menting: Cello
Producer: Will Millar
Executive: Producer, Douglas Lyon
Recorded by John Ellis, Melodeon Studios, Chemainus, BC, Canada
Mixed by Andrew Bush, Grandmas Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA (assisted John Ellis)
Mastered by William Cooke, Raven Mastering Chatsworth, CA
Graphics and Design Layout by Barbara Hutnick
Piano Arrangements: Davey Walker
Guitar Arrangements: Ian Millar
Sleeve Notes (from the "Irish Gold" titled release)
Over the thirty years that spent traveling around the world as the leader of The Irish Rovers, I learned that everyone knows an Irish melody. Those hardy old Celts over the last couple of centuries carried their music and culture all over the world. I am very grateful that I grew up in a musical family in Ireland. The music that I learned around those Irish street corners has been very good to me, for it gave me a recording career that goes back thirty and more years, with a few very successful songs like "The Unicorn" and "Wasn't That A Party"—both of which, were not born in Ireland at all.
Apart from my recording life with The Irish Rovers (over 31 albums), I created a series of instrumental recordings of which I am very proud: The Lark in the Clear Aire, Celtic Reverie, and most recently, Celtic Seasons of Enchantment. They are comprised of mostly traditional Irish music and are guaranteed "medicine for the soul."
For years, I avoided recording the commercial vaudeville Irish songs, until I realized that a lot of these popular Irish tunes that we hear played once a year around March 17th on old recordings by people like Bing Crosby, were melodies that are near and dear to the hearts of a multitude of homesick Irish; old melodies that they carry with them and remind them of home. Heart Songs that later became part of the culture and the memories of their children, growing up in the new lands.
Even though a lot of these melodies became popular in America, I remember uncles and aunts and grannies, sitting at parties in the countryside in Ireland, singing or playing old tunes like "Galway Bay," "Danny Boy" or "The Mountains of Mourne" and shedding a tear for their departed friends and loved ones. These old songs and melodies will live forever, wherever there is a piano and St. Patrick's Day.
These popular old melodies have lived in Irish Hearts for over a hundred years. They have earned their place alongside the jigs and reels and multitude of pub and street ballads. They will take you to a peaceful place that was born out of dreaming about home. A place, perhaps that only exists in our imagination, where love of the land and the fair Colleens are all that matter; a place of brave men and patriotism, of old friends and strong, smooth whiskey to warn the mind and conjure up in this collection of Irish Gold—the best-loved melodies that the Irish gave the world.
I decided to present the melodies in their pure form, played on acoustic instruments, like the Irish Uilleann pipes, Celtic harp and tin whistles—without any vocals or lyrics to get in the way of the fine old tunes. You can add your own voice to this recording…for I know you will find it difficult to let the melodies pass without singing along.
Here's to happy memories and sweet dreams of home.
Will
Alternate & related releases
Best of Ireland: 2000 - (?) CD
Notes
Irish Gold is the easiest to find CD version of these tracks, with the ommission of "Sweet Sixteen".
1 The digital releases, Best of Ireland - Volumes One & Two, are more or less all the music from Irish Gold, broken into to individual tracks. The exceptions: "Ally Bally" — omitted, and "Lovely Leitrim" — added to the digital versions.
2 My Irish Family Band contains most of the original intrumental tracks from Irish Gold with added vocals. The exceptions: "Bunch of Thyme", "Carrickfergus", "Danny Boy", "Green Glens of Antrim" & "Rosie McCann" — omitted; "Steal Away" & "Sweet Sixteen " — added.