CD Released “The Songs My Father Sung “ – 28 August, 2007

This CD project is the first to emerge from an ongoing musical archive project being undertaken by Dr George Holmes, former Director of Culture with the Ulster-Scots Agency.

The CD – “The Songs My Father Sung” - contains 15 tracks of traditional folk songs from the Orange tradition, performed by well-known County Antrim musicians “The Ulster Scots eXperience”, with one hymn track by the “Low Country Boys”.

Core objectives of this project are:

-          to demonstrate that some of the more popular songs from the Orange musical tradition had their lyrics altered as an effect of “The Troubles”, and to support an initiative to restore the original lyrics of the songs, thereby softening and de-sectarianising them

-          to perform the songs in a traditional style, using fiddles and accordions

-          to show that the tunes themselves come from many sources (6 are Scottish – some of which are Robert Burns tunes, one is Irish and one is American)

-          to explain something of the history behind the songs

The Orange and Ulster-Scots traditions are not the same, but there are significant areas of overlap. The CD booklet includes a message from the Ulster-Scots Agency and the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, including the statement “… we recognize that we must take the lead in showing this generation that our traditions are about pride in ourselves, and not prejudice towards others…”

We appreciate the many messages of support we have received since the CD launch from other public bodies, anti-sectarian organizations and musicologists. We hope that there will be many more CD releases in the series, exploring a wide range of Ulster-Scots musical heritages.

Press release photo: Pictured at the launch of the new CD of traditional Orange music are from left, Mark Thompson, Chairman of the Ulster Scots Agency, Councillor Jim Rodgers, Mayor of Belfast, and Robert Saulters, Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland. The CD was produced as a partnership between the Ulster-Scots Agency and the Orange Order and was offically launched in the City Hall. To view the photo, click on the following link: sitefiles/resources/Launch of CD.pdf