Everyone Is Irish

There is an old saying: "Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day." Hence the title of this song! John tells us, "When I was a kid growing up, wearing green on St. Patrick's Day was a normal thing, even though I wasn't of Irish descent. (With a name like Riggio? Fuggedaboudit!) Back then I knew very little about Ireland, St. Patrick, or Michael Flatley. Fast forward to now. Irish music and dance have gained popularity the world over, and folks still like to wear green on St. Patrick's Day!"

This song is in 6/8 with a spirited (what else?) Celtic feel. Fortunately it has a good amount of repetition, so singing it a few times should help students to get the melody. Make sure your performers give it a proper lilt, and sing with gusto! It uses imagery for the proper Irish immersion (shamrocks, green dales, etc.), and we've even added our own Irish clogging effects starting at measure 33 on the repeat. If you have a talent pool that includes Irish dancers, this song is an ideal candidate. John further says, "We can't help with Irish dance choreography, and you *don't* want to see *this* writer attempt it!" (He's right about that last part. Trust us.)

This being such a lively Celtic-style piece, it has many elements you might expect on the recording – bodhrán, lots of big drums, that Irish clogging we mentioned, fiddle, penny whistle – as well as a really neat repeating flute duet motif and syncopated brass punctuation. Listening to the tracks without the voices is as totally delightful as it is with the voices. Hint: The penny whistle and fiddle play the melody, so singers should be able to follow along more easily.