Before I begin on continental singing, I am going to talk about the effects singing has had on what we know about the past. Some of the most famous songs are based around historical events and teach us about those periods in time. The reason for this is because these songs are written by people who are experiencing these events first-hand.
One of the most prolific songs in Irish society is 'The Fields of Athenry'. This is about a man who is living in Ireland during the 'Great Famine 1845'.
He sings about being deported for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. Singing makes history more accessible as we can learn more about a period in time through the medium of music instead of dusty old books. Now, I'm not saying that these songs are always 100% accurate, nor am I belittling books as a source of accurate information, the point I am trying to make is that singing can make heavy facts easier to digest.
http://vimeo.com/23553644
'The Fields of Athenry' by the County Kings (Courtesy of vimeo.com)
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