CMT Blog: Maura OConnell

Last week, I had the privilege of attending a performance by folk singer Maura O’Connell. I have to say, compared to the average mainstream, large-scale, multi-media music extravaganza, this singer just didn’t do a lot of things.

Ms. O’Connell did not have an extravagant stage show. The concert took place at an old theater. The stage set included microphone stands and monitors.

Ms. O’Connell did not keep it light, feel-good and fluffy. She talked about politics and homeless people and extolled the virtues of guilt.

She did not perform rehearsed choreography where she straddled a chair and swung the mike around like a rodeo champ or stripper.

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The singer Maura O’Connell once said that what country music and Irish music have in common is a passion for sentimentality. In other words, you can’t have country music without a sense of loss and a lyric that will tear your heart in two. One listen to George Jones singing “My Wild Irish Rose” should leave you suitably teary. Every so often the classic sounds of Ireland will make it on a country record, though admittedly it is rare. The Dixie Chicks tipped their hats to the Emerald Isle on “Ready to Run,” as well as “More Love,” which was written by Tim O’Brien.

Tim O’Brien has made two fantastic records that explored his Irish roots: Two Journeys and The Crossing. Using a combination of Irish and American musicians, he finds a common ground that honors both American roots music and the change that Irish music would undergo once it came to the new World. A perfect example is “Cumberland Gap,” as Irish fiddler Kevin Burke plays alongside banjo legend Earl Scruggs while Tim chops away on his mandolin. It sounds like a journey back in time.

Ireland also has its own array of country stars, such as T.R. Dallas, Big Tom, Philomena Begley and the enormously successful Daniel O’Donnell. Special mention should be made of Ray Lynam, a truly fantastic singer who also recorded in Nashville. While on a radio performance in Nashville, he sang a cover of “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” and as soon as he went off air, the station phone rang — it was George Jones himself calling in to say how much he loved Ray’s singing and encouraging him to stay in Nashville. Due to prior commitments, Ray had to return home, but I often wander what might have happened had he stayed…

Come Monday morning, we should proudly wear the greenest item of clothing we can find, and celebrate the warm and welcoming qualities that Ireland embodies – and of course the great music! I suppose the Guinness and Irish whiskey is optional, but I can assure you it’s an option I’ll be exercising gladly. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!