The Bells of Dublin

 (54 customer reviews)

Every year I try to restrain myself until the day after Thanksgiving to bring out The Bells of Dublin. After that I play it almost continually until Christmas, and I never get tired of it. It starts up a giant holiday party in my heart.From the moment the bells peel on the first track ("The Bells of Dublin"), calling in the season, to the angelic voice of the lad who begins the final medley (beginning with "Once in Royal David's City"), I love every bit. In between there is joy (Skyline Jig), beautiful melody (The Wexford Carol with Nanci Griffith) quiet reverence (O Holy Night with Rickie Lee Jones), the sweetness of voices in harmony (Il Est Ne with the McGarrigle Sisters), celebratory dancing I defy you to sit still to (The Wren medley), and even enough little tongue-in-cheek Irish subversiveness to avoid sentimentality (St. Stephen's Day Murders with Elvis Costello, The Rebel Jesus with Jackson Browne).The Chieftains' worldclass expertise on...Read more

There is just no way to get tired of this album. It is so diverse in musical styles that each track takes you into new territory. You settle into the very traditional opening and the next thing you know, you find yourself laughing at Elvis Costello's hilarious (and definitely not traditional) St. Stephen's Day Murders. Jackson Browne contributes a kind of agnostic's hymn (but it works just find for a liberationist Christian like me, too). There are many unfamiliar but beautiful European carols, and some of the more traditional carols are done in not very traditional ways. I especially like the way Rickie Lee Jones does O Holy Night, which is usually performed by singers with big, multi-octave voices, and always seems to have more to do with showing off than with reverence. Jones' quiet version is hesitant and awe-inspired, and seems to me closer to the spirit of Christmas than the showier versions. Threading through the whole album are the Chieftains' wonderful jigs and reels, which...Read more

This excellent CD contains twenty-three (!) tunes by the incomparable Chieftains. Most of these wonderful tunes are the Chieftains working with others, such as the Renaissance Singers and even Elvis Costello (St. Stephen's Day Murders has to be heard to be believed). The tunes themselves uphold the Chieftains tradition of excellence, and make an excellent addition to anyone's Christmas music collection. As a matter of fact, I have to say that this CD is so excellent that it is worth listening to at any time of the year. My family and I highly recommend this CD to you.