Bloody Sunday: When Johnny O’Lennain and Paul McCartney Got their Irish Up

In February 1972, Paul McCartney released a single that finally put him in the same league of controversy that his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon had long inhabited. That was the month Paul released his single, "Give Ireland Back to the Irish." It was his response to Bloody Sunday, a horrific event in which British soldiers shot and killed 26 unarmed civil-rights protesters and bystanders who were taking part in a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march on January 30, 1972. Most people aren't aware that John had also recorded two songs in response to Britain's brutal treatment of Ireland: "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "The Luck of the Irish," both featured on his June 1972 LP "Sometime in New York City."

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Remembering Rory Gallagher: The People’s Guitarist

"Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe." That's a wonderful line from The Commitments, a sweet little film about a ragtag assortment of Dubliners who form a soul band. Just think about it: like African Americans, the Irish have lived The Blues for centuries. And it shows…in their soul-fire poetry, prose, and music. So, you're probably thinking "Van Morrison." No. Today I want you to think "Rory Gallagher." Heard of him? I hope so. But if not, listen up: he was one of the greatest blues-rock guitarists of all time and is a national folk hero in Ireland. Today would have been his 67th birthday, so let's take a moment to pay homage to this passionate workingman of the guitar.

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