Derek Warfield | |
|---|---|
 Warfield performing live in Honolulu, 2012 | |
| Born | 15 September 1943 Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Education | Synge Street CBS |
| Occupations |
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| Known for | The Wolfe Tones |
Derek Warfield (born 15 September 1943) is an Irish singer, songwriter, historian, and a former member of the musical group The Wolfe Tones.
Born in the Dublin suburb Inchicore, Warfield was educated at Synge Street CBS. [1] He was apprenticed as a tailor until becoming a folk musician. He lives in Kilcock, County Kildare. On 1 March 2006, [2] Warfield's wife Nuala died, followed by the death of his eldest daughter on 28 September 2007. [3]
As of July 2017, Derek had not spoken to his brother and former bandmate Brian Warfield since he left the Wolfe Tones in 2001, except when Joe Duffy unsuccesfuly tried to get them to resolve their differences on the radio show Liveline in 2009. [4]
He is a cousin of Sinn Féin Senator Fintan Warfield. [5]
Derek Warfield is a singer, songwriter, mandolin player and a founding member of the Wolfe Tones, [6] performing with the band for nearly thirty seven years, writing and recording over 60 songs. As a founding member of The Wolfe Tones he featured on every album recorded by the band from 1965's debut album The Foggy Dew through to 1989's 25th Anniversary .
A solo album, Legacy was released in 1995 and was followed with Liberte' '98, Sons of Erin, Take Me Home To Mayo and Clear The Way. Warfield also has a video Legacy and two books, The Songs and Ballads of 1798 and The Irish Songster of the American Civil War.
Warfield has performed his music and songs at American Civil War events and commemorations at such sites as Gettysburg, Sharpsburg and Harrisburg with his band, The Sons of Erin. Warfield's 2002 release, Clear the Way is the second in his Irish Songs in the Civil War series.
The ballad "Take Me Home To Mayo", written by Belfastman Seamus Robinson as a tribute to Michael Gaughan, was recorded as a duet with Irish American Andy Cooney and is the title track of another 2002 Warfield release.
In March 2006, Warfield released his ninth solo album, a 36-song double CD of Irish songs. In 2012, Warfield released an album called Bonnie Blue Flag, celebrating the Confederate Army and particularly the Irish people who fought for the Confederate States of America. [7]
He now tours with his new band, Derek Warfield and The Young Wolfe Tones.[ citation needed ]
A biography of Robert Emmet in two volumes, although not written by Derek Warfield, has been published by him,[ citation needed ] and a collaboration with Raymond Daly of Tullamore has resulted in the publishing of a critically acclaimed book of lyrics and histories of Irish songs called Celtic and Ireland in Song and Story. [8]
1964–2001
In 1989, a contract was signed by Derek Warfield, signing rights to an American distributor, Shanachie Records. The contents of this contract were apparently misrepresented to the other members of the band, the Wolfe Tones, resulting in a clause that prevented them from recording any new material. Unable to reverse this agreement, they continued to tour, albeit without any new material.[ citation needed ]
In 1995, Derek Warfield released a solo studio album entitled "Legacy" as he was still eligible to record under his own name.[ citation needed ] With Warfield on vocals and mandolin, the music on this album was performed by a new band, although he was still touring with the Wolfe Tones. His solo releases continued annually until 2006.[ citation needed ]
In 2001, after a show played in Limerick, Derek Warfield departed the band to concentrate on his own career. Calling themselves "Brian Warfield, Tommy Byrne and Noel Nagle, formerly of the Wolfe Tones" the three would later go on to release "You'll Never Beat the Irish" and the subsequent album "Child of Destiny".[ citation needed ]
2003
In 2003, after a complaint from an Ulster Unionist politician, Roy Beggs, Jr., a radio channel dedicated to the music of Derek Warfield was removed from the in-flight entertainment of Aer Lingus. Beggs complained of the "Blatant promotion of militant, armed republicanism" by the playing of this music, saying it was the same as "the speeches of Osama bin Laden being played on a trans-Atlantic Arabian airline". [9] Aer Lingus removed the material from their flights stating: "It is something that should not have been on board and we removed it immediately we became aware of it". [10]
Aer Lingus is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG). The airline's head office is on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Cloghran, County Dublin.
In the music of Ireland, Irish rebel songs are folk songs which are primarily about the various rebellions against British Crown rule. Songs about prior rebellions are a popular topic of choice among musicians which supported Irish nationalism and republicanism.
The Wolfe Tones are an Irish rebel music band that incorporate Irish traditional music in their songs. Formed in 1963, they take their name from Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with the double meaning of a wolf tone – a spurious sound that can affect instruments in the string family of the orchestra.
Roy Beggs Jr is an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician, serving as a Mid and East Antrim Councillor for the Larne Lough DEA since 2023. Beggs served as a Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2011 to 2016, and 2020 to 2022. He was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim from 1998 to 2022.
Battlefield Band is a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, none of the original founders remain in the band.
The Corries were a Scottish folk group that emerged from the Scottish folk revival of the early 1960s. The group was a trio from their formation until 1966 when founder Bill Smith left the band but Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne continued as a duo until Williamson's death in 1990.
William Matthew Walsh is an Irish airline executive who is currently the Director General of the International Air Transport Association. Until 2020, he was CEO of International Airlines Group, and had previously been CEO of Aer Lingus and British Airways.
Patrick Brian Warfield is the vocalist, banjo, harp and bodhrán player and lead songwriter with long-standing Irish band The Wolfe Tones. Brian introduces many of the songs at the Wolfe Tones live concerts and is a keen historian.
"The Dying Rebel" is a popular Irish rebel song about a man finding a dying Irish rebel from County Cork in Dublin during the 1916 Easter Rising. Its age is uncertain, but it is still sung by contemporary Irish singers.
The High Kings is an Irish folk group formed in Dublin in 2008. The band consists of Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Darren Holden, and Paul O'Brien. As of 2023, the group had released five studio albums, four live albums, two live DVDs, and one greatest hits album. Their first three studio albums appeared at number three or higher on the Billboard world music chart, the first two went platinum in Ireland, and all of their albums charted in Ireland.
Roy H. W. Johnston was an Irish theoretical physicist and republican political activist. He was a Marxist who as a member of the IRA in the 1960s argued for a National Liberation Strategy to unite the Catholic and Protestant working classes. He wrote extensively for such newspapers as The United Irishman and The Irish Times.
"The Shores of Botany Bay", also known as "Botany Bay", is a traditional Irish song. The song's narrator is a bricklayer working long hours in poor conditions at the dockyards. He quits his job and emigrates to Australia. He sings of Botany Bay, the location of Sydney, and dreams of prosperity that the Australian Gold Rush might bring him.
Paul Kelly is an Irish multi-instrumentalist and musician from Tallaght in Dublin, Ireland. He has played Irish traditional music, bluegrass and country, and is equally at home in a variety of different styles of music.
"My Brother Sylvest'" also known as "Big Strong Man", is an American song, but often performed by English folk singers and Irish bands.
The Rights of Man is the third album by Irish folk and rebel band The Wolfe Tones. The album features songs of various themes including Irish republicanism and emigration.
'Till Ireland a Nation is the sixth studio album by the Irish folk and rebel band the Wolfe Tones. The album features a number of political songs including The Boys of the Old Brigade and Broad Black Brimmer
Spirit of the Nation is the tenth album by Irish folk and rebel band The Wolfe Tones. It became the band's best-selling album.
You'll Never Beat the Irish is the sixteenth album by Irish folk and rebel band The Wolfe Tones. This album was the first recorded and released by the band without founding member Derek Warfield, who had departed earlier the same year.
The Troubles is the seventeenth album by Irish folk and rebel band The Wolfe Tones. The album's title and songs are related to The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Celtic Symphony is a song by The Wolfe Tones, written to celebrate the centenary of Celtic Football Club. It has become a staple song for Irish nationalism and Irish sports teams, which has led to controversy due to its lyrics.
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