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See for more details. I was interviewed for this programme a couple of years ago as was Carolyn Schneider (Bing's niece) amongst others. The TG4 channel broadcasts in gaelic and I gather my contributions in English will be subtitled in gaelic! I hope to have some extracts to show at the ICC's Leeds meeting on October 6. The Bing episode will start the series on September 26.
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I can't quite work out for certain from their web page whether they have their shows on the internet but I think they do - here
What appears to be a "catch up" page here
D'fhéadfadh a bheith suimiúil. Beidh orainn chun Scuab suas ar ár Gaelic.
In other words, sounds interesting but we'll have to brush up on our Gaelic.
Not among the languages I had to cope with at school (or since) - and from the appearance of it I think I'm rather glad. Now we have instant translations on the internet.
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"Brush Up On Our Gaelic" might have been a fun Crosby-Hope duet!
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We don't have to brush up on our Gaelic after all. The show is restricted. The "catch up" player on the internet carries a message "Restricted to Ireland" and attempts to access further are barred.
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They have promised to send me a DVD. I'll show it at Leeds on October 6 if it arrives in time.
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A friend has sent me a DVD and I have just watched the programme. The TG4 channel broadcasts in Gaelic but the contributions in that language were subtitled for the rest of us. The Bing episode started the series on September 26 and told the story well. The ICC got a credit (“International Crosby Club”) as did George O’Reilly and Carolyn Schneider.
The programme brought out Bing’s importance as an entertainer and the way he helped blaze a path for Irish-Americans in the USA. Howard Crosby did an excellent job in talking about his Uncle Bing. Several brief film clips and newsreel items from Bing’s visits to Ireland were seen. I had to smile as in most of the newsreel clips George O’Reilly could be seen alongside Bing. Surprisingly poorish quality extracts from Bing’s 1967 TV show A Little Bit of Irish were also used and Buddy Bregman (the producer) was interviewed about the show and the use of the Guinness brewery.
A theme which came out was that Bing’s “crooning” was rooted in sean-nós singing, the traditional Irish singing technique. It was suggested that Bing’s vocal approach drew from the ancient form of Irish song, in which the voice wavers between notes to create a mournful sound. Sean Williams, an ethno-musicologist at Evergreen State College in Washington state, where she teaches Irish studies and is a lecturer on sean-nós, said: “One of the vocal ornaments that Crosby would use is called a mordent, and in a lot of his melodies, especially in the slow melodies you’ll hear him use this technique.”
Overall, this 45-minute programme was a warm look at Bing and his Irish heritage and it was good to hear some relatively young “talking heads” singing his praises.
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Sounds wonderful, Malcolm. Thanks for the word pictures of it for those of us who are unlikely to get to see the film.