Reeling back the Years

eileen alana

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Watching reeling back the years earlier this evening, I was amused by the fact that in 1967 the song '7 drunken nights' was banned by RTE because they considered it unsuitable for home viewing. It got me thinking how many more seemingly harmless songs were banned in Ireland over the last few decades.
 
Yes amazing the effect drink had on that poor man or was it an optical illusion!
 
Yes, have just heard it on the six o'clock news. Absolute legend. God Bless.
 
What a change to the present, when RTE will let any amount of foul language on TV
 
Watching reeling back the years earlier this evening, I was amused by the fact that in 1967 the song '7 drunken nights' was banned by RTE because they considered it unsuitable for home viewing. It got me thinking how many more seemingly harmless songs were banned in Ireland over the last few decades.

Remember when the Wolfe Tones had several of their awful songs banned like 'come out ye black and tans' and 'the men behind the wire'. They were reactionary at the time but now they just seem plain idiotic. Christy Moore's song about the Don Tidey kidnapping back in the 80s, I think it was called 'The Ballad of Ballinamore' or something like that. You wouldn't even play it now regardless of whether it is banned or not. Pity none of Daniel O'Donnell's songs are banned!
 
Thought it was funny last year when Wolfe Tones "A Nation Once Again" was voted top song in a BBC World Poll.

Having said that, I went to a wedding last year (with somone who was working on the wedding ) and the couple invited himself to the evening and I went along. Neither of us knew them at all. Halfway through the evening, the crowd all started singing all the wolfe tones songs, men behind the wire, helicopter song, etc and many more of the more extreme rebel songs. When it got to ooh ah up the ra, the same way the football supporters used to chant ooh ah Paul McGrath, I had to go outside as I could not keep a straight face.
 
Remember when the Wolfe Tones had several of their awful songs banned like 'come out ye black and tans' and 'the men behind the wire'. They were reactionary at the time but now they just seem plain idiotic. Christy Moore's song about the Don Tidey kidnapping back in the 80s, I think it was called 'The Ballad of Ballinamore' or something like that. You wouldn't even play it now regardless of whether it is banned or not. Pity none of Daniel O'Donnell's songs are banned!
What's awful about come out ye black and tan's? A great song for a ballad session. I remember going to bandon in the eighties when Galleon were playing in the munster arms they sang all these songs. They were a lot more pleasing on the ear than the songs nowadays.
 
The Wolfe Tones seem very popular with the younger folk.
As for Daniel, he's laughing all the way to the bank.
 
I've been watching the new series of Reeling in the Years 00's and I just feel (like the Irish Times tv reviewer pointed out) that it's too early to show it. Any other thoughts on this?? I mean watching the noughties which were a big long party / boom while so many now are feeling the effects of severe recession/neg equity/unemployment it seems that RTE should have waited and let us see this in another 10/15 years. What really made the other series for me was that it was years ago stuff you barely remembered happened. Watching something from a few years ago is not the same...
 
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Wasn't The Life of Brian also banned at one time?

Thankfully we have gotten over that era of backward policy.
 
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