New songs from:
Scotland
Auld Lang Syne - You know the song, but check it out because you probably don't know it like this. Hear a dramatic reading of the Robert Burns 1788 Poem or a beautiful version by the rising Scottish pop star Paolo Nutini (check out his new CD, it's really good) at Many Versions. Also see the ferver this song brings at one of his shows here. Here's a random cool jazzy version I found. Heres some More Information for background.
Ireland:
Home to my Donegal
Galway Girl
Estonia (I haven't been here... yet)
Tõnis Mägi (click to play) - A friend I made at the hostel here in Utrecht is from Estonia. I knew nothing about Estonia, but he told me some things and I did some research, so I have a basic understanding. If yours is better and I made any mistakes, please let me know. - So, apparently, they have a history of being "tormented" by the countries around them, and gained their independence for the second time in 1991. They have been hard hit by economic depression. Gustav played a song for me that has become somewhat of a national anthem, although not officially. The song, as the singer in the video introduces it is a song of freedom. What he says roughly translates to "When we are together like this, nobody can defeat us." I tried translating the lyrics, but it wasn't perfect. But you can definitely sense standing up to something, especially the last lyrics. "A free Estonia we will soon see." I think the song name, Tõnis Mägi, is a place in Estonia too. Anyway, it's a beautiful song, enjoy.
