The Foggy Dew is the eighth solo CD by Mary Behan Miller and the third album of Celtic music. Several of the songs here are laments on the human condition including the title song that commemorates the 1916 Easter rebellion against British rule, Carrickfergus, Loch Lomond and MacPherson’s Rant. Songs about love, certainly a common Irish theme but also a popular topic for Scottish songs, include Galway City, Rambling Irishman, The Shearing, For Ireland I Won’t Tell Her Name, I Know My Love, Tir Na nOg, and the “coming of age in Ulster” song, I’ll Tell Me Ma. Also included here is a very different interpretation of the Shetland Islands tune Peerie House and the lullaby Connemara Cradle Song. Anyone who has had a difficult boss can relate to the song The Shores of Botany Bay but Paddy’s solution, many will agree, was a bit radical.
Two other Celtic CDs have also been released by Mary, as noted above. The first, A Celtic Journey, features songs including Danny Boy, An Irish Lullaby and the Welsh lullaby Suo Gan popularized in the movie Empire in the sun. The other CD, Fields of Athenry, features the song of the same name by Pete St. John, along with selections that include The Ash Grove, Molly Malone, and Farewell to Nova Scotia.
Mary’s Kids' Songs and Lullabies CD includes songs for both very young and somewhat older children. Lullabies include All Through the Night and Hush Little Baby. For older children, Bingo, Grandfather's Clock and The Crawdad Song are some of the selections.
The CD American Pie features the Don McLean song of the same title and a wide variety of earlier American songs that include Battle Hymn of the Republic, Sloop John B, Shenandoah and a medley of songs by George M. Cohan. The Cat Came Back, a highly amusing song about an indestructible cat, can also be heard.
The CD Amazing Grace, perhaps not surprisingly, contains the track of the same name along with a collection of other sacred favorites. Two of the most ancient songs are in Gregorian chant, The Magnificat and Salve Regina and date from medieval times. Other somewhat newer tracks include For the Beauty of the Earth, How Can I Keep from Singing and the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria. Holy Manna, sung in the style of the Sacred Harp tradition is another track on the CD. Simple Gifts can also be heard with several new verses provided.
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