Disbanding: Black 47 and "Fire of Freedom"

One of the iconic Irish rock bands of the 1990s that is still playing today is disbanding, I read today in Wikipedia. I remember hearing some Black 47 songs back in the day, and they were a favorite of some friends of mine who were really into Irish rebel music. I remember at the time I really didn't the concept of Irish music mixing with other types - after all, I had only recently become aware of Irish traditional music in the 1990s and started out a bit of a purist. But now, after all these years, I appreciate the unique experimentation that took Irish and Celtic music into different realms such as reggae, hip hop, and punk. Bands like The Pogues, The Prodigals and Black 47, as well as the more mainstream groups such as U2 I think helped develop an interest in Irish traditional music that only boosted the popularity of folk music from the Emerald Isle and other Celtic-influenced regions around Europe. When I listen The Pogues Fairytale of New York, or Black 47's Funky Ceili, I hear some great music and, dare I say it, poetry in the lyrics that can be missed if one simply concentrates on the music.

Black 47 is a Celtic rock band from New York City with roots in reggae, hip hop, folk and jazz. Known for their Irish Republican sympathies, their name refers to 1847, the worst year of the Irish famine. Their music was initially embraced by both right- and left-leaning people as they sang songs with socialist lyrics and about everyday life in America, but their outspoken opposition to the Iraq War and other topics garnered them controversy and their outspoken Irish republicanism led to a reluctance by UK labels to promote or support their albums overseas. A series of tragedies also befell various band members in the late 1990s and early 2000s. After 9/11, the band began to play regular and emotional gigs in Manhattan to allow people grieving over the tragedy to have a voice. Their albums have almost all been critically praised, with their music being given as examples of how Irish music can rock, and their lyrics drawing comparisons even with Irish author James Joyce. Black 47 announced in 2013 that they will disband in November 2014 after exactly 25 years of making music as a band, and they have released their final album, Last Call. Their disbanding is, according to their statement, not due to any internal band dissension but because they want to go out at the top of their game and on their own terms. Fire of Freedom, a reggae-inspired song, can be found on their 1993 album of the same name.