Oh Danny Boy, please go away

Amen, brother.

It's depressing, it's not usually sung in Ireland for St. Patrick's Day, and its lyrics were written by an Englishman who never set foot on Irish soil.

Those are only some of the reasons why a Manhattan pub owner is banning the song "Danny Boy" for the entire month of March.

"It's overplayed, it's been ranked among the 25 most depressing songs of all time and it's more appropriate for a funeral than for a St. Patrick's Day celebration," said Shaun Clancy, who owns Foley's Pub and Restaurant, across the street from the Empire State Building.

Heh. Back when the group Ceili's Muse was in existence and playing regular gigs in Houston, one of their credos was that they'd never, ever sing "Danny Boy". Nobody ever objected.

The 38-year-old Clancy, who started bartending when he was 12 at his father's pub in County Cavan, Ireland, promised a free Guinness to patrons who sing any other traditional Irish song at the pub's pre-St. Patrick's Day karaoke party on Tuesday.

May I suggest The Rocky Road to Dublin? I've always liked that one.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on March 10, 2008 to Music