'Once Upon a Time in Ireland'- Interview with political singer/songwriter Ciaran Murphy

national | arts and media | news report Sunday May 10, 2009 18:55 by Sean Matthews

Release of second album

Fans have been waiting a long time for your 2nd album; tell us about
it and your latest songs.

Im crippled by circumstances, that’s what caused the delay; no
finances, work, and a new baby. This CD (once upon a time in Ireland)
is probably more emotional than the last one but just as political,
maybe more political.
I’m happier with it than with the last. It’s less cautious about
specific topics which I probably swerved round in the past (the PSNI,
the nature of loyalism, republican leaders etc). All caution went to
the wind so don’t expect any radio play. I certainly wont be signed up
on the back of it.
I put the same effort into cramming as much meaning as possible into
the lyrics cos Im told people appreciate that element of the songs, at
the same time the melodies have matured and there has been more
improvisation - with some DADGAD tuning, mandolin and lead guitar as
well as just rhythm- and some slow songs too.
I had first wanted to knock out another raw Verbal handgrenade style
CD, sort of like Billy Bragg had done with his first few EPs, but
there were scores of people asking could they get songs like ‘state of
the nation’ ‘9 hours’ and ‘rebel song’ on a hard copy format, it was
mad just leaving them tunes on myspace and youtube so I decided to put
them on the CD too. When I did that the whole dynamic of the album
changed, it became more emotional, that’s why I gave it the title,
it’s the most emotional song on there in my opinion.
Latest songs address the PSNI / RUC, new Irish racism, catholic guilt
as well as some personal stuff, memories of the hunger strikes and
that. The title will probably make more sense in about fifty years,
just in time for me to snuff it.

Your song ‘they’ll always be the RUC to me’ must be going down well in
the new political dispensation in the north?

Yeah it is, amongst people I care about anyway, I liked the idea of
confronting the morality currently being shoved down our throats in
the north.
I live in west Belfast where singers and bands seem obsessed with
being asked to play ‘Feile’ the August festival; that requires not
insulting local politicians or sponsors (all pro PSNI) which in turn
means censoring every doubt you have about the so called peace
process. I deliberately had such people in mind when I wrote it.
It was out just in time for the introduction of 28 day detention and
the whole post Messarine / Craigavon crackdown too, its first on the
album too so you know what your getting into when you buy it, no
excuses.
I played it at a function for Palestine in West Belfast the day after
the album came out and it got a good reception from most people,
apart from some ‘party faithful’ who im told laughed at the words.
I did a small gig in Monaghan a few weeks back and I think I ‘happily’
played it three times on request; I have to admit it has a catchy
melody and a smart arsed chorus, im happy as fuck with it.
Anyone who wants to can see through the PSNI, im sick of hearing how
‘we have no choice’ but to embrace them; as if cops are the only ones
who can save our communities from self destructing or something. The
only people who have no choice are those clinging on to power and
bound by Orange demands in stormont, I wouldn’t piss on the PSNI or
the civilian bodies who pretend to have a say in how they behave. They
are a curse on our communities and an obstacle to grassroots
empowerment, I hate them.

Over the last couple of decades there appears to be a decline in
protest music, what role do you think protest songs have today?

I got an e-mail from an Asian woman now living in Ireland, she was a
radical thinker but had got so upset by people’s apathy here that she
actually got depressed and retreated into her bed-sit for years.
Apparently she had bought the Verbal hand grenade by accident and it
helped her just knowing that other Irish people were thinking on her
wave length, she had just written to me to thank me for the songs.
That’s the closest Id know about protest songs have a role.
I suppose they lay down empathy. They probably have a number of roles
but you would need to ask those who listen to them, I write them to
stop me from going mad, like punching walls and stuff.
Here in west Belfast everything is run by pro-establishment elements
loyal to Sinn Fein and the PSNI. Even verbally dissenting from them is
seen as an anti-social act. They control the local newspaper which is
a post republican / pro police / pro business rag, but has a massive
influence over people’s minds. Its editorial board are made up of
serial liars and career yes men who specialise in demonising and
smearing ‘dissidents’ many of whom are my closest friends. Although it
may sound petty and parochial I tend to write in the context of the
environment these arseholes are trying to create in the streets where
I live. Im trying to fight that, their lies, their hypocrisy and their
corruption, that’s the role of my songs right now, to me.

What steps have you taken to improve your recording sound?

I tied in with Ciaran Cassidy from Blackstaff studios this time, both
he and Tom Newman (who produced the first CD) worked on this one. I
figured out towards the end that I should play in real time when
recording to get the best sound, which basically means singing and
playing at the same time – as opposed to recording the guitar first
then the lyrics on top of it – the old way for some reason puts me
just briefly out of time on some songs.
Problem is I figured this out towards the end when I was finishing off
and the money was running out, so you can tell on some of the songs,
for example on ‘che Guevara t-shirts’ and ‘I feel the eyes of British
spies’, which at the start are slightly out of time as opposed to
‘they’ll always be the RUC’ which is far tighter.

Che Guevara is the basis for one of the new songs, do you believe he
is worshiped like a God in some circles and to some extent
romanticised?

I think he is prostituted for financial gain (by those who make the
t-shirts), and in Ireland for political gain by those he probably
would have run a mile from.
He clearly had no interest in being an Icon, just look at how he
insisted on dressing even in the face of the UN. This was the 1950s
and 60s remember, before scruffiness and crustiness became cool. When
proper high fashion was at its peak, Che choose to wear combats and a
beard for a reason, I think to prevent the idolisation of the
political figure he knew he had become, now he is a fashion accessory
often to people he would probably have advocated killing.
I remember seeing Loyalist prisoners in Maghaberry wearing Che Guevara
t-shirts as a fashion item, but at least they couldn’t be expected to
know any better, what really annoys me is seeing now constitutional
Irish activists claiming him and making a big deal out of his Lynch
family tree… So what? These people can idolise him till the cows come
home, but it won’t compensate for them embracing global capitalism

Working people are experiencing the brunt of economic recession in
terms of redundancies, poverty, wages and house evictions. Do you
remain optimistic of revolutionary change?

Boom and bust, that’s what we are seeing, it was all predicted. In
Ireland we have the Good Friday Agreement to thank for shoving this
global crisis down our throats in the guise of a peace settlement, now
the chickens are really coming home to roost. It’s a pity but we
always said it was going to happen.
That said Ill always be optimistic about revolutionary change, because
I am a revolutionary and believe in the potential of my brothers and
sisters around me and around the world. The recent trade union led
protests in Belfast however have made me want to go home and go to
bed. Things will work out but the left need to realise that revolution
involves conflict; it’s by surviving encounters that an individual or
group will gain real confidence; we should be kicking out at this
stage.
I keep waiting for the economic dynamic to kick in that the
Trotskyites promise, Im not sure we can wait that long.

What has been the response thus far from your loyal and growing fan base?

Im not online at home and only get to check the Myspace if im in the
town every couple of weeks, so Niell who distributes the CDs has more
of an insight to peoples reaction cos he gets the orders and
purchasers feedback, and gets requests for interviews and stuff. He
assures me that the feedback is good. I have a load of interviews
lined up once their authors have listened to the CD.
Any feedback I got personally was positive and I was floating for the
first week on the back of that, to be honest im still over the moon
that anyone is listening at all, everything else is a bonus.

Your songs continue to be played across the world, where have you been
playing recently and do you have any plans to do a tour?

There will definitely be a launch for the new CD in Belfast on May
23rd and there will be a Dublin gig for Anti-Facist Action in June
then London in August. As always whenever either the Anarchist Black
Cross or Republican Prisoners ask ill do that, and hopefully Pol Mac
Adam will keep his word and do some gigging with me in 2010.
Thing is I came at all this pretty late in life (im thirty three now),
so as much as id love to spend my nights touring and sharing cider
with punks across England, Ireland and wherever I cant, my two
beautiful daughters have first call on my evenings.
The songs are being played all over the world but to an underground
audience, the underground of the underground in fact. When you go
online it looks like I have loads of fans but that’s a global figure,
try putting that into a tour and you are talking about ten to fifteen
people per venue and anyway im banned in America where most of the
offers come from.

Where can people purchase your new album?

Shamrocksuperstore.net, Niell is doing a brilliant job distributing
it. Nowhere else will take it.