By Jenny Marsh
Larry Kirwan, lead singer and guitarist for the Irish band, Black 47, brought his music and story-telling to Hofstra last Thursday, September 15. This event, made possible by Hofstra’s Honors College and Irish Studies, was part of Kirwan’s tour, “Rock and Read.”
Aside from being in a band, Kirwan is a columnist for Irish Echo, and is an established author. His latest book, “Rockin’ the Bronx,” was the premise for the show. He began by loosening up the crowd with a joke: “The first rule of rock and roll is to always bring your wallet on stage with you…even if you’re in college.”
“Rockin’ the Bronx,” he summarized, is a tale of an Irish couple in which the man is very in love and the woman is not. One day she disappears, only to write the man, Sean, telling him she has moved to the Bronx. The story goes on to tell of Sean’s journey to meet her in the Bronx and all the challenges he faces on his way there.
Kirwan goes on about the book and in between every ten minutes of reading, he would sing a song he thought was relevant from Black 47. There were also lyrics written in passages of the books, so those were sung, as well.
The songs were different from most modern music because the lyrics did not have a set rhyme pattern. The music, itself seemed to be a bit random with no clear chorus and verse format. It almost seemed like he was just chanting.
This man is an Irish singer, so one would expect to hear native Irish folk songs, or songs about living in Ireland. However, I was surprised to hear something entirely different. Every song was about life in New York City and the Bronx. Although this can be a very interesting theme, those who live in New York know what that is like already. It may have been more effective to sing more about a place most audience members have never been, and is also Kirwan’s native country.
Nonetheless, he was still able to entertain the crowd with his connection to his books using personal experiences and his stories about immigrating to New York in the 1970s. He connected with Americans during 9/11 because he had always performed at bars in the city. The band was back in Ireland when it occurred, but they flew to the states a week later to play again in the city.
Kirwan said that they had tried to help locals carry on like a normal night. He said he recognized regulars as they came in, relieved that one after the other was still alive. He felt tied to the Americans and Irish Americans and that is why he wrote a song in dedication to the tragic events of 9/11.
All in all, Kirwan’s performance was not something young adults would plan to do on a Thursday night, but it proved to be educational for those interested in one man’s experience immigrating from Ireland to the U.S.
