Macdara Yeates

ANNOUNCING: De May Bush As the harvest approaches, I am very excited to be casting a new song into the abyss in just a few short days. ‘De May Bush’ is an old ballad from the late seventeen hundreds, detailing a bitter gang feud centred around Dublin’s annual May Day festivities. It features some long-lost slang, a dash of pagan ritual, and one of the most terrifying threats I’ve ever heard in a folk song. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found it on a battered old ballad sheet in the National Library. It will be available on all streaming platforms on Thursday, April 30th. In the meantime, you can pre-save the song and pre-order digital copies (with limited-edition stickers) at the link in bio. “We bein’ all in a fightin’ mood, We straight set out for Santry Wood, To fetch home a bush, or a pint of blood.”

★★★★★ - Songlines Top 10 Folk Albums of the Year - MOJO ★★★★ - The Irish Times 'Traditional Singing from Dublin', the debut solo album from folk singer Macdara Yeates is available now on CD, vinyl and streaming platforms. Stream now on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal. Physical copies available via Bandcamp. “One of the year’s most essential Irish albums...” 
- The Thin Air

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Well… I’m very happy to announce that this March I’ll be playing my first-ever solo shows across the water — taking in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut & Rhode Island. In a strange and lovely twist, the first gig of the tour is presented as part of Carnegie Hall’s festival ‘United in Sound: America at 250’, a year-long programme covering all genres across New York City. Now, before we lose the run of ourselves, let me clarify: I am not playing IN Carnegie Hall, BUT my debut New York gig, at the United Methodist Church on West 86th Street, will be under the Carnegie Hall banner. They even have my fat head listed as an artist on their website — which, I dare say, is pretty cool. See the link in my bio if you don't believe me. After the US run, I’ll be heading to the north of England in April — starting in Wolviston, then Sheffield, and finishing off at the Bridge Folk Club in Newcastle, the very establishment where a young Luke Kelly first fell in love with folk songs at seventeen. Then in May, I’ll be making my first-ever trip to Belgium, with shows in Dranouter and Belsele, before wrapping up at Merode Festival. It’s a long auld stint, and I’ve no idea who’ll show up — but what doesn’t kill us can only... break our nerve and drive us into despair, right? USA Mar 20 - United Methodist Church (W 86th) - New York, NY Mar 21 - Old Songs Inc. - Voorheesville, NY Mar 22 - CTK Episcopal Church - Stone Ridge, NY Mar 24 - Live at the Druid - Cambridge, MA Mar 27 - YTS Song Weekend - Colebrook, CT Mar 28 - YTS Song Weekend - Colebrook, CT Mar 29 - Blackstone River Theatre - Cumberland, RI UK Apr 9 - The Welly Folk Club - Wolviston, UK Apr 11 - TBA - Sheffield, UK Apr 12 - The New Musical Traditions Club - Sheffield, UK Apr 13 - The Bridge Folk Club - Newcastle, UK BELGIUM May 9 - Muziekcentrum - Dranouter, BE May 10 - Muziekclub ‘t Ey - Belsele, BE May 14 - Merode Festival - Merode, BE May 15 - Merode Festival - Merode, BE More info at linktr.ee/macdarayeates (link in bio) Supported by @cultureireland Supported by the @musnetirl  Music Capital Scheme, funded by  @deptculturecommssport  and @artscouncilireland

Allow me to address the controversy... It seems that since releasing 'De May Bush' a week ago (a song recounting a conflict between cattle butchers from North Dublin and weavers from the Liberties), I have managed to draw the ire of several members of the Weavers' Guild and indeed some residents south of the river. Let me take this opportunity to clarify that the sentiments expressed in any of my songs are a matter of historical document and not (necessarily) the views of the artist. Let me also say that the weavers started it. Beyond that, I am so very grateful for all the kind words, airplay and coverage over the last week. I am particularly tickled to see the Ormonde and Liberty Boys stickers popping up in various spots from Dublin to Dundalk. Though I will be not be accepting any responsibility for the vandalism when the @cobblestonepubdublin and @_mochara eventually sue for damages. I am away to Belgium this week for a few gigs. Will ye go to Flanders? Right sure, I will.

De May Bush is OUT NOW This song is very special to me. I first came across the lyrics in an old book of Dublin songs, but couldn’t find a workable melody for love nor money. I made several attempts to compose my own, to no avail, and put it to one side for the better part of a year. Fast forward to late 2024 when I find myself trawling through the ballad collection in the @nationallibraryofireland , only to stumble across a beautiful, intact ballad sheet from the 1790s, with a crystal clear copy of the lyrics AND a fully notated tune. I nearly got kicked out of the readers’ room with the yelps that came out of me. ‘De May Bush’ is an old Dublin song that details a feud between two street gangs: the Liberty Boys on the Southside and the Ormonde Boys on the North. They were notorious in 18th-century Dublin, and their violent clashes were known to bring the entire city to a standstill. In the song, the Ormonde Boys are preparing for the annual May Day celebrations, where it was customary to hunt down a hawthorn bush for the festivities. On May Eve, they head off to the countryside, hack down a bush, and carry it back to their local neighbourhood of Smithfield - a few years before the Mulligans set up shop in the @cobblestonepubdublin . The following morning, however, as the Ormonde Boys head off to the Stoneybatter May-maid parade, the Liberty Boys sneak over the Liffey and steal it - mayhem ensues. As a child of north inner-city Dublin, it’s surreal to find myself singing a 250-year-old song from my neck of the woods that, for all its differences, bears so much resemblance to my own childhood, when the ‘collecting’ for the Halloween bonfire inspired much of the same mischief and local rivalry. It was extra special to record the song with my good friend @danieleamonfox at Sonic Studios in Dublin 7, in the very same lanes and alleys where the events of the song took place more than two centuries ago. ‘De May Bush’ is available to stream or buy wherever you get your music. There’s also a few limited edition Ormonde and Liberty Boys stickers available over on Bandcamp. Link in bio. Up the Ormondes! Up the Northside! Bad cess to the Liberties!

De May Bush on de Beeb! I am very excited to announce that my new single 'De May Bush' will get its first public airing tonight (Wednesday) on The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe on @bbcradio2 . You can tune in from 9pm. If you know your folk music, this one is a biggie. And if that wasn't swell enough, we'll be getting airings on @bbcradioscot 'Travelling Folk' tomorrow night (Thursday) at 8pm, before bringing it all back home this Saturday, on @rteradio1 'Folk on One' at 10pm, with the great @muireann_nica Up she flew! #folkshow #travellingfolk #folkonone #demaybush #folk #folkmusic #newmusic #irishmusic #demaybush

One of my favourite things about researching old songs is stumbling across forgotten words, little bits of language that open a window into the lives of the people who sang them. 'De May Bush' is chock full of prison slang from 18th century Dublin, and I had a great time digging through old slang dictionaries to decode it all. Here are a few of my favourites. The terms seem to hint at a people who were sharp and witty, with a dark sense of humour and keen awareness of their own mortality. Anyone got any others? 'De May Bush' is out Thursday, April 30th. You can pre-save and pre-order at the link in bio.

YouthTrad > Cumberland End of the line. Youth Traditional Song Weekend (YTS) is a very special thing. Back in Covid times, I heard tell of an organisation on the East Coast of the USA working to improve youth participation in traditional song. I instantly felt a kinship with our community at @larrygotstretched and hoped there’d come a day where we could work together. Naturally, when the opportunity arose to perform at their annual festival, I nearly bit their hand off. The weekend kicked off on Friday at Camp Jewell in Western Connecticut, with an orientation and various singing sessions, including a campfire singaround at -5 degrees. I didn’t last too long at that one. The following day, I had the opportunity to perform alongside the amazing Ozark hymn singer Erin Fulton and the Swiss Army knife of gospel and Haitian music that is Dan and Claudia Zanes. I was a little nervous to present some of my work on old Dublin songs, for fear I’d gone a little too niche for an audience so far from home. You can imagine my surprise, then, to see a room full of young Americans taking copious notes on 18th-century Dublin prison slang, with one attendee even asking for a literal translation of “Be de hoky!” The kids are alright. Sunday night took me back East where Russell Gussetti and Co. run a now legendary venue at the Blackstone River Theatre. I got to share the bill with the amazing fiddle and pipes duo Amy Law and Torrin Ryan, further proof that New England has some of the best traditional Irish musicians anywhere in the world. It’s been quite the ride and I feel like I could sleep for a week. Thanks to all the presenters and promoters, all the generous souls who gave me lifts and couches to sleep on, and to @cultureireland for their support. I’ll be back over this way later in the Summer, but for now it’s back to the old sod.

New York > Boston A hero’s welcome, dinner and a movie, and an unexpected visitor. Is there another city on Earth where an Irish man gets a better welcome? Tuesday took me from New York City to Boston, and onto the @druidpubcambridge where Mikey and the team looked after me like a long lost sibling. They had me fed and watered and I just about managed to hold my cringe as I sat eating a burger next to a giant poster of my scrunched up face hanging in the bar. After dinner, I wandered next door to the @lilypadinman where accordion maestro @diarmuid_o_meachair runs the @liveatthedruid concert series. Seeing a musician of his talent working the door is like watching Muhammad Ali carry the spit bucket for an amateur, but that’s the by the by. The evening started with a screening of my film ‘Tommie Potts: The Fireman Fiddler of the Coombe’, before I soundchecked and got ready to go on. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the face I saw just as I walked on stage. In November 2024, I was packing up after having launched my album in the @cobblestonepubdublin at @larrygotstretched when a young American lad approached me. He was just at the tail end of a holiday and had wandered in at random. He bought a CD, exchanged some kind words and went on his way. Shortly after, a vinyl order came in from that very man, with a nice personalised message, and it felt good to make connections across the sea. What I hadn’t bargained for was that this gentleman, seeing that I was playing on the East Coast, would leave his home in Tennessee and travel over a thousand miles, just to hear some lad from Dublin sing a bunch of old songs in Boston. Dylan wore his Dubliners t-shirt especially for the occasion, and caught me up on his life back home and his newly born son. I spent my day off afterward in Boston watching the ill-fated Irish team fall at the final hurdle, but I could scarce think of a better place to do it. I’ve moved on to the YouthTrad Weekend in Connecticut, meeting more likeminded and generous individuals. Not much left on this tour now, but I will admit; I am having a nice time. 🎥 @waltzingwendolini

New York > Voorheesville > Stone Ridge First leg of tour done. Much stories, many great people, and an impromptu recording in a converted barn. On Friday night, I took the 1 train to the Upper West Side for what was a lovely intimate show with the Folk Music Society of New York. Old friends and new faces. Patrick Glennon drove in from New Jersey and took photos, banjoist and trad oracle Dan Neely got the train down from West Chester, and I ended the night with an earful of Joe Heaney stories from the old hands who sessioned with him in the Eagle Tavern back in the day. Brie, Laura, Pamela and team treated me famously and I left the city a very happy boy indeed. On Saturday, the Empire Service carried me North from Penn Station to Albany on the way to Old Songs Inc., a beacon of East Coast folk music run two by two stalwart singers and promoters Joy Bennett and Chris Koldewey. I spent the day admiring the Wall of Fame and the floral wallpaper, while Joy and Chris shared their memories of the Carthys and Watersons and other notable reprobates. The carrot cake was heaven on a paper plate. Sunday took me down towards Kingston where veteran booker and tour manager Robyn Boyd runs a small concert series. Robyn spent the day regaling me with tales of her tour through the West Coast and Rocky Mountains with Dick Gaughan. They drove the length of the West Coast and into Canada and there was only one argument (Dick apologised the next morning). Later that night, we retired back to the ArtFarm, the artist commune and residence run by Robyn’s son Seán, complete with a converted barn-turned-recording studio. Seán told stories of vintage guitar hunting in Greenwich Village and his days sailing 400 miles down the Noatak River in Alaska, grizzly bears and all. We even managed to record a few songs before I headed off. A fine weekend, all things considered, and one I’ll likely be processing for some time to come. Onto Boston now. I’m tired and a little hoarse, but as a wise man once said, “some people have real problems.”

Nellie ❤️

The hour is almost upon us! After many months of planning, booking, filling forms and, well, bricking it, I am very happy to be finally jetting off next week, for what will be my first-ever solo US tour. I'll be hitting a couple of spots between New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and it would be an immense pleasure to see some familiar faces. If you have any friends in any of the cities or towns below, please send them my way. Mar 20 - United Methodist Church (W 86th) - New York, NY Mar 21 - Old Songs Inc. - Voorheesville, NY Mar 22 - CTK Stone Ridge - Stone Ridge, NY Mar 24 - Live at the Druid - Cambridge, MA Mar 27 - YTS Song Weekend - Colebrook, CT Mar 28 - YTS Song Weekend - Colebrook, CT Mar 29 - Blackstone River Theatre - Cumberland, RI You'll find any and all info at linktr.ee/macdarayeates (link in bio). And to answer your question: Yes, contrary to the video above, I do smile on occasion. Supported by @cultureireland Supported by the @musnetirl Music Capital Scheme, funded by @deptculturecommssport and @artscouncilireland