This episode is dedicated with eternal appreciation to Stout Rebellion's original fiddler--and long-time fiddler for One Eyed Reilly--Sinjin Fraser. Sinjin moved onto an other expression of being in the eqrly hours of February 18, 2024, following a long and incredible fight against cancer. He was a fighter, a character, and a great storyteller, as you will hear in this rebroadcast of "The Indefinite Long-Term Sabbatical" from lead singer Bobby Waller's old podcast, The Songland Diaries.

In this second installment in a three-part series on Irish pubs, host Bobby Waller looks at two songs with very similar names--the High Kings' "Irish Pub Song" and the Rumjacks "An Irish Pub Song." On one level, these two songs could not be more different, but, on closer inspection, they might not be as different as they seem. Host Bobby Waller talks with the songwriter's behind these two songs--Brian Flynn (the High Kings song) and Frankie McLaughlin (the Rumjacks song).

In this episode, we're proud to present Phelim Drew, renowned actor (The Commitments, My Left Foot, Angela's Ashes) and son of Ronnie Drew, founding singer/guitarist of The Dubliners. Phelim walks host Bobby Waller through his dad's recording of "If Ever You Go to Dublin Town," a poem-turned-song by legendary Irish poet, Patrick Kavanagh.

Most pub audiences are quite familiar with Dropkick Murphys' hard-rockin' nautical mega-hit, "Shipping Up to Boston." But do they know who wrote its lyrics?  Host Bobby Waller explores the peculiar connection between Boston's favorite Irish punk band and a decidedly less raucous American folk luminary. 

Host Bobby Waller has been singing "Finnegan's Wake" for years and always assumed the fabled event occurred on the Irish side of the Atlantic. But was he right? Randy Russell of Father Paddy's Irish Public House in Woodland, California, helps Bobby sort things out. Plus, a bonus mystery: Was Tim Finnegan having an affair Bitty O'Brien?

"Whiskey in the Jar" is a rousing, 400-year-old Irish pub standard. At first glance, it couldn't be more different than Bobby Darin's 1959 recording of "Mack the Knife"--a swinging jazz staple that oozes Italian-American suaveness. But, on closer examination, these two songs might not be as disconnected as they seem. Host Bobby Waller digs deep to find that the former may actually be source material for the latter.