The Irish, they say, will break into song at the drop of a hat. Deeply connected with this activity is their willingness to spend endless hours in their local pub. Drinking and singing go hand in hand! 50 Great Irish Drinking SongsA" contains a collection of the best known and loved of Irish ballads inspired by 'the drink'. Poteen, porter and pub life - it's all there! Also included are several popular Irish ballads which are certain to be heard at any decent Irish pub session. In this book you have all you need, to play and sing some of the greatest Irish drinking songs ever written - the lyrics, guitar chords and simple music score. Also included are many stories and backgrounds to the songs - the composers, historical contexts, geographical references and incidents which inspired the songs - and also a CD with the first verse and/or chorus of each song. This book is suitable for those who wish to learn to sing or accompany these great Irish drinking songs, from total beginners to accomplished musicians. The guitar chord shapes of all chords used in the book are included at the beginning of the book and there are three separate indices: (1) Index by song title (2) Index by CD track and (3) Index by first line. If the reader can't read music, the accompanying CD will provide clear details of the melody of each song. The book is lavishly illustrated with colour photographs of various aspects of Irish life, places and culture and many of the images directly relate to pubs located throughout the length and breadth of Ireland, giving a visual and well as an aural flavour to the contents.