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Shane MacGowan with Ronnie Drew – A Photograph taken by Andrew Catlin, from the book ‘Rebel Song; Faces Of Irish Music’

10th August 2021, 12am

Last week, in our ‘Artists Corner’, ICC Digital brought you the stunning photograph of Sinéad O’Connor, from the new book of photography “Rebel Song; Faces of Irish Music” taken by the acclaimed photographer and filmmaker, Andrew Catlin.

Today we bring another one of Catlin’s photograph’s – it’s of a musical master, the great singer and raconteur and the frontman of ‘The Dubliner’s’, Ronnie Drew, seen here with his young  protégé, the singer, poet and frontman of ‘The Pogues’, Shane MacGowan.

Some words from the book…

Ronnie Drew “Shane is a great songwriter, I sing a song of his about the famine… I never know how bad Shane is or how drunk he is because whenever I chat to him he’s always very lucid.”

“Rebel Song; Faces of Irish Music” is a collection of photographs of some of the most important musicians who changed the face of Irish Music into the international force it is today. With the words of Irish song’s, quotes from the musicians, and written commentaries on Irish history and on British colonial rule in Ireland, published throughout – what emerges is a powerful and sublime book which charts the evolution from Irish folk, into rebellious Rock, Pop and Protest Songs and Punk, which burst into the sounds and voice of a nation’s resistance and exploded onto a global stage.

What’s so extraordinary about the book is that it’s author, photographer Andrew Catlin is an Englishman, who knew nothing about Irish history at the outset. While producing the book Catlin under-went a journey of discovery to find the connection between Irish music, the history of Ireland, and the passion, power and intensity of some of the greatest Irish songwriters and performers of the last 50 years.

Andrew Catlin says “Many of the references in Irish songs – people and places that in Ireland carry a heavy weight of history – have no meaning at all in England. You feel the strength of emotion, but unrecognised names seem quaint or unimportant. It can be shocking when you find a familiar song is about a shameful episode of British brutality.

Some of the musicians and songwriters featured in the book include Shane MacGowan, Sinéad O’Connor, Bono, Christy Moore, Finbar Furey, Feargal Sharkey, Bob Geldoff, Damien Dempsey, Phil Lynott and Rory Gallagher.

To buy the book “Rebel Songs; faces Of Irish Music” go to www.andrewcatlin.com @andrewcatlin @andrewcatlinphotography

About Andrew Catlin:
Andrew Catlin is an internationally acclaimed music photographer and filmmaker. He has photographed some of the world’s greatest songwriters, musicians and celebrities, including Pattie Smyth, Sting, Morrissey, Kurt Cobain. He’s had a long-standing working relationship with Shane MacGowan, Bono and Sinéad O’Connor and he has previously had three books published, ‘Shane MacGowan – Three Score’, ‘Sinéad O’Connor – 48’ and ‘The Jesus and Mark Chain’.

The book “Rebel Song: Faces of Irish Music” accompanied the major exhibition of the same name, recently held at ‘Baker Mamonova Gallery, Kino-Teatr’ in St Leonards On Sea.