My dad’s from a coastal town in County Waterford, Ireland, and come Christmastime, he always whips out one album: The Bells of Dublin (1991), a compilation of carols by traditional Irish band the Chieftains. It’s got all the hits—”O the Holly She Bears a Berry” (oh, you don’t know that one? Weird!), “The Rebel Jesus” (so much sexier than James Dean), and “St. Stephen’s Day Murders,” which features Elvis Costello. See, you didn’t think the Chieftains were hotshots, did ya? They’re total hotshots.
But there’s one particular song on The Bells of Dublin that’s permanently seared into my memory. Behold, “The Wren in the Furze”: