09/04/2026
Happy Friday, fans & !
And it a good one - It’s Bandcamp Friday! 🎧🎼 Bandcamp waives its admin fees to support Artists. Funds from your purchases will go directly to labels and artists today!
We now have more than 60 titles on our page which you can find here: https://singsonginc.bandcamp.com
And now SongSong Inc is pleased to announce - two new titles have been posted to its Bandcamp page. The first is a CD called Make the Circle Wide recorded in Dublin, Ireland in July of 2012 by the McGrath Family, which has a distinctly Newfoundland and Labrador connection.
The title is inspired by a line from "The man from God knows where", a poem about Corkman Thomas Russell, a United Irishman who went North to organize Presbyterians for the 1798 rebellion, viz "We're a civil sort in our wee place so we made the circle wide..." The concept captures a family desire to bond growing generations of evermore far-flung descendants through sharing and recording their music and singing.
The family circle encompasses the direct descendants of Michael [d. 1953] and Ellen McGrath [d. 1982] and their spouses and partners, living at times as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Zimbabwe and England. Two very successful craic-filled family get-togethers were held in recent years in Dublin. Such was the enjoyment of the music and
songs of family members that it sparked the idea of having them recorded on CD, harking back to a family tradition of house hooiies enlivened by party pieces.
This venture was given further impetus by the visit of cousins Fergus O'Byrne and Fergus Brown O'Byrne from Newfoundland. Fergus senior was a member of the well-known folk group, Ryan's Fancy, and a renowned singer in Canada for over 40 years. His son Fergus is an accomplished
concertina and accordion player. Maurice McGrath, songwriter, musician and singer, added his original compositions to the family's repertoire.
The tracks recorded are a mix of traditional Irish ballads and tunes, songs from Newfoundland, Australia and America, and also feature three new songs by Maurice and a new instrumental piece by Stephen Murphy.
Make the Circle Wide is available for streaming and downloads in all file formats at:
https://singsonginc.bandcamp.com/album/make-the-circle-wide
and by mail order at:
https://www.singsonginc.ca/index.php/artists/fergus-obyrne/26-ss-0912
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The second Bandcamp addition is an anthology of sea songs from Newfoundland and Labrador performed by a variety of musicians from all over the province. Captains and Ships was compiled by the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland
and Labrador and SingSong Inc to help celebrate the historic accomplishments of Captain Bob Bartlett of Brigus, Newfoundland. Among his many achievements, the extraordinary navigator and greatest ice captain of them all made possible Peary's famous dash for the Pole in April 1909. While acknowledging the significance of the anniversary, this collection of songs is also intended to pay homage to all the men and women of this province whose lives have been profoundly affected by our ongoing relationship with the sea.
The Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador operated
Hawthorne Cottage National Historic Site of Canada, the Brigus home of Captain Bob Bartlett. Bartlett's fifty year Arctic career as captain of many famous ships, including his own Effie M. Morrissey, made him a household name across North America. The Association is proud to celebrate the province's many famous captains and ships, and to recognize Captain Bob's contributions.
Captains and Ships is available for streaming and downloads in all file
formats at:
https://singsonginc.bandcamp.com/album/captains-and-ships
and by mail order at:
https://www.singsonginc.ca/index.php/artists/various/544-captains-and-ships
Thanks, everyone for supporting SingSong Inc. and local music! Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy!
🎼🎤🎻🎸🪈🪗🪕
