The Kelly Family "An Angel"

This St. Patrick's Day, like every St. Patrick's Day, I am reminded of the four and a half months I spent working in Ireland in 1995. The greatest thing I will always remember about Ireland is the people. I have never experienced such warmth and true hospitality. I lived in a town called Spiddal which was a tiny speck of a town  - there was only one stop sign - it was small! You would think people in such a small and close knit community would be cautious or suspicious of foreigners, but it was really quite the opposite. I always felt welcome, and always felt that I belonged.

I associate so much of my life with music, and when I think about those days on the Connemara Coast I can hear the Oasis and Blur songs battling each other for the number one spot on the radio, but one song more than anything takes me back to that special time, oddly enough, it's The Kelly Family's "An Angel."  It was the first time I ever heard of the band, and quite frankly, I don't think I've ever heard anyone mention them since.  I understand that they have a huge following in Europe and particularly in Germany - it's my understanding that the Germans also love David Hasselhoff - I guess there's no accounting for taste.

Anyway, this extremely cheesy song was everywhere I went in Ireland in 1995, and I'm not sure if I love it because I heard it so many times that it just finally grew on me, or if I loved it the minute I heard the great chorus, or perhaps it was the moment I laid eyes on the creepy/angelic kid singing that chorus in the video. Who knows! Clearly, I'm not alone...the YouTube video has 7.8 million views!

I can pretty much guarantee that you'll love this tune as much as I do - and if you don't...well, there's no accounting for taste:



Thanks to czajka1982 for the upload to YouTube.