Artist description Celt Folk Entertainment at its very best for CONVENTIONS, CONFERENCES, CONCERTS, HOTELS, LODGES, SOCIAL CLUBS, FOLK CLUBS, FESTIVALS, FAIRS, RESTAURANTS, PUB NIGHTS & anywhere that quality entertainment is appreciated. JIM BRANNIGAN is Celtic to the bone.Born of Irish stock in a small town in the West of Scotland, Jim brings a performance which is pleasing to any room.When not on tour he makes his home in Victoria on Vancouver Island where he can frequently be found playing at some of the many local venues.His repertoire includes an abundance of Scottish and Irish drinking songs and sea shanties and an endless stream of traditional songs and ballads as well as many of the works of our modern day poets.More recently he has received much attention for his own writing ability. His most popular composition being "The Hills Of Margaree", a tender love song which has quickly become a favourite among his many followers on Cape Breton Island.Jim is a passionate performer who loves to play and it shows.He takes genuine delight in bantering back and forth with his audience, telling jokes and tales and singing songs. Some with rousing choruses and others, heartfelt ballads.Audience participation is an absolute must and frequently the audience can be heard, singing the final chorus, entirely unaccompanied. A fitting way to end an evening of fine entertainment.As well as being a superb entertainer, Jim has an excellent voice and a remarkable sense of humour.He is a performer who knows how to hold an audience and his warmth and sincerity have made him a favourite among folk enthusiasts wherever he goes.He accompanies himself on Tenor Guitar and Bouzouki, occasionally switching to Tenor Banjo for variety.When their busy schedules allow, Jim is accompanied by Vancouver Island Fiddler, BRENDA CALLAN. An all too rare occasion and one that should definitely not be missed.Jim has been described as a modern day bard, an old fashioned troubadour and one of the finest entertainers around. He, most definitely , is a master of his craft. Small wonder that so many talented performers make a point of attending at least one JIM BRANNIGAN show

Music Style Celtic/Folk

Musical Influences Luke Kelly, Tommy Makem, Liam Clancy, The Corries

Artist History Celtic Folk Entertainer JIM BRANNIGAN has performed in both the Hospitality and Entertainment industries since 1979. *** JIM BRANNIGAN recognizes that hospitality business managers know better than anyone what serves their business best. He works hand in hand with management teams to ensure that their entertainment needs are met. Hotels, fine dining establishments, small cafe's, pubs, pub style restaurants and lounges all come with various requirements, which are unique to each establishment and their clients. *** On this page JIM BRANNIGAN provides some suggestions with regards to the entertainment format for different venue types. ***HOTELS, INNS AND LODGES SPECIALIZING IN FINE DINING AND ACCOMMODATION *** If you provide a comfortable sitting room where guests can meet before and after dining or a small pub on your property, then it may be to your advantage to offer some form of entertainment at these locations. I have played at such venues and know that I can provide the type of entertainment your guest is looking for. ***

Instruments Tenor guitar, Bouzouki, Tenor banjo

Albums The Singing Bird; The Hills of Margaree, Troubadour

Press Reviews Northern Journey Online/GreenManReview.com Jim Brannigan, The Tin Whistle, Victoria, BC, Canada, March 31, 2001 In answer to those silent questions, yes, I have been visiting the Tin Whistle a fair bit as of late. What can I say, it's a delightful venue which puts me completely at ease. And this night was no different, or was it? Jim Brannigan was joined on the small stage by Victoria fiddler Brenda Callan, and the music was on. Jim is a treasure this Island should never have let go of, but alas we did. We let him move from Sooke to Nova Scotia, and his music seemingly has flourished from the transition to Atlantic sea air! Jim is not a giant of a man, he is of average height and build, but once he opens his mouth, there is a change, and he has full control of the entire room and all within it. His voice is rich and filled with emotions, captivating and drawing the audience in under his spell. Jim opened with a beautiful rendition of "Star of County Down," and then slid into "Irish Rover" and had the audience participating in record time. The second song, folks! It usually takes a set or two to have the entire place singing along like that! From "Irish Rover," Jim went to "Gypsy Rover" and again had all the audience participation he could have wished for. Then he was singing a hilarious little ditty about cross dressing and wearing the wife's lingerie, which had everyone in the place laughing. And then he played, "The Hills of Margaree," which is an original composition of Jim's, and it is as gentle as a soft spring rain, and deliciously heart-rending. There were a couple of birthdays in the audience, Peter (an owner) being one of them. Jim did a hilarious, breathy, Marilyn Monroe impression of "Happy Birthday," for them, which endeared him greatly to the audience. It was nice to see Peter enjoying his birthday so much, and all of the patrons are quite fond of him and wish him well. It is nice to see a neighbourhood pub style restaurant with that amount of genuine care and concern between patrons - and here I'd thought it only existed on television's "Cheers." After the birthday blessings were over with, Jim switched to his banjo, and then began the one and only '"Newfie" song in his set, "Sonny Dreams." Now, for those of you not from Canada, we've had a tradition of sorts of our own. Newfoundland bears the brunt of it, I'm afraid, but they do so good-naturedly. The term "Goofie Newfie" is a standard, and those who inhabit the province are the butt of a number of jokes, some nasty, some not, and are jokingly treated as substandard in a number of ways. It is all in fun, so far as I know, and all the :Newfies" I have known have been willing and ready participants! They are a delightfully warm and caring people, and you could never go wrong with having one for a friend. This particular version of this song, had me trying very hard not to hurt myself I was laughing so hard. Jim included a very insightful psychiatric opinion of both Sonny and his Mother. Jim then did a song about busking in Victoria, which told about exchanging stories at the "Bailey," a two for one bar. It brought to mind the summers here, with the inner harbour causeway crammed with tourists. Busking in Victoria can be fruitful, in the summer months, but the inner harbour causeway is an experience. There's musicians, jugglers, mimes, everything you can imagine can be found here. And Jim did a great job with his song of recalling a number of past memories and 'snapshots' for me. Then he spirited right into, "Drunken Sailor." This was interesting, for Jim added a number of new verses, one of which included the infamous Loreena Bobbit (the woman who cut off her husband's genitals as he slept). The Exxon Valdez was mentioned, as well. It was a piece of high hilarity, which had everyone laughing much too hard to eat or drink! This was followed by Jim's ONLY bilingual song, "Adieu Dear Friend," which had a few people singing along. And then it was time for a break. After the break, during which Jim said hello to many people and enjoyed a glass of ice water, we were treated to "I'll Tell My Ma," which segued into "You Can't Shove Your Old Granny Off The Bus," and then into "Coming Round the Mountain," and right back to the original tune. Brenda's fiddling was all the accompaniment that Jim needed. And of course, Jim explained to us all how Country and Western songs all started off as Irish and Scottish. "You see people changed the words, and then the tunes, and then they changed the words again. So the end result is unrecognizable!" To prove his point, Jim played us the "Wild Rover," done in a country tempo, with a real country outlaw instead of a rover. It was the first time I had ever heard this particular piece played as such, and it had the audience laughing. The entire meaning of the song changed, completely. "Nancy Whiskey" followed with a country and western twist and a flourished finale with an incredible amount of 'twang' to it! This set included, "Farewell to Nova Scotia," "Ye Jacobites by Name," "Mountain Dew, " "Brennan on the Moor," and a few dozen jokes, like the one about well hung Irishmen being few and far between... They're hung for highway robbery and difficult to catch! And then Jim got into a rhythm, every song he introduced was "a folk song about some poor unfortunates (be they Irish or Scottish) who go out and get themselves hung." Included songs were "Wild Colonial Boy," and "Gallows Tree." Then Jim sang "Patriot Game" and gave it everything that he had. His vocal range is incredible and extremely strong. It was a pure delight to hear such a song sung by such a talented and beguiling voice. After the break, Jim began his final set with a gleam in his eye and a smile upon his lips. "The Mermaid," began the set and Jim segued into "Mairi's Wedding," and then another song, showing off his delightful falsetto at the same time! And finally into "Sam Hall," yet another "folk song about a poor unfortunate (chimney sweep) who went out and got himself hung." Jim proved himself a master of medley over the course of the evening, much to the pleasure of the patrons of the Tin Whistle. During the last set, Jim slipped in a couple of unexpected numbers, the first of which was "Those Were the Days." The audience participation was at a maximum at this point, which was interesting as the crowd had finally begun to dwindle. After this rousing and rather melancholy number, Brenda played us a slow air on the fiddle. Sadly, I know not the name of the tune, but it was haunting and passionate, and showed Brenda to be extremely talented on her chosen instrument. At this point, Jim said farewell to Brenda for the rest of the set, and continued on accompanying himself on banjo or guitar, as he saw fit. "Whack fol the Diddle," and "Muirsheen Durkin," had a great deal of audience participation, but when Jim sang "The Town I Loved So Well," you could have heard a pin drop in between notes. The audience was held captive, spellbound by a master artist. The music and emotions conveyed on such a talented vehicle were almost more than the audience could bear. It was a moment I shall not soon forget, and one I hope to relive someday, should Jim come back to Victoria again. Jim's rendition of " Lord of the Dance" returned the room to a state bordering on normalcy, only to turn it on its head once again with "The Rattlin' Bog." A true test of any performer's memory and tongue versatility! "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" was another melancholy spellbinder which set the tone for the next piece, another I hadn't heard in a number of years, "Four Strong Winds." Softly accompanying Jim was his audience, among which were some familiar voices and faces. Sue Klassen and her husband Dave, Tony Latimer, and the other members of Rig-a-Jig, which is the band Brenda normally plays with. There was also a strong showing of the Victoria Folk Club, of which Jim was once a member. This segued into "100 Miles," before returning to the original piece. It was more like an informal jam session than a gig, at this point. It was really incredible, and Jim Brannigan is a master magician/musician. I have to wonder if they are one in the same, and he not a legendary bard of olden day, for I have never witnessed anything even remotely similar before. He held that audience, orchestrated every mood and emotion which swept through the room that night. It was an experience! Brenda rejoined Jim on stage for the encore, which consisted of three more tunes, the latter two of which were "Fiddlers Green," and "Leave Her Johnny." Once the show was done, Jim traded his glass of water for one of ale and mingled with the audience. At this point, I said my thank-you's for the magic and the music, and took my leave. The magic lasted until I drifted off to sleep that night, awash on waves of sound... [Naomi de Bruyn] Some information can be found on Jim Brannigan at the following web site.

Additional Info This page was constructed by Richard S. Winder of Sooke, B.C.

Location Victoria, B.C. - Canada

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