“When Adam Was In Paradise”, a collection of late folk singer Frank Harte, to be released June 27th

“Those in power write the history, while those who suffer write the songs.” – Frank Harte

“Epic, yet intimate. A song lovers delight.” – Irish Times

This 27th of June brings the 20th anniversary of the passing of the highly respected and immensely prolific and beloved song collector and folk singer Frank Harte. “When Adam Was In Paradise” is a collection of Frank’s work curated by his daughter Orla, one of his four children, and engineered by his long-time collaborator Dónal Lunny. His often emulated distinctive style is showcased across a range of timeless including “A Spailpín, A Rúin”, “I Am Stretched On Your Grave”, “Easy and Slow and many more.

The sleeve notes were compiled and presented by his daughter, Orla Harte.

Frank Harte was dedicated to collecting and recording Irish traditional songs, focusing on songs that represented the “unofficial” accounts of history and experiences. He recorded eight albums in his lifetime, with later albums focusing on specific themes in Irish history. He always included extensive sleeve notes to provide context to the songs.

Before his death, Frank planned to create an album of love songs. Although he only compiled a list of songs, a concert he gave on the theme of traditional love songs was recorded and many of those songs are included on this album. His daughter, Orla Harte gathered recordings of Frank singing love songs from various sources, and compiled his lecture notes to provide context for the songs.

Frank shows us the significance of love as a theme in traditional songs, covering various forms of love, including marriage, courtship, seduction, betrayal, and murder. He highlights the difference between songs written for commercial gain and traditional songs that tell a story of real or imagined romantic occurrences.

Frank Harte said about: “When Adam was in Paradise”:

“What you have heard is a personal selection of love songs and I have left out as many more songs that I would have liked to have sung, but perhaps they may arouse an interest in you to look for, or listen more intently to, the love songs of the Irish. It’s always a pleasure to sing these kinds of songs where there is an audience who wants to listen to the stories that they have to tell.”

Orla Harte(Frank’s daughter) says:

“I hope that the album will help keep Frank Harte’s voice and the tradition of Irish song alive.”

The album includes the lyrics and background for 12 songs:

1. Donal Og
2. Adam In Paradise
3. As I Roved Out
4. I Am Stretched On Your Grave
5. Sile Ni Iyre
6. Spanish Lady
7. Spailpín A Rún
8. The Brown and Yellow Ale
9. The Lover’s Ghost
10. The Bonny Blue Eyed Lassie
11. Red Roses For Me
12. The Lambeg Drummer

When Adam Was In Paradise | 27 June 2025

Pre-Order: http://lnk.fuga.com/whenadam