The McPeake Family’s Wild Mountain Thyme, also known as Will Ye Go Lassie, Go, is one of the most famous songs to emerge from the folk revival of the 1950s, being covered by an incredible variety of artists including Fotheringay, The Byrds, Mark Knopfler and Rod Stewart as well as Ewan MacColl, The Chieftains and Clancy Brothers.
Often containing as many as three generations, the Belfast born and bred McPeake Family played as far afield as Moscow and was a great favourite on the BBC. Their distinctive combination of uilleann pipes, harps and harmony vocals set a new standard for Irish music in the 1950s & 60s. Not content to showcase instrumental virtuosity, their warm ensemble sound brought out the depth of the songs making them one of the most loved Irish groups on the 1950s and early 60s.
“The combination of harp with harmony vocals, traded between three generations, and uilleann pipes was unique” Songlines
The McPeake Family uilleann pipes, harp and harmony singing
1 Will Ye Go Lassie, Go
2 I Know My Love
3 McLeod’s Reel
4 A Bucket Of The Mountain Dew
5 Eileen Aroon
6 An Durd Fain
7 My Singing Bird
8 The Lament of Aughrim
9 Carraig Dun
10 The Derry Hornpipe
11 The Old Piper
12 Slieve Gallon Brae
13 Ireland, Boys, Hurrah
14 Cock Robin
15 An Coolin
16 The Verdant Braes Of Screen
17 Juanita
18 Jug Of Punch