Dublin People - Fields Of Athenry writer pens one for the road

Home

News

Motoring

Fields Of Athenry writer pens one for the road

Thursday, 22 May 2008

NORTHSIDE songwriter extraordinaire Pete St John who has written such timeless classics as ‘The Fields Of Athenry’, ‘Dublin In The Rare Old Times’ and ‘The Ferryman’ has turned his talents to a modern-day Irish scourge - drink driving.
new song ‘Never Drink And Drive’ has been written in the hope that it might help to save lives on Ireland’s roads.
“I very happy with the way the song has turned out,” says Pete.
“There’s a nice catchy hook and chorus which I hope will lodge in people’s consciousness.”
Pete was also very aware of the serious nature of the subject matter when he was writing the new song.
“Of course it’s a serious subject and I had to be aware of people’s sensitivity when writing it,” he says.
“However, my reasoning is that if this song makes people stop and think before they hop into their car and if it even means one single life being saved on out roads it will be a totally worthwhile project.”
Pete isn’t saying who actually sings or plays on the record, leaving listeners to guess the voice and musical style of the mystery band. It already has the backing of road safety experts in Australia and officials in the US are thinking about making use of the tune.
Don’t Drive And Drive was launched in association with the Irish Road Safety Authority (IRSA) and CRAOL (Community Radio Forum Of Ireland) in the Spa Hotel, Lucan, on May 17.
The Country Underground Band, a collective of some of the best Irish session musicians and singers, played on and recorded the song.
People will instantly recognise many of the players and singers on the new tune.
Brain Farrell, PR Executive IRSA, said: “We are delighted to back this Pete St John song all the way.
“We hope that the great melody and lyrics will get right through to all Irish road users. We believe Pete has given us another classic with Never Drink And Drive and we are looking at another huge hit from the Pete St John stable.”
Writing songs from his base on Collins Avenue is still second nature to Pete and he works very hard at his craft every day.
“You can never know too much about this game and I’m always surprised when I come up with another tune that people actually like to listen to,” he says.
“I’m also a very big fan of community radio as I believe that is where true fans of good music listen in to hear what’s going on at the moment.”
You can get more information about Never Drink And Drive and how to purchase a copy of the new song by going to www.petestjohn.com.

Comfort and space with Hyundai’s cross wagon

Thursday, 27 November 2008

Obviously something small like a foot rest is unlikely to help you make up your mind when buying a new motor, but it may be important long term. I've been testing the Hyundai i30CW recently...
+ Full Story

SEAT Ibiza wins German Golden Steering Wheel

Thursday, 27 November 2008

The Ibiza was judged overall winner in the category by a panel made up of technicians and drivers, as well as staff members and the readership of the ‘Bild am Sonntag’ magazine. During...
+ Full Story

Industry issues warning as car sales continue to plummet

Thursday, 27 November 2008

THE Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) has released figures for new car sales for October that show a continuing downward trend. New cars sold in October 2008 (1,748) were down 54.59 per...
+ Full Story

Jaguar XF picks up Scottish award

Tuesday, 18 November 2008

Bill Caven, President of the ASMW, described the new XF as “an extremely impressive beast in more ways than one”. “It not only looks strikingly different from anything currently...
+ Full Story