Irish Mexican Music?

Red Bell Reads likes other things besides books, you know...like music and movies. Especially music that ventures 'outside the box.' And what could be more outside the box than Irish Mexican music? Yet, the Chieftains and Ry Cooder pull this off beautifully in their brand-new CD, San Patricio. I love the Chieftains and have 3 other of their CD's; I've been known to tap my toe to Mexican music as well, so when I heard an NPR piece about this CD, I said 'why not?' The music in it is based on a little known piece of history from the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. A group of 'displaced, downtrodden, and devil-may-care' men from many nations led by Capt. John Riley fought on the side of the Mexican army under the command of General Lopez de Santa Ana. (Yes, that General Santa Ana who defeated Davy Crockett and others at the Alamo.) Called the San Patricios and reviled by America as traitors, most of the company was made up of Irishmen. Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains has arranged traditional Mexican and Irish songs and written others that capture what must have been the mood of those Mexican-Irish camps. Both cultures are alive with music;it's not a stretch of the imagination to blend the two together. The songs are both lively and hauntingly melancholy. As usual, the Chieftains have invited others to perform with them: Ry Cooder, Linda Ronstadt, Lila Downs, Los Folkloristas, and others. Liam Neeson recites "March to Battle." A highly recommended addition to your World Music collection.