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FAN SHRINE

My friend wants to learn the song but she's never heard it before. What version should I send her? There are like a million on YouTube and I don't want to overwhelm her with a 15-minute marathon version right off the bat.

The Clancy Brothers version is the classic entry point. Clear, well-paced, you can hear every word and follow the structure. Once she gets the bones of it, let her explore the wilder versions. But start with the Clancys. They're the gateway.

Honestly? The best version is whichever one has a room full of people singing along. That's where the song LIVES. A studio recording is grand for learning the words, but the song doesn't really become itself until there are twenty people shouting the flea verse at top speed and laughing.

But yes, the Clancys for learning. Then find a session and experience the real thing.

ok so there's this tiktok where a girl teaches the whole song in under 3 minutes with hand gestures for each verse and it's genuinely the best learning tool i've ever seen. lemme find it... here. my friend learned it from this in like one afternoon