American singer-songwriter Joan Baez's haunting cover of the Irish folk song "Carrickfergus" will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Performing in Bratislava in what was then Czechoslovakia in June 1989, Baez informed the crowd that she wished to sing a "real folk song" that she didn't know 30 years ago.
"Recently, I heard it on an album by Van Morrison. It's an Irish ballad, it's very, very beautiful and very, very sad," Baez told the crowd.
Her six-minute rendition of the famous song was absolutely flawless, hitting every note and evoking strong emotions.
Named after the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, "Carrickfergus" is one of the best-known Irish folk songs and has been performed by dozens of Ireland's best-known musicians, including the Dubliners and the Clancy Brothers.
The modern song rose to prominence in the 1960s following the release of versions by Dominic Behan and the Clancy Brothers. Its lyrics tell the story of an Irish emigrant longing for home, planning to swim over the "deepest ocean". Irish actor Peter O'Toole is also credited with inspiring the song's revival.
Baez included the song on her 1989 album "Speaking of Dreams", released five months after her famous concert in Bratislava on June 10.
Baez performed in communist Czechoslovakia against the backdrop of the fall of communism in Europe.
With countries in Eastern Europe beginning to emerge from communist dictatorships, Baez openly expressed her support for the Czechoslovak opposition groups and dissident, Vaclav Havel.
A renowned protest singer and activist, Baez was closely monitored by the state's security services during her stay in Czechoslovakia.
Communism fell in Czechoslovakia by the end of 1989 when Havel was elected the first non-communist president of the country since 1948.
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