Conference tallis::celt

    -< Book of Irish Ballads >-
    <<So if you have any trouble finding the words of any songs, drop me
    <<a line,I just might have what you're looking for.
    
    Kenny:

	I'd be very interested in the lyrics for the ballad entitled
    "Skibbereen".  My mailstop is KAO 1/14.


    G'day from the Great White North,

    Pat

    I've posted these to Pat already and he thought others might be
    interested, so for anyone that is the words to "Skibbereen" are
    below. You won't find this one in Sodlums.....
    
    	- Robin.....
    
			SKIBBEREEN
			----------
	
		Oh Father dear I oftimes hear
		You speak of Erins isle.
		It's lovely hills and valley's green
		it's mountains rude and wild.
		They say it is a lovely land
		wherein a prince might dwell.
		Oh then why have you abondoned it
		the reasons to me tell.

		Oh son I loved my native land
		with energy and pride.
		Until a blight came o'er my crops 
		my sheep and cattle died.
		My rent and taxes were too high
		I could not them redeem
		and that's the cruel reason why
		I left old Skibbereen.

		It's well that I remember
		that bleak November day.
		When the landlord and the sheriff came
		to take us all away.
		They set the roof ablazing 
		with their demon war-like spleen.
		And that's another reason why
		I left old Skibbereen.

		Your mother too God rest her soul
		lay on the snowy ground.
		She fell down in her anguish 
		seeing the desolation 'round.
		She never rose but past away
		from life to mortal dreams.
		And that's another reason why
		I left old Skibbereen.

		Oh you were only 2 years old
		And feeble was your frame.
		I could not leave you with my friends
		'cuz you bore your fathers name.
		I wrapped you in my c�ta m�r
		and at the dead of night unseen.
		I heaved a sigh and I bade goodbye
		to dear old Skibbereen.

		Oh father dear the day will come
		when in answer to the call.
		All Irish men from field and fen
		will rally one and all.
		I'll be the man to lead the van
		beneath the flag of green.
		And loud and high we'll raise the cry
		Remember Skibbereen.........

			- o O o -
	    

.2�		Remember Skibbereen.........

    And here was me thinking all these years that that last line was
    
    "Revenge for Skibbereen"
    
    Oh well...
    
    - Dave K.

    <<And here was me thinking all these years that that last line was
    <<"Revenge for Skibbereen"
    <<Oh well...
    
	Actually Dave, your thinking might just have been lucid. 8*)

	I happened upon another version of the ballad with some rather,
	how shall I say, 'rebellious' lyrics.  The lyrics my mother
	discovered (probably from her father, he of S�nn Fein) had
	these changes (just a sampling):

	'cursed English spleen' instead of 'demon war-like spleen'

	'Revenge for Skibbereen' instead of 'Remember Skibbereen'

	and for some curious reason the month 'November' was changed
	to 'December'.

	Now, if only I could get a recording of the ballad, I could
	overlay it onto the video I took of Skibb when I was there
	in December '88!  Particularly the scene at the mass grave
	site for those who died in the Famine of 1845-48 (my great-
	great-grandparents lie there) at the Abbey Strewery, just
	outside of town.

	But now, does anyone know the tune 'The Boys of Fairhill'?

	Pat

I managed to get the lyrics for 'The Boys of Fairhill' and at first I thought
it was all about a hurling match between Cork and Tipperary, but what the
hell was the verse about De Valera doing in there?

So, after a little digging in my favourite coffee-table book, 'The History
of Ireland' by Desmond McGuire, I think this ballad has very little to do
with a hurling match!

         
THE BOYS OF FAIRHILL                         Perceived meaning
____________________                         _________________
         
         
Hey!  Come and have a holiday
With our hurling club so gay                 Formation of the GAA as an
Your souls we will charm                     expression of Irish nationality
And your hearts we will thrill
         
The boys, they won't harm you
The girls, all will charm you.
"Here's up them all!", 
Says the boys of Fairhill
         
Ah!  Jimmy Barrie hooked a ball              Reference to HJ Barrie MP who was
And we hooked Jimmy, balls and all!          a Unionist and against Home Rule
"Here's up them all!", 
Says the boys of Fairhill
         
The rocking starts, the weather stars
Until they met the St. Finbars.
"Here's up them all!", 
Says the boys of Fairhill
         
(Wake-up in the morning, and St. Fins for breakfast)
         
They set the county upside-down
They search the city 'round the town [?]
Trying to bait us.
Ah!  But they got their fill.
                                                      Members of the Irish
They brought them Tipperary bogs                      Volunteers who joined
And dressed 'em up in Redmond's togs                  the British Army in WW1.
"But we flogged der nobs!",                       The Easter uprising in 1916.
Says the boys of Fairhill                        
         
De Valera crossed the pond                     Self-evident, now.
Just to kiss the Blarney stone.
"Here's up them all!", 
Says the boys of Fairhill
         
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Could anyone give me further insights?

Pat         

    re .4
    I know the tune.
    
    kieran

    There's no tune, they sing it by brute force...
    

    	This tune is also on the Wolfe Tones' "Live Alive O" album.
    

<<This tune is also on the Wolfe Tones' "Live Alive O" album.
    
Great!!  Now all I have to do is find a shop that sells it here
in the Great White North.

Some additional differences that I found with the version I have:


	'Fell' instead of 'Lay' on the snowy ground

	'And found a quiet grave, my boy
	 In dear old Skibbereen'  instead of
	'And that's another reason why
	 I left old Skibbereen'

	'Each Irish man with feelings stirred' instead of
	'All Irish men from field and fen'


Pat

    re: .9
    
    Sorry, I was referring to "Boys of Fair Hill", not "Skibereen",
    as being on the Wolfe Tones' album.
    
    

    <<Sorry, I was referring to "Boys of Fair Hill", not "Skibereen",
    <<as being on the Wolfe Tones' album.

	Great!  That's even better 'cuz I just found a source for a
	recording of 'Skibbereen' in Boston (next time I travel down
	to the States I'll pick it up).

	Can anyone comment (be reasonable, mind) on the historical
	background of lyrics in the 'Boys of Fairhill'?

	Pat    
    

Does anyone know the lyrics to 'Ireland, We Hail Thee'?  I think that is
the title.  In any case, it was not allowed to be sung in the churches
and schools that my mother and her brother and sisters attended.  However,
she recently returned from visiting her sisters and told them of the work
that I'm doing to uncover our relatives (the O'Briens of Skibbereen).  This
inspired them to the point that they encouraged their parish priest, 
Father Bolan from Cork, to have the congregation sing it at Mass.  They
did and it brought a tear to many an eye.

I could ask the relatives overseas for the lyrics but I thought that I
could get a quicker response in NOTES.  Please help, if you can.

Thanks,

Pat

    Could anyone give me the lyrics to "The Irish Rose"... I think that is
    the title.  I have a chorus from the song that goes as such:
    
    Come or the hill, my bonnie Irish lass
    Come or the hill to your darling
    You chose the road, love, and I'll make the vow
    And I'll be your true love forever.
    
    
    It goes to the scottish tune of Loch Lomond....Oh you'll take the high
    road and I'll take the low road, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye, for
    me and my true love will never meet again, on the bonnie, bonnie banks
    of Loch Lomond.....
    
    The song has some very special, personal value and I'd like to have the
    entire song.  
    
    Thanks
    JoEllen (Fitzgerald) Scotland

    
    
    	Could it be "Red is the Rose" by Liam Clancy ...
    
    
    	Red is the rose, that in yonder garden grows.
	Fair is the lilly of the valley.
    	Clear is the water the flow thru the Boyne
    	And my love is fairer than any.
    
    
    
    
    	keVin
    
    

    Yes, it very well could be.  
    
    I'll look for the music....
    
    The song was sung at my father's funeral, my sister's wedding (omitting
    the verse on dying 8^)), and I sing it to Caeli Shea, my 7 month old 
    daughter whenever she is fussy and before bedtime.  I started singing
    Irish songs to her and playing Irish CDs for her when she was still
    in the womb.  The music, this song in particular, has a very quieting
    affect on her.  It is a beautiful song.
    
    Thanks for your input...JoEllen

    Sorry to be so late with this, but  I'm a new reader and didn't see it
    until just before we left for a month in the U.S.  I hope it's still of
    some use to you.
    I have this song on a tape of mixed Celtic and folk stuff that I play
    all the time while I'm working.  If you would like, I would be happy to
    share it with you.  Just tell me where to send it.
    Seamas Mac Fhlaithbheartaigh (Maurene's husband)