Arthur McBride - one of my favourite Irish songs. (see below)

All For Me Grog

A popular sea shanty and drinking song. This is the clean version. There are a number of rather dubious verses.

Here is my performance. And here are the lyrics.

Here is The Dubliners version and one from Australia - The Mucky Duck Bush Band.

Arthur McBride

This song takes the form of an increasingly heated debate between a recruiting officer and a young man who has no desire to take the king's shilling.

It has been recorded by Paul Brady (1977), Planxty (with Andy Irvine) and Dylan among many others.

This song is on my first CD, Axis of Evil and Other True Stories. My performance can be seen above.

Here are the lyrics.

Banks of Red Roses

See Songs From Scotland.

Black Velvet Band

See Australian Songs.

Brennan on the Moor

Willie Brennan apparently came from a family of highwaymen operating in southern Tipperary and northern Cork during the second half of the eighteenth century. Willie exploits took place mainly in the hills around Kilworth in County Cork. Although he had a "Robin Hood"-like reputation for robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, it is more likely that he was just robbing to fill his own pockets. It is said that the great Daniel O'Connell, while becoming famous as a barrister on the Munster circuit, always carried loaded pistols as protection from highwaymen such as Willie Brennan. Brennan was captured in 1804 at Clonmore in northern Tipperary and hanged at Clonmel in the same county. His fame survives through the popular ballad Brennan on the Moor, broadside versions of which were written soon after his execution.

The best known recording of this song is by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, but it has been recorded by many other artists, including Burl Ives, Tom Glazer and Ed McCurdy. Bob Dylan, as a young man, wrote a modern variation called Ramblin' Gamblin' Willie. Apparently the day after he wrote it he stopped Liam Clancy on the street to sing it to him. It was not officially released until much later on the Bootleg set.

Here is my performance of the song, and here are the lyrics.

Carrickfergus

A song from the point of view of an Irish expatriate who misses his homeland. It is apparently based on an Irish language song, The Sick Young Lover. It became popular in the 1960s when Dominic Behan learnt it from actor Peter O'Toole, who claimed it was his favourite song. Behan put it in print with the title, The Kerry Boatman, and recorded it. In his version the first two lines are "I wish I was in Carrickfergus, In Elphin, Aoidtrim or Ballygrind." He is also believed to have written the second verse.

Others who have recorded the song include Declan Affley, Joan Baez, Charlotte Church, Bryan Ferry, Loreena McKennitt, Van Morrison, The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

Here is John Walsh singing the song at a session of the Hong Kong Folk Society at The Canny Man in Wanchai, and here is my rendition.

Here are the lyrics.

The Cobbler

A very popular Irish song, particularly as sung by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. Here is Tommy Makem, singing in the early 1970s.

Here is my performance. And here are the lyrics.

Connemara Cradle Song (Delia Murphy)

As far as is known, Delia Murphy (1902-1970) adapted the traditional song Down in the Valley to create this lullaby, in which the mother's thoughts are focused on her husband fishing out at sea, in a kind of prayer for his safe return.

There is an interesting article on the origins of this song here, from Sing Out magazine.

You can see my video here. Here are the lyrics.

Danny Boy (Frederick Weatherly)

Probably the best known Irish song of all. The lyrics were originally written to a different tune by Frederick Weatherly, an English lawyer, but, when his sister sent him a copy of Londonderry Air, he modified them to fit this lovely Irish tune.

The first recording was made by Ernestine Schumann-Heink in 1915, but it was Elsie Griffin who popularised it early in the nineteenth century. Though the song was written as a message from a woman to a man it is sung by men at least as often as by women. Weatherly did actually adapt it to be sung by a male, by changing "Danny boy" to "Elly dear" in his 1918 authorised lyrics.

Here it is sung by Celtic Woman. And here are The Muppets doing it!

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

Dicey Reilly

A popular ballad about drinking. Alcoholics in this tradition are to be admired rather than pitied. Dicey Reilly (or Riley) has "taken to the sup" (or sometimes "the slop") but she is still held in high regard.

The expression, "the heart of the rowl," was a common expression in Dublin, and refers to tobacco, which was commonly used for chewing rather than smoking, and was "packaged" by rolling up the tobacco leaves. ("Rowl" means "roll.") The best leaves were in the middle, or heart, of the roll, with the lower quality leaves on the outside, so the meaning is that Dicey Reilly, is considered a person of very high quality, not to be be looked down on as merely an addict.

Though I sing "pub" in my rendition, it is often rendered as "pop", which some commentators believe refers to a pawn shop, where she will pawn her belongings to get some drinking money.

The Dubliners recorded this song in 1967, crediting the lyrics to Dominic Behan, though it is more likely that he adapted the song by adding a few verses of his own, in which Dicey is portrayed as an aging prostitute, verses which are not usually sung.

Here is my rendition, and here are the lyrics.

Down By The Salley Gardens (William Butler Yeats)

This is a well-known poem by Yeats, from his book, The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems (1889). Yeats wrote that it was "an attempt to reconstruct an old song from three lines imperfectly remembered by an old peasant woman in the village of Ballysodare, Sligo, who often sings them to herself." The original title was "An Old Song Re-Sung", and it only appeared with its present title when it was reprinted in Poems (1895). It was set to music by Herbert Hughes to the tune The Maids of the Mourne Shore in 1909.

The Irish name is Gort na Saileán. "Salley" is an anglicisation of the Irish saileach, meaning a type of willow tree.

The song has been recorded many times. Some notable performances are by Marianne Faithfull (1965), Clannad (1979), Celtic Woman and an instrumental version by James Galway.


Here is is sung by John Walsh, at the 20th Wedding Anniversary party for Tony and Gidget Wong, and here are the lyrics.

Dublin in The Rare Old Times (Pete St John)

This song, often just called The Rare Old Times, was written in the 1970s and deals with the changes in Dublin since the sixties. The Pillar, The Met (Metropole) and the Royal were three Dublin cinemas. The Theatre Royal also had live shows and quizzes before the movie. It was pulled down in the sixties and replaced by an ugly office block called Hawkins House.

The song has been recorded by several artists, including The Dubliners, Dublin City Ramblers and Flogging Molly.

You can see my performance above, and here is a performance by John Walsh at a session of the Hong Kong Folk Society at The Canny Man in Wanchai.. The lyrics are here.

Easy and Slow

This song was probably written by Dominic Behan, who recorded it in 1960, though a version of it appeared in Sean O'Casey's play "Red Roses For Me" in 1942, with rather different verses. Dominic himself claimed that he got the chorus from O'Casey's play and the rest of it it "from an old lady with a string bag and an awful voice in Giggleswick." This probably means he wrote the verses himself, as he did claim on other occasions.

The song has been recorded by The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers among others.

In case anyone doesn't understand the meaning of the chorus, I should point out that "buckle her shoe" is rhyming slang, and "tied up my sleeve" refers to a method of preventing pregnancy.

Here is my rendition and a live performance at The Canny Man. Here are the lyrics.

Eileen Aroon (Cearbhall O Dalaigh)

Eibhlín, a riún!, which literally means "Evelyn, my secret [love]", is generally attributed to Carrol mor O'Daly (Cearbhall O Dalaigh), a famous Irish minstrel harpist, who may have composed it in 1386. O'Daly is said to have so captivated Eilleen (Eibhlin a Ruin) Kavanagh of Polmonty Castle, County Carlow, that she eloped with him on the eve of her betrothal to someone else. This romantic story was apparently derived from the repertory of Galway harpist Cormac Common (c. 1703-1790).

Handel heard it sung when he was in Ireland and is supposed to have said he would have traded all his own work to have written this tune.

Here it is sung by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, and Bob Dylan.

And here is my rendition. You can find the lyrics here.

Eileen Oge (Percy French)

This song is also known as "The Pride of Petravore/Petrovar." Eileen Og (or Oge) means "Young Eileen". It was written by Percy French and recorded by various singers, such as John McCormack, Brendan O'Dowda, Richard Dyer-Bennet, The Chad Mitchell Trio, Ian and Sylvia and The Dubliners.

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

Enniskillen Dragoons

This popular Irish song originated in Ulster. It was originally about the Royal Dragoons of Ireland, a cavalry regiment formed in 1689.

My performance can be seen here. And here are the lyrics.

Fiddler's Green (John Connolly)

Written in 1968 by John Connolly, this song rapidly became part of the folk process, with many, including myself, believing it was a much older traditional song. It appears to be based on the song Wrap me Up in my Tarpaulin Jacket or The Handsome Young Airman, and describes a seaman's version of Heaven.

This song is included on my first CD, Axis of Evil and Other True Stories.

The CD track may be heard here, where I experimented with a 78man-style video.

Here is The Dubliners version.

Here are the lyrics.

The Fields of Athenry (Pete St John)

This song, about the Great Irish Famine (1845-1849), was written in the 1970s and tells of a prisoner who is sent to Botany Bay for stealing food to feed his family.

Trevelyan, the supposed victim of the theft, was a senior British civil servant who believed the potato famine occurred for the purpose of 'controlling excessive population', and, therefore, made little attempt to respond effectively, underestimating its severity in his reports to the government and overestimating the problems that could arise in actually assisting the starving. Apparently corn was imported from America for famine relief and some was stolen from its storage place in Cork. In fact it was meant for seed and too hard to mill for flour, so it was only suitable for gruel.

The song was first recorded by Danny Doyle, and has since been recorded by many artists, including Paddy Reilly, Ronan Tynan, James Galway, The Dubliners, The Dropkick Murphys, Craft and Serbian band, Orthodox Celts.

I'm not sure why, but the song has become associated with various football clubs, including Celtic and Liverpool.

You can see our performance, complete with fiddle accompaniment! The lyrics are here.

Finnegan's Wake

A popular Irish song demonstrating the miraculous power of alcohol. This song inspired James Joyce's literary masterpiece,Finnegans Wake.

It has been recorded by The Clancy Brothers and The Dubliners among others, and several versions may be found on YouTube.

Here is my performance, and here are the lyrics.

The Foggy Dew

This song is believed to have been written in 1919 by Canon Charles O Neill, who was parish priest of Kilcoo and later of Newcastle, to commemorate the Easter Rebellion of 1916. It is loosely based on an old love song, recorded in 1913 by John McCormack, though the tune is traditional. It argues that Irishmen should be fighting for the cause of Ireland, rather than for the British, as so many young men were doing in World War I.

Cathal Brugha (Charles Burgess in English) was a republican who refused to compromise in any way with the English.

Some performers sing "Britannia's Huns" rather than the original"Britannia's sons."

It has been recorded by most Irish folkgroups such asThe Dubliners, The Wolfe Tones, The Clancy Brothers and the Dropkick Murphies. Other good versions are by Alan Stivell and Sinead O'Connor with The Chieftains.This American soldier in Iraq is pretty good too. My first encounter with the song was a recording by Odetta.

My performance is here and here are the lyrics.

Follow Me Up to Carlow (Patrick Joseph McCall)

This song commemorates the victory of Fiach McHugh O'Byrne over the forces of the Crown, led by Lord Grey de Wilton in a battle at Glen Malure, County Wicklow in the 1580. MacHugh led an apparently small band of Irish against what seemed to be a superior English force and quickly retreated. The English gave chase up into the hills, through a narrow mountain pass where the rest of MacHugh's forces were waiting to ambush them.

The song was first published in McCall's "Songs of Erinn", under the title "Marching Song of Fiach MacHugh" (1899).
McCall wrote several other notable songs, including "Kelly, the Boy from Killane" and "Boolavogue." The tune itself goes back to 1580.

It has been recorded by many Irish performers including Planxty (from their first album, Planxty), The Wolfe Tones (from their first album The Foggy Dew, 1965) and The Young Dubliners,

Here is my video of the song and here are the lyrics.

Galway Bay

This song is the most famous of the many songs written by noted poet and playwright Francis A Fahy (1854-1935).

You can hear Tommy Makem sing a humorous version of this. Here are the lyrics.

Galway Races

The Galway Races is a week long Irish horse-racing festival that begins on the last Monday of July every year. The races are held at Ballybrit Racecourse in Galway and are the only seven-day race meeting in the United Kingdom. The busiest days of the festival are Wednesday, when the Galway Plate is held, and Thursday, when the Galway Hurdle and Ladies' Day take place. It is celebrated in this popular song, which has been recorded by many artists, including The Clancy Brothers, The Chieftains, Luke Kelly and the Dubliners, Jim McCann, The Pogues and The Wolfe Tones.

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

The Galway Shawl

A traditional Irish song that probably originated in the nineteenth century. Brendan Behan used the tune for his song "The Old Triangle."

You can see a video of street scenes of Orenmore, Galway, while The Dubliners sing this song. Here is another performance, this time by The Blooming Heathers.

Here it is sung by Iris and Peter Benzie at a session of the Hong Kong Folk Society at The Canny Man in Wanchai, and here are the lyrics.

The Garden Where the Praties Grow

This song was made famous by John McCormack. It has also been recorded by Richard Dyer-Bennet and William Clauson.

The "Grecian Bend" was a large bustle that was fashionable around 1858-1869. A chignon was a type of hairpiece popular at that time. "Praties", of course, is potatoes.

Other songs using this tune are The Old Alarm Clock and The Sick Note.

Here is my rendition.

The Good Ship Kangaroo (Harry Clifton)

This ballad was written by music hall performer Harry Clifton (1832 – 1872) and published in 1856. It was later collected in field recordings in County Cork around 1906, and was popularised by singers such as Seamus Ennis and Christy Moore.

It is sung here by John Walsh at a session of the Hong Kong Folk Society at The Canny Man in Wanchai.

Here are the lyrics.

The Gypsy Rover

This song, also called The Whistling Gypsy was supposedly written by Leo McGuire in Dublin about 1950 and first sung by Joe Lynch, a popular ballad singer from Cork. According to McGuire, the song was written on a dare - that he could write a popular Irish song with a happy ending. In fact the song was well known with very few changes in the lyrics for many years before Maguire claimed copyright on it. Tommy Makem popularised it when he sang it gave it at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival, and it has continued to be a favourite of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

The song is obviously related to Child 200 (Black Jack Davey/Raggle-Taggle Gypsies), in which the girl also goes off with a gypsy, but leaves her husband rather than her father.

It has been sung and recorded by many folk groups including The Kingston Trio, The Sirens of Sterling, The Highwaymen, The Seekers, The Chilly Winds, The Wiggles and Glenn Yarborough among others. There are also many YouTube singers who have put up videos of the song.

I have only sung the short version of the song here as I prefer the older versions of the song, such as Black Jack Davey, which tell pretty much the same story. Here is my rendition and the lyrics are here.

Hills of Connemara

A popular song about moonshine whiskey.

There is a nice performance by newfiefiddler with accordian accompaniment.

You can see me sing it here and here are the lyrics.

The Holy Ground

Originally a Welsh song by the name of The Lass of Swansea Town or Old Swansea Town Once More, this has been adapted as an Irish song with very similar lyrics. The tune is also known as The Cobh Sea Shanty and was originally a capstan shanty - a song sung as sailors turned the capstan to raise the anchor. It was popular on the docks of Cork and Cobh as well as on the ships.

The Holy Ground was a rather squalid part of Cobh once known as Queenstown, which was popular with the fisherman and waterfront workers, as there were many taverns and brothels.

I first sang this song as a member of The Belaiters ("Blighters"), a four-man folk group I was a part of when I lived in Kuala Belait in Brunei.

Here it is performed by The Celtic Connection and here is my rendition.

The lyrics are here.

I'll Tell Me Ma

A classic performance by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

A popular children's song, which has been recorded by most Irish singers, including The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (see above), The Dubliners, The Chieftains and Sinead O'Connor.

Here is my performance and the lyrics are here.

In Dublin's Fair City

See "Molly Malone".

The Irish Rover

This popular nonsense song has been covered by several groups, including The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, The Pogues and the Dubliners.

You can see my performance, and the lyrics are here.

Isle of Innisfree (Dick Farrelly)

Richard Farrelly, a Meath garda, wrote this song while travelling on a bus from his home in Kells to Dublin. The song, with different lyrics, was used as the theme song in John Ford's 1952 film, The Quiet Man.

Here it is sung by John Walsh at a session of The Hong Kong Folk Society at The Canny Man in Wanchai.

Isn't it Grand to be Bloody well Dead?

See "Songs From England."

Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye

A traditional Irish anti-recruiting song, obviously related to the popular American song When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again (Patrick Gilmore), sung here by Peggy Lee and Petula Clark.

It is possible that the Irish version actually came first, though no published version is known before 1863, when the latter was written. It seems likely though that the Irish version is a parody of the American one. Certainly the tune does not seem to have been known in Ireland prior to this song.

It has been recorded by Joan Baez, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, Dropkick Murphys and many others.

I can't understand why, but, since I put up a video of this song in November, 2007, it has become my most popular song, with over 70,390 views, 357 comments and 332 ratings. YouTube works in mysterious ways.

I still get comments on it almost every day, some of them complaining that I don't sound like the Dropkick Murphys. And of course there are lots of heated arguments about whether the Irish or the American version came first.*

Here is my 2007 performance and here is a performance recorded at a session of the Hong Kong Folk Society at The Canny Man in Wanchai.

You can find the lyrics here.

I received the following series of messages on Facebook from Jeffery Anthony Ward. When I get a chance I will edit the information and include it with this video.

"Loved your rendition of the traditional version. The evidence you are looking for has been well speculated for years. The American version by Patrick Gilmore was a variation written for his sister Annie Gilmore. Who was missing her future husband to be John O' Rouke. The Johnny in question to When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again. James Fuld believed in his book The Book Of World Famous Magic that the melody was not Irish in origin. Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye was written in the early 1800's while Patrick Gilmore's version did not come along till 1863. The evidence to futher support this claim is the fact he chose to write it and publish it under a pseudonym Louis Lambert. Simple to suffice if you wrote the classic When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again you would want to take credit for it. But not then because it would have to be received to the masses by grassroots movement then. As it did. Only later did he reveal he was the writer. Those that knew the truth had already long been singing it by the original version. But not the States. As also referenced in the song For Bales which has the same melody as When Tommy Comes Marching Home. Just thought i would share that for I am a true fan of music and musical history. Loved your version sir!!!!

...here is some other evidence i feel supports it. The singer Alexandra had the song The Guns and Drums born in 1942 whose real name was Doris Trietz. She later was married to Nikolai Nefedov. After having a child son born Alexander the marriage failed and Nikolai went to the united states. She then chose the name Alexandra after her son to be her stage name. In 1969 she met an untimely death under suspicious circumstances. The question i pose to any historian is why is a German woman singing the exact lyrics you have. The Irish version. Personally i feel it was directed to Nikolai who went to the united states. Why not the American version? Why did you skidaddle ...right. She was singing the version she heard growing up as a child. 1942, so you figure the age of her parents, then her grandparents. Her mother was present in the car with her at the time of the car accident. She had the car checked out and it was a brand new Mercedes. Prior to the accident. So i say again, why at that time and era in history was this German born woman singing an Irish traditional song. My belief was it was meant for the reasons i have suggested. Hope this may help with your sight. I am a fan of talent, you did the song a wonderful justice sir. That is the origional version.

I hope that helps your site in answering which version came first. I referenced you to Alexandra, her version is The Guns and Drums. She is a German born woman. Which gives more credence to your version. Plus the other information I gave you. Happy to help.

In her version if you listen closely she says " your an eyeless, boneless" why reference the eyes when she leaves that verse out. Yours does not. Gilmore as i said wrote his for his sister Annie Gilmore as she awaited the return of John O' Rourke. Gilmore served in the Union Army then wrote the song for him for her. What is forgotten by this person on you tube is that Gilmore was born of Irish descent. December 25 1829, he then moved to the United States after 1848. It wasn't until 1858 when he formed Gilmore's Band, before performing with Salem's Band. Sound familiar in your song? Governor Andrew of Massachussetts then entrusted him with the task of re organising the military music making. What came next was When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again in 1863.

Which he published under the pseudonym of Louis Lambert, reason for it...he knew where he stole the melody from. Where he heard it as a child. In Ireland. Thanks for playing musical trivia,lol."

Johnny Jump-Up

Because of the general shortage of materials during the first World War cider was stored in casks which had been used for maturing whiskey. The cider drew the spirit from the wood and the result was 'Johnny Jump-Up,' a very potent cider.

This song is set in Youghal (pronounced Yawl) which is a coastal town in Cork. People who know Cork would realise that 'Up the Lee Road' refers to a mental hospital situated there.

It is sung here by John Walsh, one of my friends from the Hong Kong Folk Society. You can see the lyrics here.

Jug of Punch

A popular Irish pub song. It has been recorded by The Clancy Brothers and Luke Kelly.

You can see my video of the song and the lyrics are here.

Kevin Barry

Kevin Barry, an 18-year-old medical student, was an Irish Volunteer during the War of Independence. On 20th September, 1920, Barry was captured by the British and repeatedly tortured, but did not break down and name his comrades. His death by hanging in Mountjoy Jail, on1st November, 1920, brought even more people to the Republican cause and Barry became one of the Republic's first martyrs.

The song has been recorded by the Wolfe Tones and Lonnie Donegan among others. And here it is, sung by YouTube's songster, Lew Dite, with his weapon of mass seduction.


Here is my rendition. The lyrics are here.

Lanigan's Ball (Tony Pastor and Neil Bryant)

A popular pub song about a party paid for by the inheritance of a young man's recently deceased father, possibly so he can show off his recently acquired dancing skills, which which he spent months learning in Dublin."Lanigan's Ball" is often used as a metaphor to describe a disastrous situation, as more goes wrong at this party than it does at Finnegan's Wake, with fights, fainting ladies, and injured musicians.

The song may actually be of American Irish origin; a version attributed to Tony Pastor (words) and Dan Bryant (music) was sung by Dan Bryant in New York in1863.

Here is a very interesting video of the song with illustrations.

You can hear my performance of the song here, and here is my attempt to play it on the fiddle.

The lyrics are here.

The Lark in the Morning

My performance is here, and the lyrics are here.

Here is the Irish version performed by Steeleye Span.

The Leaving of Liverpool

This song, also known as Fare Thee Well, My Own True Love is an Anglo - Irish folk ballad, popular in pubs. The narrator is about to emigrate to the United States and is sad at leaving his birthplace and his girl. Liverpool was the usual place for Irish immigrants to begin the journey to America, and there were even special emigration trains directly to The Princes Landing Stage.


W. M. Doerflinger ("Shantymen and Shantyboys," New York 1951) collected this song from an ex-seaman, Dick Maitland, who first heard it from a Liverpool man on the docks in 1885.

It is sung by many performers, including Tommy Makem, Luke Kelly and the Dubliners. This version by Barry Dodd is pretty good too.


Here is my video of the song and the lyrics are here.

The Limerick Rake

This song was included in Folksongs & Ballads Popular in Ireland, vol. 2, ed. John Loesberg, 1980, but published versions have been found at least as early as 1930.

The tune has been used for a number of songs, including Ewan MacColl's Champion At Keepin' 'Em Rolling.

The line Agus fagaimid siud mar ata se is something like the English expression "enough said."

Recordings include Tim Lyons, Mick Maloney, Christy Moore, The Wolfe Tones, The Dubliners and The Pogues.

Here is my performance of the song and here are the lyrics.

McAlpine's Fusileers (Dominic Behan)

A well-known Irish song about the many groups of laborers who migrated from Ireland to Britain to find work. Also known as "navigators" ("navvies"), they were first employed to build canals during the Industrial Revolution in the 1700's, and later in engineering projects such as dams, motorways, and bridges. Sir Robert McAlpine was a major employer of Irish workmen, probably because they were prepared to work for lower wages.

There is some doubt about whether the song was actually written by Behan. Some claim it was written by a "Darkie McClafferty" and others say Dominic's brother, Brian (who had worked for McAlpine), wrote it and didn't speak to him for 30 years for stealing his song! It is also said to have been written by a Martin Henry of Rooskey, near Doocastle in East Mayo, probably sometime in the 'Fifties. He was a seasonal harvester/farm labourer in England and, like many others, had eventually found work in construction. It is likely that Behan saw the commercial potential of the song, added some verses and copyrighted it. (Information from Mudcat.)

The song was popularised by The Dubliners, and here is the Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem version.

Flogging Molly included the tune in their Drunken Lullabies.

My performance is here and here are the lyrics.

The Men of the West

In December 1796, the French attempted to invade Ireland, with the support of the Society of United Irishmen. In May 1798 the United Irishmen could not wait any longer for French support and rebelled without them. After this failed, the French, led by General Humbert, made a second attempt in August 1798. The fleet landed near Killala in County Mayo and was joined by many Irishmen. General Humbert abandoned the initial plan to advance to Dublin through Ulster and decided for a straightforward approach. The French-Irish army forced the British to retreat behind the River Shannon, which encouraged further uprisings around the country. However once the French-Irish army crossed the River Shannon the tide turned as they encountered the regrouped and reinforced forces of the Crown Near Ballinamuck, and those French who were not captured retreated back to France. This song, sung to the tune of Rosin the Beau, tells the story of the Battle of Ballinamuck.

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

Molly Malone

This song has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin City, and is especially popular with rugby supporters. Many believe Molly to have been based on a real woman, though there is no evidence for this. There are even several Irish pubs that call themselves by her name.

Molly is commemorated by a statue situated in Grafton Street. It was designed by Jeanne Rynhart during Dublin's Millennium in 1988, which was held to celebrate the mistaken belief that the city had been founded 1,000 years before. The statue is known to the locals as "The Tart with the Cart", "The Dish with the Fish" or "The Trollop with the Scallop". There may be some justification for this as "fishmonger" was at one time a slang word for a pimp.

Contrary to popular belief, the song is not in fact a traditional Irish folk song. The earliest known version of the song was actually published in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1883, A year later it was published in London, described as a 'comic song' written and composed by Scottish composer, James Yorkston and arranged by Edmund Forman.

For further information, see the following essay: Irish Historical Mysteries: Molly Malone.

Here is the song performed by The Dubliners. And here it is sung by Barry Dodd. And Dinah Shore!


You can see my performance of the song here and the lyrics are here.

The Moonshiner

There are many versions of this song and there have been many arguments about its origin. Many believe it began as an Irish song, as claimed by the Clancy Brothers. Alan Lomax, in "American Ballads and Folk Songs", wrote that it belongs to the “Wagoner’s Lad” family, and is related to songs like On Top of Old Smokey and Rye Whiskey.

It has been sung by Roscoe Holcomb, Bob Dylan, Uncle Uncle Tupelo, Clancy Brothers and many others, with various titles such as Moonshiner's Lament, Moonshiner Blues and The Bottle Song. Here it is sung by YouTube star, Dan Samples, better known as coolanddark.

Here is my rendition and the lyrics are here.

The Mountains of Mourne (Percy French)

This tale of the innocent, rather gullible, Irish country boy in the big city of London was written in 1896 by Irish musician, Percy French, to the tune of Thomas Moore's Bendemeer's Stream. It was popularised in the 1920s by Australian singer, Peter Dawson. Other recordings are by The Kingston Trio (1960) and Don McLean.

The Mourne mountains are in County Down in Northern Ireland.

Here is a nice rendition by fellow YouTuber Colin Rudd.

Here is my video of this song and here are the lyrics.

Mrs McGrath

A very popular song, especially among Irish Republicans, it was sung a lot during the 1916 Easter Uprising.

The foreign war referred to is the Peninsular Campaign of 1808-1814 in the Napoleonic Wars and the song was probably created shortly thereafter.

It has been recorded by The Dubliners and Tommy Makem among many others.

In America it was popularised by Pete Seeger, though I never liked his pronunciation of McGrath - as it is spelt!

Bruce Springsteen included it in his Seeger sessions.

This song is on my second CD, Laws of Chance.

My performance is here, and the lyrics are here.

Ned of the Hill ( Éamonn an Chnoic)

The song is about Éamonn Ó Riain (Edmund Ryan), an aristocrat and leader of a bandit gang who lived in County Tipperary from 1670 – 1724. A pamphlet from 1694 has him and four others calling for the overthrow of William of Orange in favour of the Catholic James II. The confiscation of Irish Catholic land in the Act of Settlement (1652) led to many dispossessed landowners becoming outlaws, known as "rapparees". The Williamite War of 1689-91 saw many more Catholic Jacobites becoming bandits.
Ryan apparently joined their rank after shooting a tax collector dead during a quarrel over the confiscation of a poor woman's cow. Various other "Robin Hood" style stories are told about his exploits.

The song is usually sung in Irish, but there are a number of English versions, such as the one sung here by Dave Ellis at the Hong Kong Society's session at The Canny Man. here are the lyrics.

Nell Flaherty’s Drake

This song has more curses in it than Anathea / Seven Curses! Written in the early nineteenth century, it is believed to refer to the hanging of Robert Emmet (1778-1803) for leading an abortive uprising against British rule in Ireland. If so then the curses are directed at the British rather than at an unknown murderer.

The tune is a jig known as Bold Thady Quill.

You can watch a video of me singing the song and you can read the lyrics here.

The Nightingale

Although well-known in Ireland, this song is actually English, so please see English Songs.

The Old Alarm Clock

This song, to the tune of The Garden Where the Praties Grow, was recorded by Dominic Behan in about 1957. The story probably goes back to 1938-39, when the IRA were doing their best to hamper the British war effort, based on the theory that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend".

It has also been recorded by The Dubliners and Phil Kelly.

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

The Old Woman From Wexford

This song is also known as Eggs and Marrowbone and there are various versions, with other place names substituted for Wexford. This version is probably the best known. It has been recorded many times, some notable renditions being by The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners, and Richard Dyer-Bennet.

Here is my performance. The lyrics are here.

The Orange and the Green (Anthony Murphy)

This humorous song about the son of a Protestant father and a Catholic mother is a parody based on The Wearing of the Green. It was written by Irish singer Tony Murphy and recorded by The Irish Rovers (1968), The Grehan Sisters and The Wolfe Tones.

Here is my video of the song. And here are the lyrics.

The Parting Glass

Though generally considered an Irish song these days, this song, also known as Good Night and Joy Be With You All, is probaby of Scottish origin. Until Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne, it was the most popular parting song both in Ireland and Scotland. It was printed on broadsides as early as 1770 and appears in Herd's Scots Songs (1803). The tune itself goes back to the 1600s.

The song has been recorded many times, especially by Irish groups. Some notable recordings are Steeleye Span (on Horkstow Grange), The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, The Pogues (1985), The Dubliners, Elvis Costello and Sinead O'Connor (2002). The song was also used in a popular movie, Waking Ned Devine, where it was sung by Shaun Davey.


Here is my performance of the song. The lyrics are here.

The Patriot Game (Dominic Behan)

This song was written by Dominic Behan, brother of Brendan. It tells the story of Fergal O'Hanlon from Ballybay, County Monaghan, who tried to abolish the border between the Six Counties and the Republic. He was killed during the Brookborough attack at the age of 17. It is undoubtedly one of the best ballads ever to come out of the Irish struggles.

Dominic accused Bob Dylan of plagiarising this song in With God On Our Side. He did not actually write the tune as it is based on a traditional song, One Morning in May, but it's true that Dylan's lyrics are very close to some of Behan's.

He also criticised the Clancy Brothers, who chose not to sing the verse that was critical of Eamon de Valera, accusing them of political shallowness in watering down his lyrics.

Apart from the Clancy Brothers, the song has been recorded by The Kingston Trio, Judy Collins, Bob Dylan and the Brobdingnagian Bards.

My rendition is here, and here are the lyrics.

Peggy Gordon

Peggy Gordon, also known as Maggie Gordon, is generally supposed to have originated in Scotland, though it may well have been written in Canada, where it has been collected in a number of variants. If so, it was based on traditional material from the old world and the original melody was eventually replaced by the traditional English tune Banks of the Sweet Primroses.

It has been recorded by Peggy Seeger, The Corries and Luke Kelly and The Dubliners, among others. Sinead O'Connor sang it as a tribute to lesbianism, making it a love song from one woman to another.

It was also used in the movie The Proposition. (Warning - this is a violent scene)

My performance is here and the lyrics are here.

Quare Bungle Rye

This song, closely related to Basket of Eggs and The Country Girl's Policy probably has its origins in the 1700s.

It has been recorded by The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

Here it is sung by John Walsh at a session of the Hong Kong Folk Society at The Canny Man in Wan Chai.

Here are the lyrics.

The Rakes of Mallow

In the 18th century, the town of Mallow, County Cork (on the river Blackwater between Limerick and Cork City), was a well‑known spa. The earliest appearance of this song is in Walsh’s Caledonian Country Dances (London, 1733). The tune is still popular in sessions today.

The word “Rake” is probably short for ‘rakehell’, which comes from the Old Icelandic word "reikall," meaning "wandering” or “unsettled."

Here is my video of the song. Here are the lyrics.

Rattling Bog

This is the Irish version of a song widely known all over Europe, usually under the title The Tree in the Wood or The Everlasting Circle. A well known variation has "the green grass grew all around" as the chorus. It is sung in many languages, including French, Italian, Danish and Welsh, and to many tunes, the one used here being related to Siege of Ennis. In Ireland the tune is called a polka, in Scotland a strathspey (called John MacAlpin) and in England a morris dance.

Here is the song sung by The New Town Cryers and by The Brobdingnagian Bards.

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

Red is the Rose

This song of immigration was popularised by Tommy Makem. Though many people think he wrote the lyrics, he actually said he learned it from his grandmother, and the song is probably as old as Loch Lomond, the Scottish song which uses the same 18th century Scottish tune - Kind Robin Lo'es Me.

Here it is sung by the Ennis sisters with the Chieftains and here is Jane Holohan singing it with Joe Kerr. Here is a nice version by YouTuber garibelon, and another good one by Marco Acca.

My rendition is here.

Reilly's Daughter

This song dates back to the eighteenth century, and is the clean version of a bawdy ballad. One of the best known renditions is by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

And here is my performance. The lyrics are here.

The Rising of the Moon

This ballad, to the tune of The Wearing of the Green, was first published in Casey's 1866 collection of poems and songs A Wreath of Shamrocks. It is about the outbreak of the 1798 rebellion in County Kildare. Despite the fact that the rebellion failed, the song tries to inspire hope in the rebels "Who would follow in their footsteps" in the Fenian rebellion of 1867, which was also doomed to failure.

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

Roddy McCorley (Ethna Carbery)

Roddy McCorley was the son of a miller, and a local leader of the rebellion in Duneane, County Antrim. After the rebellion he went into hiding for almost a year but was betrayed, captured by British soldiers and court-martialled in Ballymena.

He was executed on Good Friday 1799 in the town of Toomebridge, near the bridge of Toome, which had been partially destroyed by rebels in 1798 to prevent the arrival of reinforcements from west of the River Bann. His body was dissected by the British and buried under the road from Belfast to Derry. In the mid 1800s, he was dug up and given a proper burial in an unmarked grave.

This well-known ballad was written by Ethna Carbery (1866–1902). It was given a new life during the folk music revival of the 1960's by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, The Dubliners, The Kingston Trio and others. It has also been recorded by Shane MacGowan and The Popes (1995).

Here is my rendition, and here are the lyrics.

Rosin the Beau

This song, also known as Rosin the Bow was published in the U.S. in 1838. It is thought to be an older song of either English or Irish origin, though there is no real evidence of this. Probably the main reason it is considered to be an Irish song is that it was recorded by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. Many songs have been written to this tune,one of the best known being Acres of Clams (The Old Settler's Song). Other songs to the tune include Lincoln and Liberty and An Ancient and Old Irish Condom.

It has been recorded by A. L. Lloyd on his recording English Drinking Songs. It has also been sung by Bob Dylan, The Dubliners, who, very strangely, spell the name as Roisin, an Irish girl's name, Patrick Sky and The Pennywhistlers.

After I had recorded this song I realised I had made a mistake with one word, but decided against doing it again. I wonder if anyone will notice.

Here is my rendition of the song and here are the lyrics.

She Moved Through the Fair

This is a fairly modern song in mixolydian mode collected or possibly written by poet Padraic Collum. It was made famous by Irish tenor John McCormack. It was first published in London by Boosey & Hawkes in Irish Country Songs (1909).

The song has been recorded by Paddy Tunney (1965), Dominic Behan, Odetta (1963), Marianne Faithfull (1966), Loreena Mckennitt, Fairport Convention (1968), Alan Stivell (1973) and Sinéad O'Connor.

Here it is sung by Jane Holohan of The Holohan Sisters, and here is an interesting video with extracts of several different versions of the song.

Here is my video of the song, and here are the lyrics.

The Sick Note (Pat Cooksey)

You can find this song in the "Singer-Songwriters" section under "Other Singer-Songwriters".

Song for Ireland (Phil and June Colclough)

This song has become a sort of anthem in Ireland, celebrating the freedom, beauty and history of the land and people. Ironically, the writers were actually an English couple from Staffordshire, who were inspired to write it when visiting the Dingle peninsula.

It has been recorded by many artists, including Luke Kelly, Dick Gaughan, Ralph McTell, The Fureys, Joan Baez, Engelbert Humperdink and, possibly the best, Mary Black.

Here it is sung by fellow Youtuber, the Bard of Cornwall. NicktheIrishman made a movie of 1972 Bloody Sunday which uses Mary Black's singing as the soundtrack.

Here is my own performance and the lyrics are here.

Spancilhill (Michael Considine)

Spancil Hill, on the road between Ennis and Tulla, was once the site of a famous horse-fair. The area was originally called Cnoc Fuar Choile (the hill of the cold wood), which was somehow anglicised to Spancil Hill.The Spancil Hill fair usually took place on the 23rd of June. In the song, Michael arrives on the 23rd, "the day before the fair," but, as he says, this is a Sabbath morning, so the fair would have started a day late on the 24th.

Michael Considine was born in Spancilhill around 1850 and emigrated to the USA in about 1870 with some of his siblings. One of his brothers, Patrick, died, leaving his widow to look after a five month old son called John. Michael went to the USA intending to bring his childhood sweetheart, Mary MacNamara ("Mack the Ranger's Daughter") over to be married, Unfortunately, he was unable to save enough money for her passage.

After working in Boston for two years, Michael moved to California, where he suffered from chronic ill health. Knowing he hadn't long to live, he wrote the poem Spancilhill in remembrance of his love and sent it to his nephew, John, in Ireland. He died in 1873. Mary MacNamara remained faithful to his memory and never married.

The song has been recorded by various Irish performers, such as The Wolftones and Christy Moore & Shane MacGowan.

Here is my rendition of the song and here are the lyrics.

The Spanish Lady

A popular Irish pub song that may have its roots in a seventeenth century English song of the same name.

"Napper" was the nickname of James Tandy, one of the founders of the "United Irishmen," the first group of republican revolutionaries in Irish history. Their movement led to the uprising of 1798 and that of 1803, organised by Robert Emmet.

This song has been recorded by many groups including The Dubliners, The Wolfe Tones, The Chieftains, Celtic Woman, and Shane MacGowan, founder of the Pogues.

You can see my performance and the lyrics are here.

I also try to play this on the fiddle. You can see it here as part of a medley with Westering Home and a jig, The Mucking of Geordie's Byre.

The Spinning Wheel

A popular Irish song from the nineteenth century.

This song is on my fourth CD, Pigs Might Fly and Other Politically Incorrect Songs.

My performance is here and the lyrics are here.

Star of the County Down

This is one of the songs I remember from my childhood, as my parents had a ten inch LP of Irish songs sung by Father Sydney McEwan. This was one that struck me right from the start as a fascinating song. It is unusual in its complex rhyme scheme, and some of the words are a bit of a tongue-twister.

The tune of this ballad has been used for many songs, including Led By the Spirit, Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men, Dives and Lazarus (Child 56) and The Murder of Maria Marten.


It has been recorded by many artists, including John McEwan, The Pogues, The Chieftains (with Van Morrison), Béla Fleck, Yo-Yo Ma,The King's Singers, Slainte, The Irish Rovers, The Wolfe Tones and the Serbian group, Orthodox Celts.

Here is my performance and the lyrics are here.

Still I Love Him

Also known as Do You Love an Apple? this song is one that was often sung at our sessions of the Hong Kong Folk Society.

It has been recorded by Ewan MacColl and Isla Cameron and also by The Bothy Band.

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral - That's An Irish Lullaby (J. R. Shannon)

This is another one of those Irish songs that are not really Irish - such as Molly Malone. James Royce (1881 - 1946) was a prominent actor and composer of the Tin Pan Alley era. Born in Michigan, he was probably not of Irish descent, but added the "Shannon" to his name as "Irish" music was popular at the time. This is his best-known song, written in 1913 for the musical production by Chauncey Olcott, "Shameen Dhu (Black-Haired Jimmy)", which was staged in New York in 1914.

The song had a new lease of life when it was sung by Bing Crosby in the movie "Going My Way" (1944). It has since been sung by many artists, including Dean Martin, Bob McGrath and Van Morrison.

Here is my rendition, requested by YouTube friend, NotTooObvious.

And here are the lyrics.

The Town I Loved so Well (Phil Coulter)

A beautiful song about the effect of war on the town of Derry, or Londonderry, depending on your politics.

This song is on my first CD, Axis of Evil and Other True Stories.


Here is Hannes Wader singing it in German (and French).

You can see my performance and read the lyrics.

The Valley of Knockanure

This ballad commemorates an atrocity that took place during the War of Independence. On the 12 May 1921, a troop of "Black and Tans" (Crown Forces) arrested three young men in Gortagleanna near Knockanure in County Kerry. Before this their barracks in Listowel had been burnt down and the troops, drunk and looking for revenge, decided to execute the men. One of the youths, Patrick Dalton, attempted to escape but was shot dead. The other two, Jeremiah Lyons and Patrick Walsh, were killed on the spot. Today a memorial stands by the roadside where the three died during Ireland's struggle for independence.

For more details, including a discussion of the authorship of this ballad see this website: http://moyvane.com/knockanurestory.shtml

Here is my rendition, and here are the lyrics.

This song was requested by "CelticGlasgow1993"

Waxies' Dargle

An Irish folk song in which two men in a pub are talking about their wives, who work as candle-makers, considered a suitable occupation for women. The "waxies' dargle" was their annual company outing to a pub in the seaside town of Bray. Monto town was apparently a red light district, where it would not be difficult for women to get free drinks! The song has been recorded by various groups, including The Pogues and the Brobdingnagian Bards. Here is my video of the song, and here are the lyrics.

The Wearing of the Green

This anonymous street ballad goes back to 1798. An Irish playwright, Dion Boucicault (1822-1890), published the song, with an extra verse which seems to contradict the rest of the lyrics by advocating emigration rather than staying to stand up for Ireland. Boucicault himself emigrated to New York.

Wearing a shamrock in the caubeen, a type of hat, was a sign of rebellion and green was the colour of the republican revolutionary Society of the United Irishmen, and wearing such symbols was a capital offence in the period leading up to (and following) the Rebellion of 1798.

Napper Tandy was a Dublin shopkeeper and political activist in who fled to France after being , identified by the British as a member of the Society.

The song has been recorded by John McCormack (about 1914), Judy Garland (1940), Peggy Lee (1955), The Wolfe Tones (1985) and Serbian group Orthodox Celts among others.

The tune has been used for various other songs, such as The Rising of the Moon, The Ballad of the Kelly Gang and the parody, The Orange and the Green.

Here is my video of the song and here are the lyrics.

Whack Fol The Diddle (Peadar Kearney)

This song, also known asGod Bless England, shows England to be a caring mother who always looks after her rebellious children, and predicts that Ireland will soon surprise Mother England by growing up and becoming civilised.

I have not been to Ireland since 1985, but, when I was there, this song was enormously popular. I think I heard it played and sung in every pub I went to. It just goes to show how much the Irish really love Mother England. But, just in case any of them might disagree with the song's message, I made sure the people I met knew I was Australian, not English.

Here is the video of my rendition, and here are the lyrics.

Whiskey in the Jar

A very popular Irish song. Alan Lomax believed this song originated in the seventeenth century and possibly inspired Gay's Beggars' Opera.

It has been sung by The Dubliners, The Pogues, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Highwaymen, Roger Whittaker and The Limeliters among many others. There are also rock versions by Thin Lizzy and Metallica. And here's a good one by the Bard of Cornwall.

You can see me singing this accompanied by my son. The lyrics are here.

The Wild Rover

Though this song is very popular in Ireland, it is possibly of Scottish origin, and written as a temperance song in the early nineteenth century, rather than a drinking song. It has also been known in the USA since 1845. It is a staple of most Irish groups, including The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners and The Pogues.

You can see me sing this on this video, with a couple of helpers.

The lyrics are here.

William Bloat (Raymond Calvert)

This Protestant song from Belfast was first written as a poem in 1926 and published in a collection called "Brave Crack" in 1950. It was recorded as a song by the Clancy Brothers and is basically a commercial promoting the Belfast linen industry.

Here are the lyrics.

Will You Come to the Bower?

This patriotic song was originally sung as a musical invitation to exiled Irishmen and Americans who supported the Fenians.

It has been recorded by The Dubliners, Paddy Reilly, The Wolfe Tones, Ryan's Fancy and Shane McGowan and the Popes.

Here is my video of the song and here are the lyrics.