Érin grá mo chroí
O’Donoghue’s Opera is an Irish film starring Ronnie Drew and his bandmates in The Dubliners. The film is a mock opera, based on the ballad “The Night That Larry Was Stretched”. It was shot in 1965, but was left uncompleted after the film’s production ran into financial difficulties. In 1996 filmmaker Sé Merry Doyle of Loopline film oversaw its restoration, and it was first shown at the Dublin Film Festival in the late 1990s. – wiki
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The Night Before Larry was Stretched
c. 1816 – Author unknown; see notes.
I
The night before Larry was stretch’d,
The boys they all paid him a visit;
A bit in their sacks, too, they fetch’d—
They sweated their duds till they riz it; [1 pawned their clothes
For Larry was always the lad,
When a friend was condemn’d to the squeezer, [2 gallows or rope
But he’d pawn, all the togs* that he had, [3 clothes
Just to help the poor boy to a sneezer, [4 drink
And moisten his gob ’fore he died.
II
‘’Pon my conscience, dear Larry’, says I,
‘I’m sorry to see you in trouble,
And your life’s cheerful noggin run dry,
And yourself going off like its bubble!’
‘Hould your tongue in that matter,’ says he;
‘For the neckcloth I don’t care a button, [5 halter
And by this time to-morrow you’ll see
Your Larry will be dead as mutton:
All for what? ‘Kase his courage was good!’
III
The boys they came crowding in fast;
They drew their stools close round about him,
Six glims round his coffin they placed— [6 candles
He couldn’t be well waked without ’em,
I ax’d if he was fit to die,
Without having duly repented?
Says Larry, ‘That’s all in my eye,
And all by the clargy invented,
To make a fat bit for themselves.
IV
Then the cards being called for, they play’d,
Till Larry found one of them cheated;
Quick he made a hard rap at his head—
The lad being easily heated,
‘So ye chates me bekase I’m in grief!
O! is that, by the Holy, the rason?
Soon I’ll give you to know you d—d thief!
That you’re cracking your jokes out of sason,
And scuttle your nob with my fist’.
V
Then in came the priest with his book
He spoke him so smooth and so civil;
Larry tipp’d him a Kilmainham look, [7 see Notes
And pitch’d his big wig to the devil.
Then raising a little his head,
To get a sweet drop of the bottle,
And pitiful sighing he said,
‘O! the hemp will be soon round my throttle,
And choke my poor windpipe to death!’
VI
So mournful these last words he spoke,
We all vented our tears in a shower;
For my part, I thought my heart broke
To see him cut down like a flower!
On his travels we watch’d him next day,
O, the hangman I thought I could kill him!
Not one word did our poor Larry say,
Nor chang’d till he came to King William; [8 see Notes
Och, my dear! then his colour turned white.
VII
When he came to the nubbing-cheat,
He was tack’d up so neat and so pretty;
The rambler jugg’d off from his feet, [9 cart
And he died with his face to the city.
He kick’d too, but that was all pride,
For soon you might see ’twas all over;
And as soon as the nooze was untied,
Then at darkey we waked him in clover, [10 night
And sent him to take a ground-sweat. [11 buried him
Notes
Neither the authorship nor the date of these inimitable verses are definitely known. According to the best authorities, Will Maher, a shoemaker of Waterford, wrote the song. Dr. Robert Burrowes, Dean of St. Finbar’s Cork, to whom it has been so often attributed, certainly did not. Often quoted in songbooks and elsewhere.
Stanza V: line 3. Kilmainham, a gaol near Dublin.
Stanza VI: line 7. King William, the statute of William III erected on College Green in commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne. It was long the object of much contumely on the part of the Nationalists. It was blown to pieces in 1836, but was subsequently restored.
Taken from Musa Pedestris, Three Centuries of Canting Songs and Slang Rhymes [1536―1896], collected and annotated by John S. Farmer.
My source for the above text, ballad and notes, is fromoldbooks.org.
Gweedore coast
Bunbeg Beach
Dunlewey (Dún Lúiche), one of the five principle “townlands” of Gweedore
Island Roy panorama with holiday homes
1. Landscape and place names of Gweedore
a. Na Casaidigh perform Trasna na dTonnta, Gaelic for ‘across the waves’. The pictures are of Gweedore in the Donegal Gaeltacht
b. Ar Éirinn Ní Neosfainn Cé Hí - Maria McCool
c. Slide show with places identified. Music: Níl Sé’n Lá – Clannad
d. Gleanntáin Ghlas’ Ghaoth Dobhair, a song about Gweedore, written by Proinsias Ó Maonaigh or Francie Mooney (1922 – March 28, 2006) and performed here by Altan.
e. Cósta Ghaoth Dobhair (The Gweedore Coast). A video showing the Gweedore coast. Music by Enya: The Longships and part of River, both from her 1988 album Watermark.
f. Homes of Donegal (Seán MacBride) – Paul Brady
The youtube provider of the last attaches this information:
This song was written by Seán MacBride in about 1955, Seán was a native of Cruit island which is in the Rosses area of Donegal (West Donegal). He was a school Teacher at St.Baithins school in the Carrigans/St.Johnston area (East Donegal) for most of his life. Seán passed away at the age of 90 in August 1996 and is buried on Cruit Island.
Seán only wrote the lyrics, the actual air itself is maybe 150 or more years old, there are many songs around using the same melody, but to my ears the closest one is a song called “The Faughan Side”, This song was part of the Curriculum in national schools in East Donegal and as Seán was a Teacher in the “Laggan Valley” (South Inishowen) I’m pretty sure that is were he got his inspiration for the “Homes of Donegal”. This version by Paul Brady is from his 1985 album “Back to the Centre”
Mount Errigal
the photo is titled “labourer’s house Gweedore”
2. Irish Gaelic – The History of Gweedore is a television program. Broken up into three parts by the youtube provider.
a. – Gnéithe do Stair Ghaoth Dobhair
b. – Topics:
Father James McFadden
Landlords
Land League
Cogadh na Talún
Plan of Campaign
Michael Davitt
An Piobaire Mor
c. – Topics:
An Tuile Mór
Sean Teach an Pobal
Derrybeg
Doire Beaga
An Sagart Mór
Na Doirí Beaga
Gaoth Dobhair
Gweedore
Great flood
Mass
_________________________
Tráthnóna Beag Aréir – Maria McCool
Thíos i lár an ghleanna
Tráthnóna beag aréir
Agus an drúcht ‘na dheora geala
Ina luí ar bharr an fhéir
‘S ea casadh domhsa an ainnir
Ab áille gnúis is pearsa
‘S í sheol mo stuaim chun seachráin
Tráthnóna beag aréir
Agus a Rí, nár lách ár n-ealaín
‘Gabháil síos an gleann aréir
Ag éalú fríd an chanach
Agus ciúineas ins an spéir
A rún mo chléibh nár mhilis
Ár súgradh croí ’s nár ghairid
Ó ’s a Rí na glóire gile
Tabhair ar ais an oíche aréir
Dá bhfaighinnse arís cead pilleadh
Agus labhairt le stór mo chléibh
Nó dá bhrfaighinnse buaidh ar chinniúint
Cér mhiste liom fán tsaol?
Shiúlfainn leat fríd chanach
Is fríd mhéilte ar chiumhais na mara
Agus dúiche Dé dá gcaillfinn
Go bpógfainnse do bhéal
Agus a Rí, nár lách ár n-ealaín
‘Gabháil síos an gleann aréir
Ag éalú fríd an chanach
Agus ciúineas ins an spéir
A rún mo chléibh nár mhilis
Ár súgradh croí ’s nár ghairid
Ó ’s a Rí na glóire gile
Tabhair ar ais an oíche aréir
