List of songs about Dublin

This is a list of songs about Dublin , Ireland, including parts of the city such as individual neighborhoods and sections, and famous personages, arranged chronologically.

18th century

• "The Night Before Larry Was Stretched" - about the night before a hanging, in old Newgate cant; recorded by Frank Harte. Other Dublin execution ballads from this period include "The Kilmainham Minit", "Luke Caffrey's Ghost" and "Larry's Ghost". ^{[1] [2]}
• "The Dublin Privateer", late 1700s ^[3]
• "The Dublin Baker", late 1700s ^[3]
• "The Dublin Tragedy, or, the Unfortunate Merchant's Daughter", late 1700s ^[3]
• "Miss King of Dublin", late 1700s ^[3]
• "The Country Recruit's Description of the Military", late 1700s ^[3]
• "A New Song on the Police Guards", late 1700s ^[3]
• "The May Bush", late 1700s ^[3]
• "Lock Hospital" (also known as "St. James Hospital" and "The Unfortunate Rake") - Irish version of a song also found in Britain and the USA (where it developed into "The Dying Cowboy" and "St. James Infirmary)" ^[4]

19th century

• "Ye Men of Sweet Liberties Hall" - written by Dubliner Zozimus (Michael Moran, 1794–1846) about the Dublin Liberties. ^[5]
• "The Holly and Ivy Girl" - a Christmas song written by John Keegan (1809–1849). ^[6]
• "Donnelly and Cooper" - relates a bout between the Dublin boxer and an Englishman, from about 1845 ^[7]
• "The Twangman" - a comical murder ballad attributed (by Dominic Behan) to Zozimus (Michael Moran). ^[5]
• "The Finding of Moses" - a comical ballad attributed to Zozimus (Michael Moran). ^[5]
• "Molly Malone" - probably the best-known song about Dublin. ^[8]
• "Courtin' in the Kitchen" - a music-hall-type song made popular by Delia Murphy. ^[9]
• "The Spanish Lady" - a man becomes enamoured of a Spanish lady; versions of this popular song were recorded by Al O'Donnell, the Clancy Brothers and the Dubliners. ^[5]
• "The Return of Pat Malloy" ^[10]
• "The Little Beggarman" - sung to the melody of the "Red-Haired Boy", recorded by The Clancy Brothers. ^[11]
• "General Guinness" - a song about the stout from Dublin, recorded by The Boys of the Lough. ^[12]
• "Miss Brown of Dublin City" - a murder ballad related to "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter", recorded by Ed McCurdy. ^{[5] [13]}
• "'Twas in the end of King James's Street" - a romance ending in tragedy, from the Petrie collection ^[14]
• "The Humours of Donnybrook Fair", 1830-1850 - at least three songs were written about Donnybrook Fair. ^[3]
• "Hannah Healy, the Pride of Howth", c. 1840 - about a girl from Howth. ^[3]
• "The Phenix of Fingal", c. 1840 ^[3]
• "Catherine Skelly, for the Drowning of her Child", c. 1850 ^[3]
• "Willy O", c. 1850 ^[3]
• "The Seducer Outwitted", c. 1850 ^[3]
• "Tim Finigan's Wake" - also known as "Finnegan's Wake" - mid 19th-century broadside and music-hall song published in New York, attributed to John F. Poole. ^[15] to an air called "The French Musician" ^{[16] [17]}
• "Sally and Johnny", c. 1854 ^[3]
• "The True-Lovers' Trip to the Strawberry Beds", c. 1854 - about a trip to a favourite courting spot. ^[3]
• "The Night of the Ragman's Ball" - collected by Colm O'Lochlainn from a ballad singer in Thomas Street in 1913; melody, called "It was in Dublin city", is in the Petrie collection (1855). Luke Cheevers said it, and a follow-up, "The Ragman's Wake", was written by Tommy Winters, who died in WW1. Recorded by Frank Harte, The Dubliners. ^[16]
• "The Rocky Road to Dublin" - a rollicking song written by Galwayman D. K. Gavan for music-hall artist Harry Clifton around 1863. ^{[18] [19]}
• "Lannigan's Ball" - written by Galwayman D. K. Gavan for popular music-hall artist Harry Clifton around 1863. ^{[16] [18]}
• "Dublin Jack of All Trades" - a broadside ballad from the 1860s recorded by The Johnstons, among others. ^[3]
• "Tied my Toes to the Bed", c. 1870 ^[3]
• "The New Tramway", on the new horse tramway of the Dublin Tramway Company, 1872. ^[3]
• "Waxies' Dargle" - about the annual outing to Ringsend by Dublin cobblers (waxies). ^[20]

1900 - 1950

• "The Pride of Pimlico" - a song about the Dublin Liberties written by Arthur Griffith. ^[2]
• "The Cruise of the Calabar" - a comical song about a canal barge by Arthur Griffith ^[5]
• "Twenty Men From Dublin Town" - written by Arthur Griffith, recorded by Danny Doyle
• "Down by the Liffeyside (Fish and Chips)" - written by Peadar Kearney ^[5]
• "Dying Rebel" - a song about the aftermath of the 1916 Rising in Dublin
• "Easy and Slow" - a song of somewhat constant innuendo set in Dublin's Liberties ^[5]
• "Biddy Mulligan the Pride of the Coombe" - written by Seamas Kavanagh about a Dublin street-seller, made popular by Jimmy O'Dea.
• "Kevin Barry" - about young medical student and Irish revolutionary Kevin Barry controversially executed during the Irish War of Independence ^[21]
• "The Foggy Dew" - about the Easter Rising of 1916, written by Canon Charles O’Neill in 1919.
• "The Row in the Town" - a song written by Peadar Kearney commemorating the 1916 Rising. ^[5]
• "Dublin City 1913" - the struggle from 1913 to 1916, written by Donagh MacDonagh ^[5]
• "Arbour Hill" - written by Declan Hunt about the burial place of the Easter 1916 Leaders. ^[22]

1950 - 2000

• "The Auld Triangle" - by writer Brendan Behan, about his time in Mountjoy Prison
• "The Burning of the Abbey Theatre" - a comical song about the Abbey Theatre by Sylvester Gaffney (Leo Maguire). ^[23]
• "Three Lovely Lasses from Kimmage" - a comical song by Sylvester Gaffney (Leo Maguire). ^[23]
• "Dublin Me Darlin'" - written by Sylvester Gaffney (Leo Maguire), recorded by Danny Doyle. ^[24]
• "Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)" - a song by George Hodnett about the famous red-light district around Montgomery Street in Dublin. ^[25]
• "On Raglan Road" - Patrick Kavanagh poem to the 19th-century melody "The Dawning of the Day" ^[26]
• "The Ferryman" - about the ferries on the River Liffey, by Pete St. John. ^[27]
• "Ringsend Rose" - about a girl from Ringsend, written by Pete St. John. ^[27]
• "Summer in Dublin" - written by Liam Reilly and recorded by Bagatelle ^[28]
• "Anne Devlin" - about Robert Emmet's sweetheart, by Pete St John ^[27]
• "Mother Redcaps" - song by Pete St John about a cherished music pub in the Dublin Liberties, closed in 2005 ^[27]
• "Danny Farrell" - a song about a traveller, by Pete St John, recorded by The Dubliners ^[27]
• "Rosie Up in Moore Street" - about a Dublin street dealer, by Pete St John ^[27]
• "Dicey Riley" - Dublin song about a woman who enjoys her little drop, with verses by Dominic Behan ^[29] and Tom Munnelly ^[5]
• "The Zoological Gardens" - by Dominic Behan about Dublin Zoo ^[5]
• "Come Out Ye Black and Tans" - British Army-taunting song written by Dominic Behan
• "The Mero" - a song about a former cinema in Mary St., Dublin, popular with children, by Pete St. John ^[27]
• "Johnie McGory" - a song about children, by Pete St John, recorded by The Dubliners ^[27]
• "Ringsend Boatman" - by Pete St John ^[27]
• "The Maid From Cabra West" - an Irish version of an English song, sung by Frank Harte ^[5]
• "Dublin in my Tears" - written by Dubliner Brendan Phelan and recorded by the Dublin City Ramblers. ^[5]
• "Dublin in the Rare Old Times" - 1980s song about Dublin before the 1960s (composer: Pete St. John) ^[26]
• "Grace" - written in 1985 by Frank and Seán O'Meara about Grace Gifford; recorded by Jim McCann, Anthony Kearns, the Wolfe Tones and others.
• "Christchurch Bells" - a song about a summer night in Dublin, sung by The Hothouse Flowers ^[5]

Since 2000

• "800 Voices" - about the Artane Industrial school, written and recorded by Danny Ellis ^[30]
• "The Bold Christian Brothers" - about the Artane Industrial school, written and recorded by Danny Ellis ^[30]
• "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew - by U2, the Dubliners and others; #1 in March 2008 ^[31]

See also

• Music of Ireland

References

1. Harte, Frank, Dublin Street Songs, Topic, 1967
2. O Lochlann, Colm (1965). More Irish Street Ballads . Dublin: Three Candles Press. ISBN   0-330-25317-4.
3. Hugh Shields. Old Dublin Songs. Folk Music Society of Ireland, Dublin, 1988. ISBN   0-905733-04-5
4. A.L.Lloyd, Folksong in England (London, 1967), pp. 219-220. It was collected in County Cork in 1848 and the singer said he learned it in Dublin in 1790.
5. Harte, Frank, Songs of Dublin, (ed.), 1978, Gilbert Dalton, Dublin and 1993, Ossian Publications, Cork. ISBN   0-946005-51-6
6. The Irishman, Vol. 1 No. 1, 1849
7. Waltz, Robert B.; Engle, David G. "Donnelly and Cooper". The Traditional Ballad Index. California State University, Fresno. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
8. "Cockles and Mussels (Molly Malone)". Folkinfo.org (quoting book by Sean Murphy). 2002. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
9. O'Hara, Aidan (1997). I'll live till I die. Leitrim: Drumlin Publications. ISBN   1-873437-17-X.
10. "My Father Sold Charcoal" Songster, 24-25, in the Library of Congress. Attributed to A. Anderson, to the air of "The Captain with the Whiskers".
11. Brothers, Clancy (1969). The Irish Songbook. New York: Wise Publications. ISBN   0-86001-280-8.
12. Boys Of The Lough - Live At Passim, 1974
13. Tobar an Dualchais
14. George Petrie: Old Irish Folk Music and Song (1855)
15. John K. Casey: The Rising of the Moon, and other Ballads, Songs and Legends
16. O Lochlann, Colm (1939). Irish Street Ballads. Dublin: Three Candles Press. ISBN   0-330-25316-6.
17. The Journal of the Folk Song Society, vol. IV, p. 294
18. The Era magazine, 22 February 1863
19. Walton, Martin. Treasury of Irish Songs and Ballads. Dublin: Walton's Music.
20. Quidnunc (9 October 1933). "An Irishman's Diary". The Irish Times . p. 4.
21. Moore, Christy (2000). One Voice. London: Lir/Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN   0-340-76839-8.
22. Arbour Hill Declan Hunt. YouTube . Archived from the original on 8 December 2021.
23. Gaffney: Sing an Irish song Book 8: popular parodies for platform and parties
24. The Balladeers Archived 2012-09-12 at archive.today
25. Obituary (24 September 1990). "George Desmond Hodnett". The Irish Times .
26. Conway, Pat (1982). Soodlum's Irish Ballad Book. New York: Oak publications. ISBN   978-0-8256-0284-9.
27. St John, Pete (2007). "Complete list of songs". Web site. Pete St. John/Saint Music. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
28. "Bagatelle". Last.fm. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
29. Dominic Behan: Ireland Sings (London, 1969)
30. Siobhán Long (20 May 2011). "Danny Ellis". The Irish Times . Retrieved 28 May 2011.
31. "The Ballad Of Ronnie Drew (2008)". Ie.7digital.com. 22 February 2008. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2013.