Slaney Valley

Last updated
"Slaney Valley"
Slaney Valley record label.jpg
Single by Larry Cunningham
B-side "I Was Coming Home To You"
Released1971
Recorded1971
Studio Eamonn Andrews Studios
Genre country
Length3:15
Label Release
Songwriter(s) Paddy Kehoe & Tom Kinsella
Producer(s) Dermot O'Brien
Larry Cunningham singles chronology
"Pride of the West"
(1971)
"Slaney Valley"
(1971)
"Four Great Irish Hits, Volume 1"
(1972)

"Slaney Valley" is a 1971 Irish country song written by Paddy Kehoe and performed by Irish singer Larry Cunningham and his band the Country Blue Boys. [1]

Contents

Lyrics

A speaker addresses his lover and asks her to come with him to the valley of the Slaney, a river in County Wexford and County Carlow, Ireland. [2]

Part of the Slaney valley Wexford Irish National Heritage Park 13 Viking Settlement River Slaney 1.jpg
Part of the Slaney valley

Song history

The song was written by Paddy Kehoe of Enniscorthy, who was the father of the hurler Padge Kehoe. [3] The melody was composed by Tom Kinsella. [4]

"Slaney Valley" was released in 1971 and reached number 1 in the Irish singles chart for the week of 1 January 1972. [5]

The song is mentioned in Orna Ross's 2005 novel Lovers' Hollow. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Carlow</span> County in Ireland

County Carlow is a county located in the Southern Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow County Council is the governing local authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Wexford</span> County in Ireland

County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella, whose capital was Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 163,527 at the 2022 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tullow</span> Town in County Carlow, Ireland

Tullow is a market town in County Carlow, Ireland. It is located on the River Slaney where the N81 road intersects with the R725. As of 2022, the population was 5,138.

Patrick Reilly is an Irish folk singer and guitarist. Born in Rathcoole, County Dublin, he is one of Ireland's most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of "The Fields of Athenry", "Rose of Allendale" and "The Town I Loved So Well". Reilly released his version of "The Fields of Athenry" as a single in 1983; it was the most successful version of this song, remaining in the Irish charts for 72 weeks. He achieved number 1 in Ireland with the Liam Reilly written song "Flight of Earls" in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Slaney</span> River in southeastern Ireland

The River Slaney is a large river in the southeast of Ireland. It rises on Lugnaquilla Mountain in the western Wicklow Mountains and flows west and then south through counties Wicklow, Carlow and Wexford for 117.5 km (73 mi), before entering St George's Channel in the Irish Sea at Wexford town. The estuary of the Slaney is wide and shallow and is known as Wexford Harbour. The catchment area of the River Slaney is 1,762 km2. The long term average flow rate of the River Slaney is 37.4m3/s

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bunclody</span> Town in County Wexford, Ireland

Bunclody, formerly Newtownbarry, is a small town on the River Slaney in Wexford, Ireland. It is located near the foot of Mount Leinster. Most of the town is in County Wexford; a small area at the north end of town is in County Carlow. Bunclody has received a number of high scores in the Tidy Towns competition. The town is known for the "Streams of Bunclody Festival" held during the month of July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lugnaquilla</span> Mountain in Wicklow, Ireland

Lugnaquilla is the highest of the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland, rising to 925 metres (3,035 ft). It is also the highest Irish mountain outside of Kerry, and the highest point in County Wicklow and the province of Leinster. Lugnaquilla overlooks the Glen of Imaal to the west and Glenmalure to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clonegal</span> Village in County Carlow, Ireland

Clonegal, officially Clonegall, is a village in the southeast of County Carlow, Ireland. It is in a rural setting, close to the border between counties Wexford and Carlow, 5 km from Bunclody, County Wexford and 22 km from Carlow town. It is just over a mile north of where the River Slaney and the River Derry meet. Clonegal has a much smaller "twin" village across the River Derry in County Wexford, Watch House Village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rathvilly</span> Village in Leinster, Ireland

Rathvilly is a village, civil parish and townland in County Carlow, Ireland. The village is on the River Slaney, near the border with County Wicklow and County Kildare, 11 km (7 mi) from Tullow and 8 km (5 mi) from Baltinglass. It is also on the N81 national secondary route. Rathvilly won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1961, 1963, and 1968.

John Kelly lived in the town of Killanne in the parish of Rathnure, west of Enniscorthy, in County Wexford in Ireland, and was a United Irish leader who fought in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Kelly was obviously well known to rebels and loyalists alike during the short duration of the Wexford Rebellion but almost nothing is known of him outside this time. He was one of the leaders of the rebel victory at the Battle of Three Rocks which led to the capture of Wexford town but was later seriously wounded while leading a rebel column at the Battle of New Ross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlow GAA</span> County board of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland

The Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the Carlow county teams.

The Leinster Council is a provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Leinster. The Leinster Council has been partnered with the European County Board to help develop Gaelic Games in Europe. Leinster Council's main contribution to this goal is the provision of referees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlow</span> Town in County Carlow, Ireland

Carlow is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km (52 mi) from Dublin. At the 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the twelfth-largest urban center in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Knockbeg College</span> Voluntary school in County Laois/County Carlow, Republic of Ireland

St Mary's Knockbeg College is a Roman Catholic, all-boys secondary school located on the Laois/Carlow border in Ireland, approximately 3 km from both Carlow town and Graiguecullen, County Laois. A former seminary school for the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, it was founded in 1793. Exclusively a boarding school until the 1980s, it now accommodates only day-pupils; the boarding school having closed down in June 2011. Knockbeg College celebrated its bicentenary in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">F.C. Carlow</span> Football club

F.C. Carlow was an Irish association football club based in County Carlow. Between 2009 and 2011 the club played in the A Championship. They also fielded teams in the League of Ireland U20/U19 Division. They were the first and to date so far, the only association football club from County Carlow to play in a senior national level league. During this time, the club also competed in the FAI Cup, the League of Ireland Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Ryan (singer)</span> Irish singer (born 1983)

Derek Ryan is an Irish singer. He is a former member of the Irish boy band D-Side (2001–2006). He has also established his own production house and label, Ryan Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castlemore Moat</span> Motte-and-bailey in County Carlow, Ireland

Castlemore Moat is a motte-and-bailey and National Monument in County Carlow, Ireland.

The Carlow county hurling team represents Carlow in hurling and is governed by Carlow GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Joe McDonagh Cup and the National Hurling League.

The Wicklow county hurling team represents Wicklow in hurling and is governed by Wicklow GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Christy Ring Cup and the National Hurling League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rathvilly GAA</span> Irish Gaelic football club

Rathvilly Gaelic Athletic Association is a Gaelic football and ladies' Gaelic football club based in Rathvilly, County Carlow, Ireland.

References

  1. "New York's Andy Cooney returns to Ireland for winter tour". IrishCentral.com. November 19, 2018.
  2. "Slaney Valley Author: Paddy Kehoe · From Carlow Streams". fromcarlowstreams.ie.
  3. "Three tomes to tickle the fancy of many a reader..." Independent.ie. September 23, 2009.
  4. "Slaney Valley Lyrics And Chords". Irish folk songs.
  5. "Blue Boys". www.irish-showbands.com.
  6. Ross, O. (2005:95). Lovers' Hollow. Ireland: Penguin Ireland.