The Rare Ould Times

Last updated

"The Rare Ould Times" is a song composed by Pete St. John in the 1970s for the Dublin City Ramblers. It is sometimes called "Dublin in the Rare Ould Times", "The Rare Old Times", or "The Rare Auld Times".

Contents

Description

In the song, the narrator, Sean Dempsey, who comes from Pimlico, a working-class neighbourhood in the Dublin Liberties, recalls his upbringing. He laments the changes that have occurred in the city since his youth, mentioning the loss of Nelson's Pillar, the Metropole ballroom, the "Royal" (Theatre Royal). He dislikes the "new glass cages", the modern office blocks and flats being erected along the quays, and says farewell to Anna Liffey (the River Liffey).

Recording history

The song was first recorded by the Dublin City Ramblers, [1] who released it as a single in 1977. It has since been recorded by dozens of artists such as The Dubliners, the Irish Tenors, Paddy Reilly, The High Kings, Flogging Molly, Nathan Carter, Damien Dempsey and Kodaline. It was a number 1 hit in the Irish charts for Danny Doyle in January 1978. [2]

The song remains popular in Ireland, particularly in Dublin. [3] [4] It is sung as a sporting anthem by fans of Dublin GAA teams.

Irish businessman Bill Cullen used the first two stanzas of the song as the epigraph for his 2004 memoir of growing up in inner-city Dublin, It's a Long Way from Penny Apples. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Liffey</span> River in Dublin in Ireland

The River Liffey is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water and supports a range of recreational activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northside, Dublin</span> Informal division of Dublin, Ireland

The Northside in an informal but commonly used term to describe the part of the city of Dublin that lies to the north of the River Liffey, and extending into part of North County Dublin. The part outside the city is within the county of Fingal, a local government area established in 1994. While it is sometimes regarded as less wealthy than the city's Southside, the Northside was originally the home of the city's upper classes and the more privileged of the two. Today, some of the wealthiest areas in Ireland, such as Malahide, Howth, Clontarf, and Castleknock, lie north of the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Canal (Ireland)</span> Canal in Ireland

The Grand Canal is the southernmost of a pair of canals that connect Dublin, in the east of Ireland, with the River Shannon in the west, via Tullamore and a number of other villages and towns, the two canals nearly encircling Dublin's inner city. Its sister canal on the Northside of Dublin is the Royal Canal. The last working cargo barge passed through the Grand Canal in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canal</span> 19th century construction in Ireland

The Royal Canal is a canal originally built for freight and passenger transportation from Dublin to Longford in Ireland. It is one of two canals from Dublin to the River Shannon and was built in direct competition to the Grand Canal. The canal fell into disrepair in the late 20th century, but much of it has since been restored for navigation. The length of the canal to the River Shannon was reopened on 1 October 2010, but a final spur branch, to Longford Town, remains closed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grafton Street</span> Street in central Dublin, Ireland

Grafton Street is one of the two principal shopping streets in Dublin city centre — the other being Henry Street. It runs from St Stephen's Green in the south to College Green in the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Lane Gallery</span> Art gallery in Parnell Square North, Dublin

The Hugh Lane Gallery, and originally the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, is an art museum operated by Dublin City Council and its wholly-owned company, the Hugh Lane Gallery Trust. It is in Charlemont House on Parnell Square, Dublin, Ireland. Admission is free.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grattan Bridge</span> Bridge over the River Liffey in Ireland

Grattan Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland, and joining Capel Street to Parliament Street and the south quays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damien Dempsey</span> Irish singer and songwriter

Damien Dempsey is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk contemporary lyrics that deliver social and political commentaries on Irish society. Damien sings in his native, working-class accent in the English language, and to a lesser extent in the Irish language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Auld Triangle</span> Song

"The Auld Triangle" is a song by Dick Shannon, often attributed to Brendan Behan, who made it famous when he included it in his 1954 play The Quare Fellow. He first performed it publicly in 1952 on the RTÉ radio programme 'The Ballad Maker's Saturday Night', produced by Mícheál Ó hAodha. Behan's biographer, Michael O'Sullivan, recorded, 'It has been believed for many years that Brendan wrote that famous prison song but Mícheál Ó hAodha says he never laid claim to authorship. Indeed he asked him to send a copyright to another Dubliner, Dick Shannon.' When he recorded the song for Brendan Behan Sings Irish Folksongs and Ballads, Behan introduced it with these words: 'This song was written by a person who will never hear it recorded, because he's not in possession of a gramophone. He's ... he's ... pretty much of a tramp.'

Peter Mooney, known professionally as Pete St John, was an Irish folk singer-songwriter. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he was best known for composing "The Fields of Athenry".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Camac</span> River in Dublin, Ireland, tributary of the Liffey

The River Camac is one of the larger rivers in Dublin and was one of four tributaries of the Liffey critical to the early development of the city.

William Cullen is an Irish businessman and media personality. He is regularly seen on RTÉ programmes such as The Late Late Show and The Frontline. Cullen was the owner of the Renault Ireland franchise until it was taken under more direct control by Renault in 2007. His 2001 autobiography, It's a Long Way from Penny Apples, covered his life growing up as a poor child in inner-city Dublin. Between 2008 and 2012, he hosted the Irish reality television series The Apprentice. His motor-trade business was put into receivership in October 2012.

Daniel Doyle was an Irish folk singer born in Dublin. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was one of the top Irish singers, regularly featuring in the Irish charts and scoring three No.1 singles. He recorded 25 albums and is known for his chart-topping songs "Whiskey on a Sunday", "A Daisy a Day", and "The Rare Auld Times".

Pimlico is an inner city area of Dublin, Ireland on the southside in Dublin 8. It lies between Thomas Court and Ardee Street. At the Thomas Court end of Pimlico is Pimlico Cottages. It is close to the St. James's Gate Guinness Brewery. Similar to other areas of Dublin's Liberties, such as The Coombe, Pimlico was historically home to families of weavers many of whom had emigrated from France via London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patsy Watchorn</span> Irish folk singer (born 1944)

Patsy Watchorn is an Irish folk singer. He is notable for being a member of the Dublin City Ramblers and later The Dubliners.

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

Leixlip is a town in north-east County Kildare, Ireland. Its location on the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water has marked it as a frontier town historically: on the border between the ancient kingdoms of Leinster and Brega, as an outpost of The Pale, and on Kildare's border with County Dublin. Leixlip was also a civil parish in the ancient barony of Salt North.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dublin City Ramblers</span> Irish folk band

TheDublin City Ramblers is an Irish folk band, originally formed by the name of The Quare Fellas in 1970. The band has had a long line of members and Sean McGuinness is the only current member of the original line-up, that also included Patsy Watchorn later member of The Dubliners.

"The Ferryman", also sometimes known as "The Strawberry Beds", is an Irish folk ballad, written by Pete St. John.

References

  1. "Our Story - The Dublin City Ramblers". dublincityramblers.com. Retrieved 21 March 2022. "Dublin In The Rare Auld Times" [..was..] written especially for them all those years ago, by the late Pete St. John
  2. "Irish Charts - Search - Title Placement - Rare Ould Times". irishcharts.ie. IRMA. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  3. "The Very Best Of Patsy Watchorn" . Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  4. Connolly, Mark (2003). The Rough Guide to Ireland. Rough Guides. p. 61. ISBN   9781843530596.
  5. Cullen, Bill (2004). It's a Long Way from Penny Apples. Macmillan. p. 8. ISBN   1466820918.