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Affy Dillon by Michael O'Grady
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Subject: RE: Affy Dillon by Michael O'Grady From: michaelr Date: 07 Oct 11 - 12:00 PM Mudelves, please tag this as LYR ADD |
Subject: RE: Affy Dillon by Michael O'Grady From: GUEST,Thomas Date: 07 Oct 11 - 05:23 AM Has this ever been recorded in studio? |
Subject: RE: Affy Dillon by Michael O'Grady From: GUEST,nearer thy sod to thee Date: 20 Jul 11 - 11:00 PM Wow, absolutely beautiful. Thanks for posting. |
Subject: Affy Dillon by Michael O'Grady From: GUEST,Alerta Date: 19 Jul 11 - 09:49 PM A beautiful and haunting famine ballad from Mayo singer Michael O'Grady. I don't think this song has ever been professionally recorded. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qcu6XKCxlQ (sung by Michael at the Afri Famine Walk in Mayo) Affy Dillon By Michael O'Grady In Croagh Patrick's morning shadow, Affy Dillon first saw light In the hungry eighteen forties, famished by potato blight Falduff by Clew Bay's lovely shores was his native heath He was to see few joys, as man and boy, but hunger, want and grief. He heard the chilling hunger cries while still a babe in arms And his parents like so many more were forced to beg for alms The seashore was the only hope to give some sustenance As the "praties" failed and grain was sold to pay the cursed rent With death and fever all around, word spread from door to door That a ship had reached the Killary with grain and food in store The long trek by the mountainside might bring them some relief 'Though deathly weak the hundreds walked through snow, storm and sleet. Young Affy's loving mother tied him snugly on her back And set her face for the "promised land" through wild Doolough pass But soon hope tured to despair at the Delphi Lodge they found No food was there or even passes to the workhouse grounds. With heavy hearts and stomachs slack, they stumbled o'er the land The ghost of death walked by their side and on many laid his hand By lake and track and riverbank the lifeless bodies lay To the powers to blame eternal shame for a plight they could allay. Affy's ailing mother too fell by the corpse-strewn track And left this life just where she fell with her babe stll on her back The child himself at death's cold door was rescued just in time His life was saved but starvation's wear had left young Affy blind. His life was hard and comfortless till the day he passed away He never viewed the pleasant scenes that abound around Clew Bay The sunset red o'er Old Head hill, Croagh Patrick's stately cone Like luxuries were unknown to him though amid them he had grown. Kilgeever holds his unknown grave unmarked by plaque or stone At rest at last from earth's cruel way since God has called him home Let we who have seen better times spare a moments thought And pray for those like Affy who have borne a fearsome cross. |
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