Lyr Req: Bold Thady Quill + Finola the Gem of,,,

Subject: need help irish traditional lyrics
From:
Date: 05 Nov 96 - 04:59 PM

looking for lyrics to the following songs as heard by celtic thunder: "muskery sportsmen", "best years of their lives", and "Fenbola, Gem of the Roe " Not sure if these titles are exactly right but they are close. thanks.

Subject: RE: need help irish traditional lyrics
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 05 Nov 96 - 08:24 PM

The sportsman you're looking for is Bold Thady Quill. I'm not familiar with the others. But I'll look.

Subject: RE: need help irish traditional lyrics
From: Ralph Butts
Date: 27 Dec 96 - 08:13 AM

I've got 5 verses of Bold Thady Quill, 3 from the Clancy Brothers. Let me know if you still need them. I'm also trying to translate "muskery" - I once thought it was "most scary".

Ralph Butts

Subject: RE: need help irish traditional lyrics
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 27 Dec 96 - 07:29 PM

Hi- muskery=muscary= (maybe?) muscular fakelore at its finest. Anyone else have any info or reasonable sounding guesses, dive in!

Subject: RE: need help irish traditional lyrics
From: Jack Hickman
Date: 31 Dec 96 - 11:25 PM

Hi All

I think the Muskery referred to is a parish or townland near County Cork in Ireland. I recall reading somewhere that Thady Quill was a real person, well known in that part of the country.

Possibly someone from Ireland would be more familiar with Muskery.

Jack Hickman

Subject: RE: need help irish traditional lyrics
From:
Date: 02 Jan 97 - 05:22 AM

Hi Everyone,

Not from Ireland but from Poland, but I think I can help you with this sportsman.

1. This song was written in the early part of 20th century and is originated in County Cork.

2. The bould Thady Quill is rumoured to have lived in the Mushra Mountains near Macroom, Co. Cork.

3. Muskerry (!) is a part of Mushra Mountains.

These places can be found on my road map of Ireland.

Bye Folks !

Subject: RE: need help irish traditional lyrics
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 02 Jan 97 - 10:44 PM

Hi- Sounds convincing. thanx!

Subject: Lyr Add: BOLD THADY QUILL (Clancy Brothers)
From: Ralph Butts
Date: 08 Jan 97 - 08:09 AM

Here's what I have of Bold Thady Quill. Town names have been checked, 'cept I'm still not sure about "Muskerry". I'll find out, though. The Clancys do verses 1, 3 and 5 on their "Irish Drinking Songs" album.

.....Tiger


BOLD THADY QUILL -- Clancy Brothers

Ye maids of Dunhallow, who're anxious for courtin',
A word of advice I will give unto ye:
Proceed to Banteer, to the athletic sportin',
And hand in your names to the club committee.
And never commence any sketch on your program,
'Til a carriage you see flyin' over the hill,
Right on through the valleys and glens of Kilcorney
With our own darlin' sportsman, the bold Thady Quill.

CHORUS: For ramblin', for rovin', for football, or courtin',
For drinkin' black porter as fast as you fill,
In all your days rovin', you'll find none so jovial,
As our Muskerry sportsman, the bold Thady Quill.

Thady was famous in many other places;
At the athletic meeting held out in Cloghroe
He won the long jump without throwing off his braces,
Goin' fifty-four feet every sweep he would throw.
At the pullin' o' the weight there was a Dublin man foremost,
But Thady outreached and exceeded him still,
And around the whole field rang the wild ringing chorus:
"Here's luck to our hero, the bold Thady Quill!" CHORUS

At the great hurlin' match between Cork and Tipperary,
'Twas played in the park by the banks of the Lee.
Our own darlin' lads were afraid of bein' beaten,
So they sent for bold Thady to Ballynagree.
He hurled that ball right and left in their faces,
And showed the Tipperary men action and skill.
If they touched on his lines he would certainly brain 'em,
And the papers were full of the praise of Thad Quill. CHORUS

In the year ninety-one, before Parnell was taken,
Thad was outrageously breaking the peace.
He got a light sentence for causin' commotion,
And six months hard labor for beatin' police.
But in spite of coercion he's still agitatin'.
Ev'ry drop of his life's blood he's willing to spill,
To gain for old Ireland complete liberation,
"Till then, there's no rest for me" says bold Thady Quill. CHORUS

At the Cork exhibition there was a fair lady,
Whose fortune exceeded a million or more.
But a bad constitution had ruined her completely,
And medical treatment had failed o'er and o'er.
"Oh, mother," said she: "Sure, I know what will ease me,
And cure this disease which will certainly kill.
Give over your doctors and medical treatments,
I'd rather one squeeze out of bold Thady Quill." CHORUS

Subject: Lyr Add: FINOLA THE GEM OF THE ROE
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 13 Jan 97 - 04:33 AM

Words and air of "FINOLA THE GEM OF THE ROE" are in Sam
Henry's "Songs of the People" book. Mind you, I've never heard
it sung.

In the land of O'Cahan where bleak mountains rise
O'er whose brown ridgy tops now the dusky cloud flies
Deep sunk in a valley a wild flower did grow
And her name was Finola, the gem of the Roe. (x2)

From the island of Islay appeared in our view
A youth clad in tartan, as strange as ‘tis true
With a star on his breast and unstrung was his bow
And he sighed for Finola the gem of the Roe. (x2)

No more up the streamlets her maidens shall hie
For wan the cold cheek and bedimmed the blue eye
In silent affliction our sorrows shall flow
Since gone is Finola, the gem of the Roe. (x2)

Very odd song. Henry has "FINVOLA" - probably a mistranscription of "FIONNUALA"? Any Scottish links?

Subject: RE: need help irish traditional lyrics
From: Anne Cormack
Date: 27 Jan 97 - 09:54 AM

The Gem of the Roe is a song sung regularly at our local folk club by a very good traditional Irish singer. The name actually is FINVOLA and the chorus goes:

The gem of the Roe, the gem of the Roe, And her name is Finvola, the gem of the Roe. (substitute the last line of each verse). I'll try to source the tune for you if I can. There are obvious Scottish connections since Finvola falls in love with a lad from Islay, an island in the Hebrides.

Subject: RE: need help irish traditional lyrics
From: dennis
Date: 28 Jan 97 - 07:47 AM

thanks for all the great info on the songs. time to get to work on them.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bold Thady Quill + Finola the Gem of,,,
From: GUEST,Art
Date: 30 Aug 16 - 10:44 PM

Does anyone know how "Cloghroe" is pronounced?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bold Thady Quill + Finola the Gem of,,,
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 31 Aug 16 - 04:03 AM

The version given at the link below is near enough for a country job, as we say:

Click here

So - start to say the word "clot", cut off the t, add "row" as in a boat - and keep the stress on the second syllable!

Simples!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bold Thady Quill + Finola the Gem of,,,
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 31 Aug 16 - 04:58 AM

Incidentally, the placename also occurs in "Down Erin's Lovely Lee":

Click here

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bold Thady Quill + Finola the Gem of,,,
From: clueless don
Date: 31 Aug 16 - 08:24 AM

The original post also asked about "The best years of their lives", which I believe was an original song written by Terry Winch of Celtic Thunder. It's on one of their albums.

Don

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bold Thady Quill + Finola the Gem of,,,
From: clueless don
Date: 02 Sep 16 - 09:15 AM

One other comment: When I used to hear Celtic Thunder do Bold Thady Quill (this was a long time ago), they sang the chorus slightly differently (I think it was Jesse doing the lead singing)

CHORUS: For ramblin', for rovin', for football and courtin',
For drainin' the bowl just as fast as you fill,
In all your days rovin', you'll find none so jovial,
As the Muskerry sportsman, the bold Thady Quill.

Don