Origins: Tinkerman's daughter

Subject: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: GUEST,George Henderson
Date: 08 Mar 15 - 09:42 AM

Anybody know the origins of this song?

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: GUEST,#
Date: 08 Mar 15 - 09:55 AM

http://mysongbook.de/msb/songs/t/tinkerman.html

Lotsa info at that excellent site.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: Vic Smith
Date: 08 Mar 15 - 09:55 AM

The Tinkerman's Daughter

words and music Michael McConnell (brother of Cathal)

The small birds were lining the bleak autumn branches
Preparing to fly to a far sunny shore
When the tinkers made camp at a bend in the river
Returning from the horse fair in Ballinsloe

Now the harvest being o'er the farmer went walkin
Along the Faele River that borders his land
And 'twas there he first saw her twixt firelight and water
The tinkerman's daughter, the red-headed Ann.

Next morning he rose from a night without resting
He went straight to the tinker and made himself known
And at a pub in Listowell they worked out a bargain
To the tinker a pony, to the daughter a home

Where the trees cast their shadows along the Faele River
The tinker and the farmer they inspected the land
And a white gelding pony was the price they agreed on
For the tinkerman's daughter, the red-headed Ann.

Now the wedding soon o'er the tinkers departed
They were eager to travel on south down the road
But the sound of the iron-shod wheels crunch on gravel
Was as bitter to her as the way she'd been sold

But she tried hard to please him she did all his bidding
She slept in his bed and she worked on the land
But the walls of that cabin pressed tighter and tighter
Around the tinkerman's daughter, the red-headed Ann.

Now as white as the hands of a priest or the hangman
The snow spread it's blanket the next Christmas round
And the tinkerman's daughter slipped out from her bedside
Turned her back to the land and her face to the town

And it's said someone saw her at dusk that same evening
She was making her way out by Lyreacrompane
And that was the last that the settled folk saw her
The tinkerman's daughter, the red-headed Ann.

When the north Kerry hills cut the Faele at Listowell
At a farm on its banks lives a bitter old man
And he swears by the shotgun he keeps by his bedside
That he'll kill any tinker that camps on his land

And yet, when he hears iron-shod wheels crunch on gravel
Or a horse in the shafts of a bright caravan
His day's work tormented, his night's sleep demented
By the tinkerman's daughter, the red-headed Ann

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Mar 15 - 09:56 AM

Yes, thank you.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: RTim
Date: 08 Mar 15 - 09:57 AM

"The Tinkermans Daughter " - by Sigerson Clifford

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: Vic Smith
Date: 08 Mar 15 - 10:03 AM

Mickey McConnell's website

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 08 Mar 15 - 10:53 AM

An awesome song. One of my favourites, especially performed by Sherburn & Bartley.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 09 Mar 15 - 05:10 AM

A beautifully told story, sad though it is.
I hope she finds happiness, and the farmer too.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 09 Mar 15 - 06:15 AM

About 20 years ago, I once heard Micky McConnell interviewed on Radio Kerrys excellent 'Kingdom Ceili' programme. He said he was driving home from playing somewhere and when on the way home, he & his wife were passing through the small village of Lyracrumpane. His wife said 'bet you couldn't get that into a song'- if you know the words of this song, you'll know that he did...

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 09 Mar 15 - 06:44 AM

KAoA - A happy ending!? Surely not!
link to the original poem : http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=10690#3608647 and much more to read there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are there too many threads on this?

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 09 Mar 15 - 11:11 AM

A perfect storm of a tragedy Freddy.
The song at least allows us to hope for better.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: GUEST,Chordstrangler aka MickeyMacConnell
Date: 09 Mar 15 - 07:27 PM

Thanks for the interest in this old chestnut. I'm delighted it is still remembered after all these years. Yes, it is true I wrote it as a bet as a result of a wifely challenge all those years ago and, of course, the content is pillaged from a Sigerson Clifford poem. However, the entire story was a bit heavyweight in my humble opinion and I took the easy way out by refusing to go down the road of childbirth between the wheels of a cart followed by cold blooded murder, guilt ridden suicide and, to cap it all, ghostly manifestation . Like, dammit, there is only so much an audience can be expected to stand.
Thanks for the interest and keeping the song alive...Mickey

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 10 Mar 15 - 04:28 AM

Thanks for the song.
A resident at White Horse Hertford, Sue Bembridge, sometimes does it.
Not often enough for me.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: GUEST,Pat Ryan
Date: 10 Mar 15 - 12:26 PM

Cilla Fisher did a brilliant version .

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Apr 22 - 04:15 PM

Joe - check here

http://www.mickeymacconnell.com/Lyrics%20The%20Tinkerman's%20Daughter.htm

Subject: RE: Origins: Tinkerman's daughter
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Apr 22 - 05:35 AM

Niamh Parsons :
https://youtu.be/_h6eDDOvKUQ