Lyr Req: Nelson's Farewell (Joe Dolan)

Subject: Who laid the charge in Dublin City ?????
From:
Date: 18 Aug 97 - 08:32 AM

I've heard the song about Nelson's column that was blown up in Dublin probably in 1968 (??).

I wonder if anybody knows any details: who, when, how (why - that's rather clear for me).

Thanx in advance.

Szarak

Subject: Lyr Add: NELSON'S FAREWELL (Joe Dolan)
From: Wolfgang Hell
Date: 19 Aug 97 - 04:39 AM

Hi Szarak,

when I read this thread I went to the DT to reread the song and found to my surprise that Lord Nelson in the DT is another song than the one I know about the same event. Below you find the song I know (sung by the Dubliners). According to the two songs taken together, the event took place at 1.30 in the night from the 7th to the 8th March 1966. I do not know whether "the boys of Ireland" have ever been found.

Yours Wolfgang

NELSON'S FAREWELL

(author: Joe Dolan)

1. Well, that poor old Admiral Nelson is no longer in the air,
sing toora loora loora looraloo,
on the eighth day of March in Dublin City fair,
sing toora loora loora looraloo,
From his stand of stones and mortar,
he fell crashing through the quarter,
Where once he stood so stiff and proud and rude,
So let's sing our celebration,
it's a service to the nation.
So poor Admiral Nelson Tooraloo.

2. Oh fifty pounds of gelinite it sped him on his way,
And the lad that laid the charge, we're in debt to him today
In Trafalgar Square it might be fair
to leave ould Nelson standing there
But no-one tells the Irish what they'll view.
Now the Dublin Corporation can stop delibarations,
For the boys of Ireland showed them what to do.

3.For a hundred and fifty seven years it stood up there in state,
To mark ould Nelson's victory o'er the French and Spanish fleet,
But one-thirty in the morning,
without a bit of warning,
poor Nelson took a powder and he blew.
Oh at last the Irish nation
has Parnell in higher station
Than poor old Admiral Nelson tooraloo.

4.Well the Russians and the Yanks with lunar probes they play
And I hear the French are trying hard to make up lost headway
But now the Irish join the race
we've got an astronaut up in space
Ireland, boys is now a world power too
So let's sing our celebration,
it's a service to the nation,
So poor Admiral Nelson tooraloo.

Subject: RE: Who laid the charge in Dublin City ?????
From:
Date: 19 Aug 97 - 11:00 AM

Thanx for the words, date and time of the event. Although I knew this song quite well as sung by various folk singers, the text sent by you will make my private collection of Irish folk larger.

I act as a collector and (from time to time) a performer of Irish folk music. Some weeks ago while singing some rebel songs in the pub, I had a chat with a guy, who claimed that HE WAS "the one who laid the charge". Of course, I would like to check this information and that's the reason I posted my questions to the forum.

Thanx for your help.

Yours, Szarak

Subject: RE: Who laid the charge in Dublin City ?????
From:
Date: 19 Aug 97 - 06:58 PM

The one in the database I believe was sung by Makem and Clancy on a live album recorded in New York in the 60's. My sister used to have it and for all I know it may be out on CD now.

Given the large percentage of Irishmen in his crews, I would have thought they'd have let him be.

Subject: RE: Who laid the charge in Dublin City ?????
From: Harald
Date: 20 Aug 97 - 08:06 AM

One thing to add is the matter of fact that the blowing up of Nelson´s column was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising of March 1916 which started at the post office in Dublin´s O´Connell Street.. This rising wasn´t an immediate success. The Irishmen were poorly equipped and couldn´t defend english Battleships attacking the city. Many a man was imprisoned and executed. But the rising set a sign. After World War II Ireland seperated from England (but not the six northern counties, but that´s another story...). DeValera became first President who did not make a vow on the english king. Some years later Ireland left the Commonwealth and so far declared it´s complete independence. From this point signs of english occupation disappeared, at last Nelson´s column.

Subject: RE: Who laid the charge in Dublin City ?????
From:
Date: 20 Aug 97 - 09:10 AM

Someone once told me that the Irish government colluded with the IRA to have it blown up, because it was obstructing traffic. They didn't want to tear it down for fear of being accused of meddling with history and for fear of annoying the English. Hence they got the IRA to do it. I don't know if this is true and I've never been to Dublin so I don't know if its removal eased congestion.

Subject: RE: Who laid the charge in Dublin City ?????
From: Wolfgang
Date: 20 Aug 97 - 09:45 AM

found this on a site on "A downtown Dublin Tour of Ulysses"

Nelson's Pillar, the destination of the "two Dublin vestals" of Stephen's "Parable of the Plums" from "Aeolus," towered one-hundred and thirty-four feet above City Centre, Dublin. It consisted of a column topped by a statue of Horatio Nelson, a British admiral of the early nineteenth century. This monument to British military power was demolished by Republicans on the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Subject: RE: Who laid the charge in Dublin City ?????
From:
Date: 20 Aug 97 - 08:04 PM

FYI, there is a Nelson on his column in Montreal in the old city. This column predates the one in Trafalgar Square. He survived the FLQ and although there was talk from time to time of selling him off to Halifax, Nova Scotia or some suitable nautical city he remains there yet.

Subject: RE: Who laid the charge in Dublin City ?????
From: Jerry Friedman
Date: 23 Aug 97 - 03:35 PM

Also for your information, a somewhat less important consequence of the Easter Rising was a poem by W. B. Yeats that in my opinion is one of the greatest in the English language. If you'd like, you can read it here. (Now let's see whether that worked. I used to be sort of computer-literate, but they keep changing the questions.)

Subject: Lyr Help Req: Nelson's Farewell
From: AndreasW
Date: 20 Nov 98 - 03:14 AM

Hi to all Mudcatters!

Can somebody please help me?
I tried to write down the lyrics to Nelson's Farewell, sung by the Dubliners
I caught most of the words but in some places (marked in bold below)
I am not sure whether I got it right, and one line is missing completely.

Any corrections???

Thanks in advance,
Andreas

Nelson's Farewell

sung by the Dubliners

Oh well poor old Admiral Nelson is no longer in the arc
Toora loora loora loora loo
On the eighth day of March in Dublin City fair
Toora loora loora loora loo
From his standup stones in mortar
He fell crashing to the quarter
Where once he stood so stiff and proud and ruled
So let's sing our celebration
It's a service to the nation
So poor old admiral Nelson, tooraloo

Oh fifty pounds of gelignite it's fell him on the way
Toora loora loora loora loo
When the lad that laid the charge wouldn't get to him today
Toora loora loora loora loo
In Trafalgar Square it might be fair
To leave old Nelson standing there
Well, no one tells the Irish what they'll view
So the Dublin corporation
Can stop the liberations
When the boys of Ireland showed them what to do

A hundred and fiftyseven years it stood up there in state
Toora loora loora loora loo
To mark old Nelson's big triumph o'er the French and Spanish fleet
Toora loora loora loora loo
At one thirty in the morning
Without a bit of warning
Old Nelson took a powder and he blew
So at last the Irish nation
Has partnered a fire station
Poor old admiral Nelson, tooraloo

Well the Russians and the Yanks with their lunar prouds they play
Toora loora loora loora loo
When they hear the primed charge trying hard to make it blast away
Toora loora loora loora loo
But now the Irish joined the race
We have an astronaut in space
<here one line is missing completely>
So lets sing our celebration
It's a service to the nation
To poor old admiral Nelson, tooraloo

Subject: RE: Lyr Help Req: Nelson's Farewell
From: AndreasW
Date: 20 Nov 98 - 04:25 AM

request withdrawn!!!
By chance I found it in the database

Yesterday I was searching for "Nelson" (without quotes of course) and found some songs but not "Nelson's Farewell", today I was looking for a different song (Boots of Spanish Leather, btw I didn't find it), searching for "Spanish", one of the hits had the title "Nelson's Farewell" (What a nice surprise!).
So I tried once again search for "Nelson" and this time I got "Nelson's Farewell"

Either I typed some invisible character yesterday, or the search result depends on time?

A very confused
Andreas