I posted this in 2010 on Geoff Lawes' wonderful thread. It is on one of Ron's albums, but, again, as wonderful as that version is, it can't hold a candle to the version we heard at that amazing gig on October 1 1993 in our folk club in Bude. What a beautiful song. MARIA DE LA ROSA Subject: RE: Songs in English about the Spanish Civil War From: Steve Shaw - PM Date: 21 Mar 10 - 01:20 PM Ron Kavana used to sing an absolutely beautiful song about the Spanish Civil War called Maria De La Rosa. As far as I know he wrote it himself. I heard him sing it in 1993 at the Tree Inn Folk Club in Bude. He subsequently recorded it for his album Alien Alert. I posted above about Ron Kavana's song "Maria De La Rosa" which appeared on his live "Alien Alert" album in the late 1990s. I wrote down the words to the best of my ability this afternoon and I have Geoff and Joe Offer to thank for easing my mind about copyright issues! So here are my jottings. I must point out that the album insert doesn't print the lyrics and I'm assuming that the place-name "Lérida," a town in Catalonia, is what Ron sings. Also, "Finn O'Mara" is my interpretation of the name. Ron does sing exceptionally clearly. In the intro to the song on the album Ron states that the song is based on a true story thst he gleaned whilst on holiday in the Basque country. I heard him singing it several years before this album was released, in fact I can state that it was on October 1 1993 at the Tree Inn folk club in Cornwall on a night that no-one who was there will forget. I have a somewhat ropey cassette recording of him singing it that night which, in its way, is even more beautiful than the album version. I think it's a truly lovely song. So there! .......................................... I set out for Spain with a romantic notion To trace the paths of Irish volunteers Who had left their homeland to fight and die on foreign soil In the late '30s, Franco's bloody years In a sleazy bodega in the back streets of Bilbao I met a girl with bright green eyes and long red hair Maria De La Rosa O'Mara sang in Spanish A version of She Moved Through The Fair Maria De La Rosa O'Mara Sing your song one more time Por favor Tell us the tale of your dead grandfather And his part in the Spanish Civil War Tell us the tale of crazy, noble glory Finn O'Mara in the Spanish Civil War Finn O'Mara joined the Basques up near San Sebastian In the northern campaign of '38 Kept the supply lines open on the border 'Til Barcelona fell and it was all too late Captured by the Blueshirts somewhere near Lérida He faced the fascist firing squad that very day His one last request "Bury me in Basque country But know I die for freedom, not for Spain." Maria De La Rosa O'Mara Sing your song one more time Por favor Tell us the tale of your dead grandfather And his part in the Spanish Civil War Tell us the tale of crazy, noble glory Finn O'Mara in the Spanish Civil War
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