The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #3945 Message #1341009
Posted By: Big Al Whittle
28-Nov-04 - 05:46 AM
Thread Name: Origins: Kevin Barry
Subject: RE: lyrics: Kevin Barry
It was a terrible thing to do to a young man or anybody come to that. I think I learned the song from Lonnie Donnegan. It is still requested quite a bit.
A friend of mine who is very cagey about publicity was doing a gig in Dublin way back, and he got this song requested. He agreed to do it in the second set.
Before he went on again he was approached by some members of the Barry family including Kevin's mother. She asked him not to sing it as she regarded the whole song as a lie. She said he was no more than kid when it happened and, the poor chap was dragged to his death across the prison yard screaming.
I was not surprised when at the time of the disinterrment, one the Batrry family was interviewed and dismissed it as a public house song.
And yet how many of us song writers would give our eye teeth to come up with something so memorable.