As an irish contribution, here's something I found on my computer - can't for the life of me remember where I picked it up!:
Battle song of the Irish Christian Front; "Off to Salamanca"
OFF TO SALAMANCA
My name is Owen O'Duffy,
And I'm rather vain and huffy
The side of every Bolshie I'm a thorn in
But before the break of day
I'll be marching right away
For I'm off to Salamanca in the morning!
Chorus
With the gold supplied by Vickers
I can buy Blue Shirt and knickers
Let the Barcelona Bolshies take a warning
For I lately took the notion
To cross the briny ocean
And I start for Salamanca in the morning
There's a boy called Paddy Belton,
With a heart that's soft and meltin'
Yet the first to face the foemen, danger scorning
Tho' his feet are full of bunions
Yet he knows his Spanish onions
And he's off to Salamanca in the morning.
Chorus
Now the "Irish Christian Front"
Is a Lombard-Murphy stunt
(Hark! the ghostly voice of Connolly gives warning)
And Professor Hogan's pals
Can don their fol-de-lals
And start for Salamanca in the morning
Chorus
When they get kicked out of Spain
And they travel home again
Let them hearken in good time to this our warning
If they try their Fascist game
They'll be sorry that they came
Back from Salamanca in the morning!
Chorus
Regards
Subject: RE: Songs in English about the Spanish Civil War
From: GeoffLawes - PM
Date: 15 Mar 10 - 09:56 PM
MARTIN RYAN: I have done a bit of Googling and it seems likely that Off to Salamanca was written by Somhairle Macalastair, pen name of Irish poet Diarmiud Fitzpatrick. There is an article about him written by H. Gustav Klaus called "The Authorship of the Somhairle Macalastair Ballads", Irish University Review, XXVI:2 (1996), 107-117. The first page of it can be read HERE If anyone has access to this without the need to cough up the 24 dollars that JSTOR are asking to read it then it would be nice to know if the article does confirm his authorship of the song. Another possibility is that the song is one of the 'same one or two ballads' by Somhairle Macalastair which the above article says are printed in the Penguin Book of Spanish Civil War Verse. Could somebody who has this book have a look please?
Does anyone have a tune for Off To Salamanca? Has it been recorded by anyone?
Subject: RE: Songs in English about the Spanish Civil War
From: MartinRyan - PM
Date: 16 Mar 10 - 03:24 AM
Geoff
The tune is presumably "Off to Philadelphia in the morning".
Off To Philidelphia In The Morning
I actually came across the song, in print, relatively recently - but am damned if I can recall the circumstances. It may well have been in the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin - I'll check. For many years, there was a satirical magazine called "Dublin Opinion" and it would not surprise me if that was the source. I've never heard it sung and had copied it with an eye to learning it.
Regards
Subject: RE: Songs in English about the Spanish Civil War
From: GeoffLawes - PM
Date: 16 Mar 10 - 08:10 AM
Thank You Martin - you probably know the historical context of Off To Salamanca but here is a link in case anyone wants to know more about Robert Belton and the Irish Christian Front
Subject: RE: Songs in English about the Spanish Civil War
From: MartinRyan - PM
Date: 16 Mar 10 - 06:52 PM
Geoff
In case you haven't seen it: if your Spanish is up to it, there's a reference to "Off to Salamanca" in THIS ARTICLE with the same attribution
Regards