Origins: Smuggling the tin

Subject: RE: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: Nick Dow
Date: 13 Sep 25 - 10:28 AM

Not heard that before! I'll check it out with Macdara Yeates in a week or so.

Subject: RE: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Sep 25 - 12:41 AM

Right Taurin-Airinan is Irish Romani, it means 'telling the truth' or 'truth-teller'. Here it could be either to say the people in the story means 'honest to God' from the singer. You can also imagine the three characters singing it, saying something like 'with my ride or die' - after all these are the mates they trusted enough to do crimes with them.

It also has a double meaning with Irish English which is common in traveller songs, being that it also sounds like 'touring Eireann' as in moving around Ireland

Subject: RE: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: GUEST,DoireAbu
Date: 20 Feb 25 - 08:26 PM

From one Derry man to another, I believe the wording you mentioned has no meaning and is just a lilt, which can be heard in many Irish folks another example is in the rare old Mountain Dew sung by the Clancy Brothers. I believe musical instruments were banned by Cromwell so the Irish lilted to the tunes of the songs.

Subject: RE: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: GUEST,NorthmanDerry
Date: 05 Apr 24 - 09:59 AM

Can anyone tell me what ' toorin-arinan' actually means? I don't think it's Gaeilge, is it a traveller word?

Subject: RE: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 05 Aug 22 - 10:19 AM

By the way, there are two sorts of coloured Gypsy horses. (or any horse really) Piebald or Skewbald. The trotting races are usually done with a light sulky, or exercise cart. Easy to fall off at speed, as I have witnessed more than once. Broken harness to blame. The moral is to get a good English harness if you can find any.

Subject: RE: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 05 Aug 22 - 10:12 AM

They left the camp to get straw for the horse and had to walk miles to get it, so their heels they were raw.

Subject: RE: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: GUEST,jesse
Date: 05 Aug 22 - 12:39 AM

What does the verse mean?

Subject: RE: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 25 Jul 22 - 02:29 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFCTY8kqKfA

another verse here.

Subject: RE: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jul 22 - 05:37 PM

Thanks!

Subject: RE: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 24 Jul 22 - 08:59 AM

My acquaintance Liam Weldon collected this from the Irish Travellers. It's a common song. There are some extra verses not on the album.
Most recordings other than Liam's make the mistake of referring to Lying in the straw, in the second verse. It is in fact lining with straw, meaning their shoes or clogs.

The missing verses are-

Oh pity old Cooley, pity him then,
To see his old nose hanging down to his chin!   (that's after the mare kicked him)
Then finally-
Up jumps young Colley and took a wild swing,
And clipped the old sergeant right under the chin!

By the way, the last verse is-

We crossed back the border and blessed the old faith
To hell with the black north we're in the free state.

The old faith is of course the Catholic faith. The song does not suit me, I would love to sing it otherwise.
Liam Weldon was one of nature's gentlemen.

Subject: RE: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 24 Jul 22 - 01:25 AM

In his sleeve notes Weldon says 'I learned this one from Francie Gavin, a merry little rogue who drowned his sorrows in a sea of porter.'

Subject: ADD: Smuggling the tin
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Jul 22 - 08:48 PM

Note that lyrics are from the thread crosslinked above.

SMUGGLING THE TIN

1
Young Cooney (?) and Colley (?) and ould Martin Quinn, (1)
Well they made up together to smuggle the tin,

Refrain :
With me right toorin-arinan, right toorin-arinan,
Right toorin-anay.

2
Well they walked all the day boys till the heels they grew raw,
Well they hadn't the comfort of lying in the straw.

3
"I'll yoke her", says Colley (?) "I'm wise to her tricks." (2)
But the more that he yoked her, the more the mare kicked.

4
"The hills they are high boys, th'oul' mare she is thin,
And my heart lies a-trembling for fear she'll give in."

5
"I once had a pie-ball all covered in dots,
And it's many's the fiver she's won in the trots."

6
Up came th'oul' sergeant with a laugh and a grin,
"I'll have ye inside boys for the smuggling of tin."

7
Up came th'oul' sergeant with a laugh and a smile,
"I'll have ye inside boys for smuggling a while."

8
Young Cooney (?) stood up boys to make the excuse, (1)
"If you l(e)ave us all go sir, it's home we will scoot."
9
We crossed back the border, we blessed our ould face. (3)
"To hell with the black North, we're in the Free-State."
Notes :
1. Cooney (surname) and Colley ?
2. The word "wide" in Dublin slang means "aware" , "wise".
3. faith (?)

Liam Weldon recording: https://youtu.be/py5Bs1nA7V8

Subject: Origins: Smuggling the tin
From: GUEST,Rightlawd
Date: 23 Jul 22 - 06:35 PM

Evening all!

im looking to find out who wrote the song 'Smuggling the tin' its on Liam Weldons 'Dark horse on the wind' album, i've seen in the notes that the song was arranged by Liam so i imagine he must of picked it up somewhere?

any help is appreciated.

Thanks,