Help: Welland Canal Irish Labour Songs

Subject: Welland Canal/Irish Labour Songs
From:
Date: 02 Feb 00 - 07:10 PM

Hello, This is a very specific question but I'm hoping that someone can help me. I know that there were many Irish that worked on the Welland Canal in Ontario, Canada....they lived in shanty towns around the area where they worked. I would assume that they provided their own entertainment and such....Does anyone know if there are any songs about the Irish that worked on the canal? Or any that stopped there to try to get a job? Does anyone know very much about the Irish that worked on the canal? I would like to find some correlation between the Irish that worked in Ontario and their music....Irish labour songs. Thanks to anyone who answered the last question that I posted on here.

Subject: RE: Help: Welland Canal Irish Labour Songs
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 02 Feb 00 - 10:24 PM

G'day Matthew,

Perhaps you will get a reply on this from Liam's Brother (Dan Milner) who has been recently researching the songs of Irish Labour in America. Since he looked wide enough to become invloved in discussions with me about the Irish in Australia, I'm dead sure he will have covered Canada (a way-stop in his own progress from Birmingham, [UK] to New York).

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Help: Welland Canal Irish Labour Songs
From: Wolfgang
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 05:29 AM

Paddy on the Canal is a song not giving a specific location, but you'll find a hint to a songbokk in the notes.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Help: Welland Canal Irish Labour Songs
From: GUEST,Sian in Wales (but from Ont.)
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 06:37 AM

I don't think she's on e-mail, but you could try writing to Mrs. Ruby Conway, ??Tennesee Avenue, Port Colborne, Ontario. She's Port's history buff (Historical Society, et al) and could perhaps shed some light, or give some contacts. I grew up there, and don't remember hearing anything of that ilk, but ...

Don't worry about the street number. Everyone knows Ruby Conway.

Sian

Subject: RE: Help: Welland Canal Irish Labour Songs
From: John Moulden
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 08:16 AM

My book "Thousands are Sailing: a brief song history of Irish emigration" contains 20 songs, each one supported by a contemporary prose account illustrating the same aspect, some commentary and pictures. It contains "Paddy on the canal" but as said above it has no specific location.

I know of no song which has a location on the Welland Canal - have you looked in Edith Fowke's works or at her unpublished collection which is (I believe) at York University in Toronto?

Subject: RE: Help: Welland Canal Irish Labour Songs
From: sophocleese
Date: 03 Feb 00 - 09:31 AM

It seems to me that the band Tamarack at one point did a song on this subject. I just don't know if it was traditional or if they wrote it. You could try this and ask.

CLICK HERE

First attempt at clicky thing may not work.