Route through Dublin: Easy and Slow?

Subject: Route through Dublin: Easy and Slow?
From: Mysha
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 04:54 AM

Hi,

The song Easy and Slow has a number of street names and so on, which unfortunately differ by version. Judging from the occurence of the Liffey, I'd say the location is Dublin. But is it possible to construct a route, with likely names, running from Christ Church to a ("the") park?

                                                                   Mysha

Subject: RE: Route through Dublin: Easy and Slow?
From: Declan
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 05:23 AM

Mysha,

Definitely a Dublin song.

Christ Church Cathederal is on the banks of the Liffey, although the view of it is obscured by the Civic Offices built by Dublin Corporation (Local Authority) in the early 1980s on the viking site at Wood Quay.

The Park is the Phoenix Park the main entrance of which would be about a mile away. I#ll have to consult the lyrics about the other place names. I'll post again in a while.

Subject: RE: Route through Dublin: Easy and Slow?
From: Emma B
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 05:26 AM

Christ Church The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity

Thomas Street, runs from Christ Church to the Saint James's Gate Brewery.

Kingsbridge, the old name for Heuston Railway station

The Park, probably
Phoenix Park

Subject: RE: Route through Dublin: Easy and Slow?
From: Declan
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 05:29 AM

There is at least one error in the DT version linked to above. The third line shopuld be Dungannon, which is quoted correctly in the last verse. Dungannon is a town in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland.

Thomas Street is just South of the Liffey, not far from Christ Church. Whiteman's Bridge doesn't mean anything to me. May be an error, or perhaps a name I'm not aware of. Off to do some research...

Subject: RE: Route through Dublin: Easy and Slow?
From: Emma B
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 05:33 AM

Sorry, Easy and Slow is a song I love to sing so I didn't bother looking up the words in the DT

The version given by the late great Frank Harte in 'Songs of Dublin' gives the line 'And along by Kingsbridge and begod in a jiffy'

Frank 'attributes' the song to Dominic Behan

Subject: RE: Route through Dublin: Easy and Slow?
From: Declan
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 05:36 AM

Emma,

I cross posted with you there.

Kingsbridge makes sense. It is not only the old name for the station, but also, as it suggests, a bridge over the Liffey, which I think is also officially named Sean Heuston Bridge. It would be a sensible route to take up towards the Phoenix Park from Christ Church - Down the South Quays past the Guinness (now Diageo) brewery at St James' Gate and across the bridge beside the station and up the appropriately named Parkgate Street and into the Phoenix Park. The "Furry Glen" in the park has long been a venue for courting couples.

Subject: RE: Route through Dublin: Easy and Slow?
From: Mysha
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 07:41 AM

Hi,

Indeed it was this "Whiteman's Bridge" from the Digital Tradition that I couldn't place. I do sing "King's Bridge" myself, but if you don't know of the name change, then you can search ... hm:

If you look for King's Bridge in the City of Dublin
You can search till your eyeballs are empty and blind
Be you drivin or walkin, you will sure find it troublin
That a bridge by that name there you never will find.


So, indeed:
"It was down by Christ Church"
"All along Thomas Street" (they walk the whole stretch east to west)
THEN/AND "down to the Liffey" (It's not Thomas Street going down to the Liffey)
"Along by King's Bridge" (Does "Along by" fit, English language-wise?)
and "Beyond in the park", meaning Phoenix Park.

That was as close as I could come as well, but I couldn't get them across the water. (-:

Thanks,
                                                                Mysha

Subject: RE: Route through Dublin: Easy and Slow?
From: Fergie
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 08:53 PM

As far as I'm aware it was Sean O'Casey (author of Juno and the Paycock, Shadow of a Gunman and The Plough and the Stars etc.) that penned this song. These are the words as I learned them way back in the midsixties.

EASY AND SLOW

It was down by Christchurch that I first met with Annie
A neat little girl and not a bit shy
She told me her father who come from Dungannon
Would take her back home in the sweet bye and bye

And what's it to any man, whether or no
Whether I'm easy, or whether I'm true
As I lifted her petticoat, easy and slow
And I tied up my sleeve for to buckle her shoe

In city or country, a girl is a jewel
And well made for gripping, the most of them are
But any young fellow is really a fool
If he tries at the first time to go a bit far

We wandered by Thomas Street, and down by the Liffey
The sunlight was gone, and the evening grew dark
Along by Kingsbridge, and begob in a jiffy
My arm was around her, beyond in the park .(the Phoenix Park)

CHORUS

And if ever you go to the town of Dungannon
You can search till your eyeballs are empty and blind
Be you lying or walking or sitting or running
A girl like Annie you never will find.

Fergus

Subject: RE: Route through Dublin: Easy and Slow?
From: Emma B
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 09:06 PM

The provenance of the song has been discussed before link to no firm conclusion.

Frank Harte reports that Dominic Behan said he got some of it from Sean O'Casey and the rest 'from a woman in England' but that the 'source' is inevitably traced back to Dominic!