Lyr Req: McNulty Family songs

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: McNulty Family songs
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 26 Apr 20 - 09:21 AM

According to the following link, the phrase at least predates 1671.

https://books.google.ca/books?id=2XtWDhgljvkC&pg=PA697&lpg=PA697&dq=The+little+house+that+lies+under+the+hill,+There%27s+ale+and

Subject: Lyr Add: DRUM COLLIHER (Percy French)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Mar 21 - 10:25 AM

DRUM COLLIHER*
(Percy French)
As recorded by The McNulty Family on Decca 12270 B, 1947. See Internet Archive.

1. I’ve been to a great many places
And wonderful sights I’ve seen,
From Agernavoe** to Ballinasloe
And back by Ballyporeen,
But when they talk of the towns that
Over the ocean lie,
When they say to me: “Pat, what do you think of that?”
I ups and says, says I:

CHORUS 1. “I suppose you’ve not been to Drumcolliher?
Ye haven’t? Well, now I declare
You must wait till you’ve been to Drumcolliher
And seen the fine place we have there.
There’s only one street in Drumcolliher,
But then ’tis a beauty to see.
Ye may talk till you’re dumb, but give me old Drum,
For Drum is the place for me.”

2. They say there are isles o’er the ocean
By India’s golden shore,
Where life all day long is a beautiful song
With flowers and fruits galore.
They say that the sun does be shining
With never a cloud in the sky,
But when they have done with their clouds and their sun,
I ups and I says, says I:

CHORUS 2. “I suppose you’ve not been to Drumcolliher?
Ye haven’t? Well, now I declare
You must wait till you’ve been to Drumcolliher
And seen the fine sun we have there.
There’s only one sun in Drumcolliher,
But then ’tis a glory to see.
You may talk till you’re dumb, but give me old Drum,
For Drum is the place for me.

3. I was over in London quite lately.
I gave King George a call.
Says the butler, “’E’s out; ‘e isn’t about
And I don’t see ‘is ‘at in the ‘all,
But if you’d like to look round, sir,
I think you will have to say
Apartments like these are not what one sees
In your countery every day.”

CHORUS 3. Says I: “Have ye been to Drumcolliher?
Ye haven’t? Well, now I declare
You must wait till you’ve come to Drumcolliher
And seen the fine house we have there.
There’s only one house in Drumcolliher
For hardware, bacon, and tea.
If your master would come we would treat him in Drum.
Oh! Drum is the place for me.

* It is spelled Drum Colliher on the record label, but lists of songs by Percy French spell it Drumcolliher. Wikipedia spells it Dromcolliher, which it says is the spelling favored by the Ordnance Survey and postal authorities. Wikipedia also mentions other spellings: Drumcollogher, Dromcollogher, Drumcolloher, Dromcolloher, Drumcullogher. The singer definitely pronounces “Drum” to rhyme with “come” and “dumb.”

** Ballinasloe and Ballyporeen are real places, but I can’t verify Agernavoe. The spelling appears in several online copies of the song lyrics.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE OLD HOUSE FAR AWAY (McNulty Family)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Mar 21 - 01:40 PM

I found a discography that says the McNultys recorded a song with this title in 1937, on Decca 12088 B, but I wasn’t able to find a recording, but it seems likely this is the same song:

The following lyrics appear as a poem in Cassell's Illustrated Family Paper, New Series, Vol. 6, No. 151 London: Oct. 20, 1860, page 331, column 2—with the attribution to Ellen Forrester.

THE OLD HOUSE FAR AWAY
Ellen Forrester

1. The wild birds warble; the sparkling rills
Sing cheerily round the spot;
And the peaceful shade of the ancient hills
Falls dim on my mother’s cot;
Its windows are small, and its thatch is low,
And its walls are a dingy grey;
Oh, I see it! I love it! wherever I go,
That old house far away!

2. The little clock ticks on the parlour wall,
Recording the passing hours;
And the pet geranium grows rank and tall,
With its brilliant scarlet flowers;
And the old straw chair, so cosy and low,
Where mother sits knitting all day:
Oh, I see it! I love it! wherever I go,
That old house far away!

3. Dear mother! how plainly I see her now,
Reclining in that old chair,
With the sunset resting upon her brow,
That was once so smooth and fair!
I see her crimp’d border as white as snow,
And her once dark hair now grey.
Oh, my heart is with her, wherever I go,
In the old house far away!

4. Not all the luxuries earth affords,
The riches of land and sea,
Nor all the wealth of earth’s haughty lords
Could blot from my memory
The roof that shelters each dear, dear head;
And that humble floor of clay
Where the feet I love are wont to tread
In the old house far away.

- - -
The poem was apparently set to music by at least 5 different composers:

Sheet music for a version composed by H. Grante, dated 1861, and published by H. M. Higgins of Chicago, can be seen in the Levy Sheet Music Collection at Johns Hopkins University. Edward Fitzgerald is credited as lyricist (erroneously, I think).

A version composed by A. J. Abbey dated 1864 and published by W. W. Whitney of Toledo, Ohio, can be seen at the Hathi Trust. No lyricist is credited.

A version composed by Henry Tucker dated 1876 and published by J. L. Peters of New York, can be found at the Library of Congress. Lyrics are attributed to Edward Fitzgerald.

I have found references to versions composed by J. P. Samuel (Marshall, Mich.: J. S. White & Co., 1867) and by Sir G. A. Macfarren (London: Bowerman & Co., 1896), but I haven’t found digital images of them.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: McNulty Family songs
From: GUEST,Hugh O'Rourke
Date: 09 Jul 21 - 10:39 AM

Would anyone know where to get the sheet music to the McNulty tune? I would love top get the music to Likeable loveable Leitrim Lad. Thanks

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: McNulty Family songs
From: GUEST
Date: 20 May 23 - 06:53 AM

The Big 6 was a clothing store in downtown st. John's. They sponsored the radio show as a promotion; my mother used to pick the songs for the program.