Origins: Bread and Fishes

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 06 Jan 21 - 11:57 AM

Alan did once tell me that one of his songs, which he hadn’t recorded/released, was hawked around various publishers without success but he eventually heard the tune on a Paul Simon record.

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: Jim McLean
Date: 06 Jan 21 - 09:30 AM

That was a similar comment I heard from a young girl about the Massacre. Mind you I wrote it in 1963 so schoolchildren of that area are grandparents now!

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 06 Jan 21 - 08:54 AM

Alan told the tale that he heard his son singing "Bread and Fishes" and told him that he had written it.
The reply was "You can't have, we learnt it in school!"

Robin

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: Jim McLean
Date: 06 Jan 21 - 08:15 AM

This happens to me all the time with “The Massacre of Glencoe”. I wrote it in 1963 and I’ve even seen it on a Nova Scotia site as trad.

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 06 Jan 21 - 08:15 AM

It isn’t unusual mistaking “written” things as traditional. Alan Bell did it himself when he wrote words to the tune “The Dark Island”.

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 06 Jan 21 - 08:14 AM

A couple of further examples;

Tony Deane, who wrote Following the Old Oss for Padstow 'Obby 'Oss festival.

And Ewan MacColl; When I finished writing [The Shoals of Herring], we sang it to Sam Larner on our next trip up. He was delighted that I knew it for, as he declared, 'I known that song all my life'.

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 06 Jan 21 - 07:31 AM

I suppose this is a pre-Internet example of fake news; people will believe false information if they want or at least prefer it to be true. In this case some will readily assume that a song is traditional when it was actually written by the likes of Alan Bell, John Connolly, Ralph McTell, Ewan MacColl, etc in a style that might well seem to be traditional. I daresay some of them might feel flattered at such an assumption, but not sure I wouldn’t be annoyed in their shoes; I get a bit pigged off when people pinch my jokes for their own stage banter, but maybe I shouldn’t.

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: Acorn4
Date: 06 Jan 21 - 06:47 AM

Just talk to John Connolly about "Fiddlers' Green" for a similar situation.

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 06 Jan 21 - 05:39 AM

Alan Bell interviewed by Dave Jones in The Living Tradition

"The easiest song I ever wrote was 'Bread & Fishes'. It was a Wednesday afternoon, I had the idea and the tune, I'd been doing some paperwork and began singing the song, and I jotted it down and finished it in about two hours. I sang it at the club on the following Tuesday, it went down all right, but was a bit long, so I cut it down and suddenly many other artists were singing it too. I've heard it introduced many times as a traditional song, the Irish call it 'The Wind In The Willows', and insist it's traditional Irish, but I take it as a great compliment.

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: r.padgett
Date: 06 Jan 21 - 03:26 AM

At least Alan Bell is credited with the lyrics

Ray

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: GUEST,#
Date: 05 Jan 21 - 03:04 PM

The song is sometimes called 'Wind in the Willows' or 'Bread and Fishes. See

https://www.irishsongs.com/lyrics.php?Action=view&Song_id=391

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: GUEST,Maggie Harp
Date: 05 Jan 21 - 02:55 PM

Could this songs have even earlier origins. My mother (who would have turned 100 this year) said she had learned it from her mother, who passed away in 1955. ????

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: Leadfingers
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 07:35 AM

TWO major problems - People who learn songs from CD/ Album , and only credit the SINGER as the source , and the PRO Performers who change one word in someone else's song , and copyright it !

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: Fliss
Date: 26 Jul 08 - 06:41 PM

The first time I heard 'Bread and Fishes' was on Songs of Praise.. years ago. It came from Fylde.

I took ages to find the words. In the end I found the Fylde Festival website and emailed Alan. And I bought his song book.

Ive also been to a workshop day 'Up North' I think run by Alan. I acted as driver for a disabled friend of mine who was running the Bodhran workshop. I managed to sneak onto the melodian workshop with my english concertina and learned a couple of tunes.

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 26 Jul 08 - 05:02 PM

Alan Bell, and the Fylde Folk Festival

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Jul 08 - 04:55 PM

Good excuse for a promo for a friend:
Seamus Kennedy did a lovely recording of Bread and Fishes on his Goodwill to Men CD.
You can hear a brief clip of Alan Bell singing this song at codamusic.co.uk.
And an article about Alan Bell at folkmusic.net
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: MartinRyan
Date: 26 Jul 08 - 03:08 PM

In fact, this Makem site clearly acknowledges same.

Regards

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jul 08 - 01:19 PM

Alan Bell

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: Dick The Box
Date: 26 Jul 08 - 01:16 PM

Seconded

Subject: RE: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 26 Jul 08 - 10:01 AM

Alan Bell wrote it.

Subject: Origins: Bread and Fishes
From: GUEST,Brent Holl
Date: 26 Jul 08 - 09:47 AM

I've been researching the song: Bread and Fishes. On this site the author is listed as Alan Bell with Maypole Music the publisher. On other sites the composer is listed as Tommy Makem. I'm very interested to solve this dilemma and know who actually owns the song. Any further info from anyone?