Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer

Subject: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 12 Nov 08 - 09:47 AM

I came across this memoire of International Brigader Bob Cooney which mentions the fact that he wrote some of his own songs.The songs of his that are named are

          Washington Church
          Thirteen Nothing Five
          The Two Righteous Old Men

and an untitled song about the Coronation.Does anyone know the titles of his other songs or the words to any of them?

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 12 Nov 08 - 11:14 AM

I can't tell you anything about his own compositions I'm afraid. However, in the mid 60s, Topic Records made an Lp of the Campbell family called Singing Campbells. Topic        12T 120. Bob Cooney lodged with them and so he was included on the record singing I Ken Faur I'm Gaun, Fa, Fa, Fa Wid be a Bobby, Foul Friday and McGinty's Meal-an'-Ale.

You might be able to find out a bit more from the Charles Parker Archive, which is housed at Birmingham Central Library. http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/charlesparkerarchive.bcc

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GUEST,kenny
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 03:55 AM

Bob was a regular at the Aberdeen Folk Club in the 1970s, and I spent many good times in his company. There was a book of his poems and songs published about that time which I still have, and I'll look it up for you. I remember the "Two Righteous Old Men" song, which was to the tune of "Lord Franklin" and written at the time of the "Rolling Stones" drug arrests. I'm pretty sure those lyrics are in it, and if so, I'll get back to you tomorrow.
Thanks for that link - I'll have a look at it later tonight.

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: Effsee
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 12:29 PM

Aye Kenny, he was a "bonny fechter"! I always enjoyed Bob's company and crack, and it saddened me greatly the last time I saw him that he had succumbed to Alzheimer's disease. So, so sad an ending for such a man.
I had a draft copy of that publication and I'm scratching my skull to think what I've done with it. Hope yours is in a place you can find it!

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: Northerner
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 12:36 PM

I don't remember very much about him but I do remember seeing him sing at the Abedeen Folk Club in the early seventies when I was living up there.

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 17 Nov 08 - 07:36 AM

Thank you all for your infomation so far. Bob Cooney was a commissar with the British battalion during the Spanish Civil War and there are always a lot of references to him in books about the British Battalion such as Richard Baxell's excellent'British Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War'. I am reseaching a songook of SCW songs owned by a Hull brigader called Sam Walters who used the songbook to collect the signatures of his SCW comrades while he served in the British Battalion in Spain. 'Bob Cooney, Aberdeen C.P.'is one of the 120 inscriptions in the songbook. The title page of the songbook can be seen on

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 17 Nov 08 - 07:49 AM

THIS SITE devoted to another Hull volunteer called Morris Miller. It doesn't have Bob Cooney's signature on though -that is on the previous page. I am collecting information to put on a disk which will accompany the songbook when it goes into the Brigade archive at the Marx Memorial Library in London.

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GUEST,Gadaffi
Date: 17 Nov 08 - 08:14 AM

I saw him at the Old Crown FC in Birmingham around 1974. He sang 'Hi Ho Jerum' with its very singable chorus 'Glory alleluja, hi ho jerum'. I was so taken by the song, that I rushed back to Hall and wrote down as much of the words as I could, eventually finding the bits I'd forgotten at CSH.

I think his activities in the communist party are noted on other websites.

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 05:49 PM

Here is a much fuller account of his life including his singing
BOB COONEY

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 08:23 PM

Geoff-

Thanks for the links and drawing our attention to Bob Conney.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 26 Feb 09 - 08:11 PM

If anyone wants to see Bob Cooney's signature it is on the site below which has kindly put up images of the signed pages of the Spanish Civil War songbook referred to above, in order that people can help identify the men who signed it and supply any information they have about them
Bob Cooney's signature
His signature is labelled B15 so you need to click on the appropriate blue PDF clicky when you get there.
If anyone has any information about any of the men who signed please let me know.
Regards Geoff Lawes

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: BobKnight
Date: 26 Feb 09 - 08:46 PM

There's a street named after him in his native Aberdeen: Bob Cooney Court.

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 01 Mar 09 - 06:43 PM

Thank you Hawkerladdie, I have copied and pasted that piece of information into my document with a credit to Hawkerladdie. If you would rather the credit were in your actual name then PM me and I will change the credit.
Cheers, Geoff

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: BobKnight
Date: 01 Mar 09 - 07:02 PM

Thanks Geoff, but it's fine the way it is.

All the best - Bob

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 14 Nov 09 - 06:47 PM

I have posted links to the old Granada series of six TV films about the Spanish Civil War on the Mudcat link called

Lyr Req: Jack Atky & All: Spanish Civil War Song

The series is on You Tube but is I think unavailable elsewhere. I thought some of you who posted on this thread might be interested.

Regards, Geoff

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: Dave Hunt
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 09:44 AM

From Gadaffi above 'I saw him at the Old Crown FC in Birmingham around 1974. He sang 'Hi Ho Jerum' with its very singable chorus 'Glory alleluja, hi ho jerum'. I was so taken by the song, that I rushed back to Hall and wrote down as much of the words as I could, eventually finding the bits I'd forgotten at CSH.'

I also saw Bob at the Old Crown FC in Digbeth, Bham in the 60s?70s I remember part of the song mentioned but would like the full version if anyone has it please.

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GUEST,Pamela
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 03:50 PM

He's a relative on my Gran's side of the family. Some of the family saw him as a black sheep because of the Communist link but I am very proud to be related. He must be where I get my politics from.

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 05:24 PM

Hi GUEST Pamela,in case you have not found it there is another thread on Mudcat with a song that Bob wrote HERE and information about him as a singer HERE

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 02 Aug 11 - 12:53 PM

I have just come across a web site Here where someone called Paul Long wrote in to say that he had found recordings of Bob Cooney's singing listed in the Charles Parker archive- unfortunately the link he gave(9months ago) no longer works. Can anyone get any closer?

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: GUEST,kenny
Date: 03 Aug 11 - 11:40 AM

Bob Cooney also has a song - "Fa', fa', fa' wid be a Bobby / Foul Friday" on the cassette tape produced by Aberdeen Folk Club for the club's 30th Anniversary in 1992. The track was donated by Topic records, from the LP record mentioned earlier in this thread.

Subject: RE: Bob Cooney International Brigade/singer
From: mikesamwild
Date: 06 May 12 - 08:10 AM

I put a link on another thread to his story by his nephew in Abnerdeen Voice. there are 3 parts

Bob was in Spain with my Dad. He stayed with my parents Sam and Bessie when he came to Manchester and later Sheffield . I got a tape of them one day in Sheffield not too long before they all died. I am still trying to locate it! He came and sang at our ceilidh club The Hefts and Blades at The Highcliffe , now The Greystones.

He made it to my dad's funeral in Sheffield in 1982 but was showing signs of confusion but he still sang at the wake in The Royal Standard near Bramall Lane .