Lyr Add: The Road by the River (Frank O'Donovan)

Subject: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Alice
Date: 23 Jun 99 - 01:04 PM

I have an old 1940 recording of Frank O'Donovan singing "The Road By The River". They words are clear to understand except the name of the village. It repeats the line at the end of each verse: "The road by the river that flows through R...???"

Thanks to anyone who can tell me the name he is singing.

alice

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Brakn
Date: 23 Jun 99 - 01:58 PM

Alice, it's Raheen. I found the lyrics, five verses, but I don't know how it goes. Could you post up the air?

Regards Mick Bracken

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Alice
Date: 23 Jun 99 - 02:55 PM

Thanks, Mick, but I had to take the ABC software off my computer when I upgraded the system, and haven't put it back on. I can record a bit of him singing on voice email and send it to you at your regular email address. My message page at mudcat doesn't work all that well. Email to me at: [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Alice
Date: 23 Jun 99 - 03:01 PM

By the Way, Mick, if you can copy and paste the five verses you have found into this thread, I would appreciate it.

Does it end with the verse:

And so everything changes
And we change as well
And I'm sure that you, too,
If the truth you would tell,
Wander back to some well beloved spot in your dreams,
Like the road by the river that flows thru Raheen.

Alice

Subject: Lyr Add: THE ROAD BY THE RIVER (from F O'Donovan)
From: Alice
Date: 24 Jun 99 - 12:13 AM

THE ROAD BY THE RIVER
As recorded by Frank O'Donovan, in 1940

Sure, I've walked along Broadway, I've been down the Strand,
And I've seen the great highways of every land,
But in all the big cities, The like I've not seen,
Of the road by the river that flows through Raheen.

I can see meself now as a gossoon of four,
As I climbed to look over the creakin' half-door,
For to see the sun shine on the valley so green,
And the road by the river that flows through Raheen

I had only one brother, a gay lad and droll,
He was killed in an ambush, now God rest his soul.
On the spot where he fell, a white cross can be seen,
On the road by the river that flows through Raheen.

I recall when I started in strange lands to roam,
Sure, 'tis little I thought how I'd miss me old home,
Miss me old folks, the village, the valley so green,
And the road by the river that flows through Raheen.

After that the returnin' expectin' to find
The familiar old scenes as they lived in me mind,
Ah, forgettin' the years that had passed since I'd seen
The old road by the river that flows through Raheen.

Rows and rows of new houses are built on the green,
And a cinema stands where me cottage had been.
Oh, the river is there, but no trace can be seen,
Of the road by the river that flows through Raheen.

And so everything changes, and we change as well,
But I'm sure that you, too, If the truth you would tell,
Wander back to some well-belov'd spot in your dreams,
Like the road by the river that flows thru Raheen.

-----
From "An Ireland of Treasures, The Voices and the Melodies of Ireland, 1913-1948

Alice in Montana
^^

Subject: RE: LYR ADD: The Road By The River
From: Brakn
Date: 24 Jun 99 - 04:31 AM

Alice you beat me to it and with two verses that I didn't have.

Mick Bracken

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Brakn
Date: 27 Feb 05 - 09:07 AM

Did we ever find out which Raheen it is? There are at least three in Ireland. Also does anyone know who wrote this?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Brakn
Date: 01 Mar 05 - 03:35 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Mar 05 - 05:20 PM

Lyrics in the DT and Numachi. Posted by Alice in 1999 in thread 11772: Road by the River

Noted as sung by Donovan in 1940, but who wrote it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: GUEST,danny
Date: 01 Mar 05 - 05:56 PM

Mick:

I got this song from Tipp-native (Inchidrinagh parish) Frank Mulcahy (then Dublin, then Navan and now Ballina, Mayo). Frank's a great man for songs from Tipp. He sings a melody line that is very similar to "Remember Woodgreen". (Sorry I don't have ABCs).

Hope that helps.

Danny

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Brakn
Date: 02 Mar 05 - 05:59 AM

I know the air, just need to find which Raheen it is.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: MartinRyan
Date: 02 Mar 05 - 03:52 PM

Q

The Irish Traditional Music Archive has undated sheet music, published by Waltons, giving Frank O'Donovan as writer , arranged by P.J. Ryan.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Brakn
Date: 02 Mar 05 - 04:35 PM

Thanks Martin. I've done a bit more digging.

According to this site, it was John Mary Doyle (1896-1969) who composed The Green Fields Around Ferbane.

It also says.......

"This poem was probably written in the 1940s. The content and metre are identical to an earlier poem, Lusmagh's Fields So Green. The Lusmagh poem was written in 1926 by Edward Dolan and deals with a specific emigrant to Australia. We don't know of any factual background to John's work. It is probable that it was the Lusmagh poem that prompted John to pen the now more-famous poem. The air, based on an older melody, was put to it by John himself."

Lusmagh's Fields So Green I understand was written in 1908, not 1926. I'm just wondering was that ever recorded.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Brakn
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 07:48 AM

Did we ever find out which Raheen it is? There are at least three in Ireland. Also does anyone know who wrote this?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Peace
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 01:27 PM

"Welcome to Raheen, which is a village in County Laois, Ireland, located on a hill between Abbeyleix, Mountrath and Portlaoise."

Probably NOT this one. The last line of the song stanza says, "Like the road by the river that flows thru Raheen." This Raheen is on a hill.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: Big Tim
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 03:32 PM

There are hundreds of Raheens in Ireland! Means "little fort".

I have a recording by Frank O' Donovan (definitely the writer of the song, Brackn), from 1940. Sounds like Ratheen? Anyone got a printed version of the lyrics.

Frank O 'Donovan also wrote "Sitting on the Bridge Below the Town".
He was a songwriter, singer and actor, famed for his role as Batty Brennan in the long running RTE serial, "The Riordans". Anyone got his dates?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jul 05 - 10:01 AM

I've been listening to Bridie Gallagher's version of 'The Road by the River,' she leaves out
some of the verses in the DT version and also inserts two other ones. The omitted verses are
the DT's 4,5, & 6, and the inserted verses are below. I'm pretty sure that the word in the third
line the first verse is 'caubeen,' but I've never known the it to be used other than for a type
of hat, and it's not in my Irish-English dictionary. Can anyone offer any enlightenment on this
please?


Sure 'tis hallowed by memories of days that are gone,
Though there's been many changes as time marches on,
Since I walked hand-in-hand with my darling ?caubeen,
Down the road by the river that flows through Raheen.

Or I'd sit by the window whene'er it would rain,
With my little snub nose flattened up to the pane,
Sadly watching the rain as it made little streams,
On the road by the river that flows through Raheen.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: GUEST,GUest, Big Tim
Date: 07 Jul 05 - 12:46 PM

Though she's one of my favorite singers, some of Bridie's enunciation left something to be desired. I have her version and always assumed that she shoud have sang, "colleen", not, "cauben": yes, a hat.

A print source for the lyrics would indeed be useful and interesting.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road By The River
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jul 05 - 07:39 PM

You may be right about the word Tim, although she does change 'gossoon' to 'colleen' elsewhere,
indicating that she's singing from a woman's point of view. You are certainly right, however,
about her enunciation, and most of the songs in the 3 CD set suffer from some sort of carelessness
which one can ignore when only listening to a song but are obvious when trying to transcribe.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Road by the River
From: Alice
Date: 09 Oct 05 - 11:47 AM

For Guest Pete, you can get this recording at amazon.com. Use the Mudcat link to Amazon and it will help support this forum. Search on "Ireland of Treasures" and you will find a recording of music from singers and musicians in Ireland from 1913 - 1948.

Track Listings
1. My Lagan Love - Michael O'Duffy                    
2. The Spinning Wheel - Delia Murphy                    
3. Sittin' On The Bridge Below The Town - Frank O'Donovan                    
4. The Garden Where The Praties Grow - Robert Irwin                    
5. When He Who Adores Thee - Margaret Burke-Sheridan                    
6. Terence's Farewell To Kathleen - John McCormack                    
7. The Dacent Irish Boy - Angela Murphy                    
8. Melodies From 4 Provinces - Albert Healy                    
9. Three Flowers - Richard Hayward                    
10. The Bare Brown Bog - Michael O'Higgins                    
11. Molly Brannigan - James MacCafferty                    
12. The Enniskillen Dragoons - Delia Murphy & Michael O'Higgins                    
13. The Dawning Of The Day - Michael O'Duffy                    
14. Kitty, Me Love Will You Marry Me?/A Ballynure... - Michael O'Higgins                    
15. Little Mary Cassidy - Robert Irwin                    
16. The Road By The River - Frank O'Donovan                    
17. Danny Boy - Margaret Burke-Sheridan                    
18. Where The River Shannon Flows - John McCormack                    
19. The Bantry Girls Lament - Delia Murphy                    
20. The Garten Mothers Lullaby - Barbara Mullen

There are even some used copies available at Amazon for $1.49.

I hope you can get this for your dad.

Alice Flynn
www.aliceflynn.com
www.themeadowlark.com

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Road by the River
From: Alice
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 09:18 AM

Subject: RE: Req/Add: Road by the River (Frank O'Donovan)
From: GUEST,Bobby O'Brien
Date: 10 Oct 06 - 09:37 PM

Margo O'Donnell, from Kincasslagh, County Donegal, had a hit with "Road By the River" in 1968 when she was with the Keynotes Showband.

She has since recorded 3 more versions of that lovely song down through the years. She sings 4 and 5 of the verses.

The second version she recorded is now on the CD "Two Sides of Margo" on the Celtic Airs label (Dublin).

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Road by the River (from F O'Donovan)
From: GUEST,F. Kennedy
Date: 02 Apr 12 - 06:29 PM

Does anyone know who wrote this song?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Road by the River (from F O'Donovan)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 04 Apr 12 - 02:49 PM

For an earlier thread which identifies Frank O'Donovan as the author:

Click here

Looks like it wuz me wot dun it too!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road by the River (Frank O'Donovan)
From: GUEST
Date: 12 May 12 - 08:47 AM

where is this place raheen

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road by the River (Frank O'Donovan)
From: GUEST,999
Date: 12 May 12 - 07:19 PM

Ireland. Check Google.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road by the River (Frank O'Donovan)
From: zozimus
Date: 13 May 12 - 07:47 PM

I think Frank may be referring to Raheen in County Limerick. He mentions his brother being killed in an ambush in one of the verses and there was a famous ambush in Raheen, Co. Limerick during the War of Independence July 1922 where the Anti-Treaty IRA ambushed the Free State Army.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Road by the River (Frank O'Donovan)
From: GUEST
Date: 20 May 13 - 09:04 AM

Those anyone know the Guitar chords of this lovely song ?
james

Subject: RE: ADD: The Road by the River (Frank O'Donovan)
From: Gabriel
Date: 09 Apr 18 - 07:01 AM

The writer of this song, Frank O'Donovan (1900-74), was a Dublin born actor, singer and song-writer who was well known in Ireland due to his being in Ireland's first TV soap. The probability is that he visited one or more of the Raheens in his touring in Ireland. There was someone from one of the Raheens killed in the famous Upton ambush but there is no evidence of an O'Donovan killed in any ambush. O'Donovan also wrote a song called "The Little White Cross" which also used the roadside white cross theme. Given that it was written by O'Donovan in 1940 the likelihood is that "The Road" is a commercial composition rather than reflecting personal or family experiences.
O'Donovan himself performs the lyrics of the song as given by Alice above, with a few minor alterations such as "auld" instead of "old" in some places.

Subject: RE: ADD: The Road by the River (Frank O'Donovan)
From: GUEST,Risteard de Roiste
Date: 16 Aug 18 - 10:47 AM

There is no doubt but the song was written by Frank O'Donovan. In one verse he refers to his brother killed in an ambush. He then says On the spot where he fell a white cross can be seen. Now we know that Frank wrote a song called The Little White Cross. It refers to an ambush.

Subject: RE: ADD: The Road by the River (Frank O'Donovan)
From: leeneia
Date: 16 Aug 18 - 12:04 PM

You can hear Margie O'Donnell sing this on YouTube. Click below

hear the song

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Road by the River (Frank O'Donovan)
From: GUEST,Frank
Date: 07 Oct 18 - 07:37 AM

I think Gabriel above told us mostly all we wanted to know, many thanks