Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan? / Carrots from Clonown

Subject: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan
From: Kosmo
Date: 27 Jan 10 - 07:51 PM

My flatmate heard this song a long time ago, he really liked it at doesn't remember quite what the words were but here is what we think they may be:

They're into carrots, the finest in the land,
These fine big juicy carrots and they grow them in Kernan
You can boil 'em you can stew 'em,
You can fry 'em on a pan,
They give the women beauty and put muscles on the man,

Oh they're sweet oh they're sweet,
You can have them for your supper or your tea,
These fine big juicy carrots are so easy to get down,
So everyone be sure and get some carrots of Kernan.

If anyone knows anything about this song it'd be great :)

Thanks

Kosmo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Jan 10 - 02:25 AM

That'll be "Carrots from Clonown" - written by Brendan Shine IIRC. Clonown is an area on the Shannon callows (flood plain), just downriver from Athlone in the Irish midlands.

Regards

Subject: Lyr Add: CARROTS FROM CLONOWN
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Jan 10 - 02:34 AM

Here's a rough set of lyrics I came across on the AthloneLive forum:


CARROTS

1. The Spanish have their onions, the French like their snails
And if you're up in Iceland, for breakfast you'll have whales.
Italians like spaghetti and in long strings get it down,
Ah, but when you're up in Cornabull, you're sure to find some carrots from Clonown.

2. There is a carrot the finest in the town,
A fine big juicy carrot and they grow it in Clonown.
You can boil it, you can stew it, you can fry it on the pan.
It gives a woman beauty and puts muscles on a man.

CHORUS: Oh! They're neat. (Oh! They're neat.)
They're grand to eat. (They're grand to eat.)
You can have them for your supper or your tay.
These fine big juicy carrots are easy to get down,
So everyone be sure to get some carrots from Clonown.

3. They grow them up Gorry Bog in heaps of ass manure.
For all diseases goin', sure these carrots are the cure.
A woman up in Clonmacnoise was bald; her head was bare.
She ate Clonown carrots. Now her head is full hair. CHORUS

4. I heard about this woman who was in great misery,
Married for some forty years and couldn't have a family.
She'd been to all the doctors and took pills - a dozen tins.
She ate the bloomin' carrots and next morning and she had twins. CHORUS

5. God help the poor ould Farmer; he never can relax.
The government are after him to pay his yearly tax.
The men who run the E.E.C. dem prices always raise.
Let's feed dem Clonown carrots and it might improve their brains.


Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan (Clonown?)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 28 Jan 10 - 11:53 AM

Thanks, Martin. I've never encountered a song about carrots before, so I had to see what this is all about.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan (Clonown?)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Jan 10 - 10:05 PM

Google Books indicates that the song (or poem) MIGHT be in Ireland's Other Poetry: Anonymous to Zozimus by John Wyse Jackson, Hector McDonnell (Dublin: Lilliput Press, 2007).

The text isn't viewable online, but the book comes up when you search for "Carrots from Clonown" or "fine big juicy carrots".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan (Clonown?)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Jan 10 - 03:46 AM

Jim

It's in that book alright - an interesting collection, BTW. He gives "Tom Moore" as the author (his quotes) implying it's a pseudonym. I should know who it was, having lived a few miles away for many years - but the name won't come to me. Brendan Shine had a big hit with it many years ago.

Regards
p.s. I used to chase corncrakes in that area at one stage!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan (Clonown?)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Jan 10 - 03:49 AM

She'd been to all the doctors and to ??????? tins
should read:
She'd been to all the doctors and took pills - a dozen tins

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan? / Carrots from Clonown
From: MartinRyan
Date: 05 Feb 10 - 04:43 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan? / Carrots from Clonown
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 08 Feb 10 - 08:42 AM

would that be the Tom Moore who was in the group Pumpkinhead? He did write some lyrics.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan? / Carrots from Clonown
From: MartinRyan
Date: 08 Feb 10 - 10:15 AM

Philippa

Same thought struck me - but No, I don't think so.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan? / Carrots from Clonown
From: GUEST,One who remembers
Date: 12 Nov 10 - 06:37 PM

Carrotts from Clonown was written by Tom Moore in the nineteen fifties and Brendan Shine recorded it twenty years later and it became a big hit and is still played occasionaly.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan? / Carrots from Clonown
From: GUEST,Terry Regan
Date: 28 Jul 20 - 07:00 AM

I’m confused, Kernan is in the North, Clonown Is in the South, were are these Carrots grown, where is Carnabull ??

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan? / Carrots from Clonown
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 28 Jul 20 - 03:57 PM

OK. The author was TOM Moore of Athlone - not THOM Moore of Pumpkinhead:

Click here

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carrots of Kernan? / Carrots from Clonown
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 29 Jul 20 - 03:59 PM

And, to answer GUEST Terry’s question, the carrots are grown in Clonown, an area just south of Athlone, on the floodplain of the River Shannon, in Ireland!

Regards