Lyr Req: Hills of Athenrye? / Fields of Athenry

Subject: The Hills of Athenrye?
From:
Date: 04 Sep 99 - 11:26 PM

I'm looking for lyrics and possibly the name of any recording containing this song. I'm not sure on the spelling. Any help?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 04 Sep 99 - 11:32 PM

Try in the DT look for "Fields Of Athenry". Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 04 Sep 99 - 11:32 PM

Hi- Just enter Athenr* (to take care of spelling variations) in the Lyric Search box at the top of the page, and you'll find it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: BK
Date: 05 Sep 99 - 10:43 PM

Recorded by Paddy Reilly some yrs ago, & probably by lot's of others, as well; For the words I'd certainly expect them in the DT; I'd suggest searching w/the "wild card" as mentioned above; Been fooled lots of times when I forgot to use such aids.

Good Luck

Cheers, BK

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From:
Date: 06 Sep 99 - 04:02 PM

Here is a location with both the "original" and current versions of the song

The second one gives some information not containted in the first one.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From:
Date: 06 Sep 99 - 04:04 PM

Here is a location with both the "original" and current versions of the song

Contemplator's Old and Modern versionsBroadsides version

The second one gives some information not containted in the first one.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From:
Date: 06 Sep 99 - 04:14 PM

Oops! Made a bit of an error there!

Old and modern versions
Broadsides Version

The second one links up with information which is not containted in the first one.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 06 Sep 99 - 09:03 PM

When we were last in Ireland in 1990, we heard this song being sung in many a pub. When we inquired about it we were were first told it was traditional. Later someone told us it was contemporary and written by Pete St. John. We then walked into Danny Ryan's Music Shop in Tipperary and bought a slim volume entitled "The Fields of Athenry" which was subtitled "Songs of Pete St. John". The second song in the book, "The Fields of Athenry" says "words and music by Pete St. John".

The sites George directs us to say it was published in 1888.

What's the scoop here?

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From:
Date: 07 Sep 99 - 12:35 AM

That is interesting. I've always been told it was traditional, and though 111 years isn't too long in the scheme of things, it's a lengthy time.

Did your book say when the song was written, or give a copyright date? Any story behind the song?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 07 Sep 99 - 06:14 PM

George:

This book was copyrighted in 1985 but there are no specific dates of copyright for any of the individual songs. There is also no background information for any of the songs. Pete's picture is on the back cover and he does not appear to be more than 100 years old!

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From:
Date: 07 Sep 99 - 09:36 PM

Too bad. I would have loved to see more history on the song. It's such a lovely piece of music. I like the idea it's 111 years old.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: RobbieWilson
Date: 28 Feb 05 - 09:04 AM

The links to the old song no longer work can any one tell me the lyrics to Hillds of Athenry.

My other question is can you tell me when the fields of Athenry was written. I useed to hear it all the time in a pub in London but when I first moved to the Midlands my local it had not reached my Irish pub.
Thanks
Robbie in Wolverhampton

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: Noreen
Date: 28 Feb 05 - 10:49 AM

The links above no longer work because they linked to hoax information claiming that The Fields of Athenry was a much older song than it really is.

Read the following thread: Fields of Athenry for further information, including the following:
The song was written by Pete St. John and was published in 1985 by Walton Mnf. Ltd., Dublin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Feb 05 - 11:01 AM

Robbie,

I note the title of the song that Jessica (initiator of this thread) requested lyrics for is "The Hills of Athenrye." I also see that the first line in your 09:04 post this morning asks for lyrics to a song of the same title, yet you refer to "The Fields of Athenry" in the second part of your post.

I'm pretty sure there's no song called "The Hills of Athenry", having searched the web and checked every Irish music link I could find. Also, the town of Athenry lies in rich farmland, which I would tend to associate with lowlands as opposed to hilly terrain. (As in, "Low lie the fields of Athenry... .") Mind you, I've sadly never been to Ireland, so that's a huge assumption on my part. I haven't the foggiest idea whether hills are visible from any vantage point in the town. But if my assumption is correct, why would anyone be apt to write a song about hills of Athenry? I think this is likely just a case of Jessica mistaking the word "fields" for "hills." If I'm wrong, I'm wrong.
   
I have a set of Soodlum's Irish ballad songbooks, and I'm almost positive there's an old version of "The Fields of Athenry" (circa 1880's) in one of them. I'll have a look when I get home (at work now.) I once heard a song with that title which had an entirely different melody and different lyrics than the Pete St. John version. I'm guessing that was the old ("traditional"?)version. Also, I read on one website that Pete based his version on the traditional version.

Cheers

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: GUEST,Auldtimer
Date: 28 Feb 05 - 01:55 PM

If you, or anyone else, is ever in the West of Scotland or some parts of Ireland, be very carefull where you sing this song, or whistle the tune. This song has been drawn into the sectairian arena taken up as an anthem to the Catholic/Republican cause. Be sure of the "color" of your hosts, what foot they "kick" with or what school they went to.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 28 Feb 05 - 02:17 PM

We've been through this one thoroughly before. Pete St. John wrote the song. There was a suggestion of an earlier version - which appears to be fake. There is/was alsso another song called "The Fields of Athenry", a.k.a. The Clarin's Mossy Banks, written as a reaction to Pete's song.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: Pauline L
Date: 28 Feb 05 - 02:56 PM

Guest, please tell me more about Soodlum's Irish ballad books. Do they have sheet music as well as words? Do you recommend them? Where can I find them?

Guest,Martin Ryan, you referred to an earlier thread on this topic. Can you give us a link to it? That would be a positive and helpful aapoach.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From:
Date: 28 Feb 05 - 04:01 PM

Pauline L, the link is found in Noreen's posting. The thread discusses the issue of a web-page which had this song which seemed to be very similar to that we know and love as the Fields of Athenry. Slight changes to names, and things, but it claimed to be written in the 1880s. John Moulden checked out a number of the "facts" of that page, but was unable to confirm any one of them. It was declared to be a hoax when the page was "lost" after someone tried to contact the person who had put up the web-page. That's the simple story.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: JennieG
Date: 01 Mar 05 - 01:33 AM

Slight thread creep.....I noticed today that the nameplate on one of the houses I pass on my walk to work says "Athenrye". I hadn't noticed it before but then I've only been walking past it for 18 months! The house looks about 80 years old and so does the nameplate.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Hills of Athenrye?
From: RobbieWilson
Date: 03 Mar 05 - 05:37 AM

In Nov 1977 I moved to the East End of London where my local pub was The Earl of Essex (ironically enough for an Irish pub)on the corner of East Ham High St and Romford Rd. I was surprised to read in this thread that this song was only published in 1979 as my obviously unreliable memory tells me it was always on the juke box and played by every band who came to the pub from the very begining (Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun nights and Sun lunch times). It must have just creeped into my consciousness until I asumed it had always been there.

When I moved to the Midlands in 1990 this song was still not the ubiquitous creature it has become today. It was not on the juke box of my new local Irish pub, the George in willenhall. I would be interested to hear other peoples recollections of when the song became popular in their areas. Also to know if any other catters ever used the Earl of Essex.
love Robbie