Origins: The Road to Killaloe

Subject: Origins: The Road to Killaloe
From: GUEST,Brownalemugger
Date: 04 Sep 15 - 02:38 PM

I'm a music teacher in Limerick, Ireland and I teach an older gentleman who wants to learn to accompany a song his father sang. He can recollect fragments of the song but my Google searches for the lyrics have shown nothing. He reckoned it was played on local radio too. I would like to know origins of song and missing lyrics if anyone can help.

I was at the Limerick station,
I met an auld relation,
Of no sweet occupation,
And she came from God knows where,
Little did it matter to me,
With my lady blue(by?) and by (I?),
On the road that's leading down to Killaloe

I popped into misses Chawkes(Tonks?),
And we had some pleasant talks,
She drank whisky I drank whisky too,
On the thought that we got drunk,
With my lady blue(by?) and by (I?),
On the road that's leading down to Killaloe

Subject: RE: Origins: The Road to Killaloe
From: GUEST,#
Date: 05 Sep 15 - 07:57 AM

I don't know if the following pertains to your situation. I found

THE ROAD TO KILLALOE    Lal Smith

at

http://songcollectors.org/collecting/about-collecting/equipment/irish-traveler-song-list/

I will dig around and report back if I find any lyrics.

Subject: RE: Origins: The Road to Killaloe
From: GUEST,#
Date: 05 Sep 15 - 08:06 AM

You can contact the songcollectors.org at

http://songcollectors.org/contact/

and it might be worth your while to do so.

Subject: RE: Origins: The Road to Killaloe
From: GUEST,Brownalemugger
Date: 05 Sep 15 - 10:13 AM

Thanks for that. I've sent them an email.

Subject: RE: Origins: The Road to Killaloe
From: GUEST,#
Date: 05 Sep 15 - 10:29 AM

I hope something comes of it. Best wishes to you.

Subject: RE: Origins: The Road to Killaloe
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 05 Sep 15 - 11:45 AM

I have been trying to dig up the recording by Lal Smith of the song. The recording was made in 1955 and was issued by Peter Kennedy on his Folktrax label. I can find the track in the British Library soundarchive but it's not available on-line. I may or may not have the Folktrax recording or a copy of it but if I do, I can't immediately find it.

I have a nottion someone here with an interest in traveler singers may have a copy but I'll let him reply

Subject: RE: Origins: The Road to Killaloe
From: GUEST,#
Date: 06 Sep 15 - 07:41 AM

Seems it was uploaded by a kind soul just for you and your student, Brownalemugger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-1I6ouoPWw

Subject: RE: Origins: The Road to Killaloe
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 06 Sep 15 - 08:09 AM

Although it's a pretty well-known song, it seems a bit of a mystery as to where it came from.
The BBC recorded it twice in the early 1950s - this is the note in their catalogue.

ROAD TO KILALOE
Singer: Seamus Ennis                                                                        3.44   16335
Recorded London.
21.11.50        
'It was at the Limerick station/l met an old relation/Of no fixed occupation/And he lived the de'il knows where...'
(Learnt while in Kilaloe in 1948, from a man called Ryan).

1   Singer: 'Lal' Smith                                                                        1.35    18582
Belfast.   
1.8.52 (P.K - S.O'B.)
'Oh, it been at the Limerick station ,
This song is of recent origin: a man meets a relation at Limerick station and they go off on a spree. The man then meets a girl wearing white and blue and they miss the last train from Limerick and have to walk to Kilaloe (about 12 miles north - east of Limerick), where the man receives a hiding from the girl's father. Ends with warning to others to be wary of girls wearing white and blue.        

Lal Smith was originally from Caherciveen, in Kerry; her family name was Purcell - her father, Christie was also recorded around the same time.
The family were show-people around rural Kerry, among other occupations, they ran a travelling theatre ('fit-up') and cinema.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Origins: The Road to Killaloe
From: GUEST,Brownalemugger
Date: 06 Sep 15 - 11:14 AM

This is great.

"...my charmer, she's the daughter of a farmer" is a line I've heard my student say at least once but what I mentioned in the initial post was his most consistent repeated recollection.

Perhaps my student is remembering "my lady blue and white"? (With my lady blue(by?) and by (I?))
which would tie in with what the BBC notes for Lal Smith's rendition say. Although the folktrax recording doesn't have mention of colours.

All fascinating stuff, my student will be delighted with this.