Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry/original lyrics

Subject: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry
From: Fag an Bealac
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 10:15 PM

Hello All!

Hoping to get some help from the Emerald Isle here. I searched the Forum and found the lyrics given in the October 1998 thread, my question is whether or not they are the original lyrics. They were generously posted by Joe Offer and list Wilson Crean as the author and give a copyright date of 1952. The tune predated the American Civil War (1861-1865) as it was used for numerous wartime songs (Bonnie Blue Flag being the most well known). Did it have lyrics prior to 1860 or was it just a tune? What would a pre-1860 jaunting car be - some sort of wagon or carriage?

Any assistance that can be provided would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Fag an Bealac

Subject: RE: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry
From: Mbo
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 10:21 PM

Hello, Fag An Bealach--great name! My personal catch line! I've found that the song "Patrick Street" bears a striking resemblance to the Irish Jaunting Car. I know The Bonnie Blue Flag very well, and have often wondered if there was a connection between the tune and The Irish Jaunting Car and Patrick Street. Very interesting...

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry
From: Áine
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 11:16 PM

Dear Fág an Bealach,

Click here to see a depiction of an Irish Jaunting Car. And if you've ever seen the film 'The Quiet Man,' there was one used in it, too.

-- Áine

P.S. If you're gonna insist on using that name, I'd advise you to use the fada over the 'a' in 'Fág' -- just to make it clear to everyone that you're using an Irish word. -- Á.

Subject: RE: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry
From: Melbert
Date: 24 Jan 00 - 04:55 AM

You can still see many of these vehicles in daily use in Killarney, relieving (mainly American) tourists of obscene amounts of money for the journey between the town centre and the lakes.

Subject: RE: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry
From: John Moulden
Date: 24 Jan 00 - 07:46 AM

There are at least two other songs called The jaunting car with different words, one in San Henry, the other in Walton's treasury of Irish Songs and Ballads.

I've seen the text attributed to Wilson Crean and would very much question it having been written as late as 1952 - though a copyright date does not always mean it was written then. I'll inquire a bit.

Subject: RE: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry
From: Bill in Alabama
Date: 24 Jan 00 - 07:58 AM

The Duke Sheet Music page [http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/sheetmusic/] does not have the song itself, but credits the "air" or tune for The Bonnie Blue Flag (pub. 1861)to the following:

Irish jaunting car by Valentine Vousden (cf. Parrish & Willingham).

I have seen this somewhere. I shall try to find out where, but it may be a few days.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE IRISH JAUNTING CAR
From: Fag an Bealac
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 10:24 PM

Thanks to all for your responses and the great information.

Some weeks ago, I ordered a copy of a reprint of an 1860 songbook originally published by Beadle's. Beadle's was a publisher well known for it's inexpensive books called "dime" books (because that's how much they cost). Anyway, yesterday i recieved the reprint of Beadle's Dime Song Book No. 6, Comic and Sentimental songs. Guess what is included? Sure, and it's The Irish Jaunting Car!

I don't know if these are Valentine Vousden's lyrics or not - or even if they are complete. I have posted them here exactly as they appear in the book - inconsistent capitalization and all. If anyone comes up with any other lyrics, I would love to have them as well.

Thanks again,
Fág an Bealach

THE IRISH JAUNTING CAR

My name is Larry Doolan, I'm a native of the soil,
If you want a day's diversion, I'll drive you out in style,
My car is painted red and green, and on the door a star,
And the pride of Dublin city is my Irish jaunting car.

CHORUS:

Then if you want to hire me, step into Mickey Mar's,
And ask for Larry Doolan, and his Irish jaunting cars.

When Queen Victoria came to Ireland her health to revive,
She asked the Lord Lieutenant to take her out to ride,
She replied unto his greatness, before they travl'd far,
How delightful was the jogging of the Irish jaunting car.

I'm hired by drunken men, teetotalers, and my friends,
But a carman has so much to do, his duty never ends;
Night and day both wet and dry, I travel near and far,
And at night I count the earnings of my Irish jaunting car.

Some say the Russian bear is tough, and I believe it's true,
Though we beat them at the Alma and Balaklava too,
But if our Connaught Rangers would bring home the Russian Czar,
I would drive them off to blazes in my Irish Jaunting Car.

Some say all wars are over, and I hope to God they are,
For you know full well they never were good for a Jaunting Car,
But peace and plenty - may they reign here both near and far,
Then we'll drive to feasts and festivals in an Irish Jaunting car.

They say they are in want of men, the French and English too,
And it's all about their commerce now they don't know what to do;
But if they come to Ireland, our jolly sons to mar,
I'll drive then to the devil in my Irish jaunting car.

Subject: RE: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Jan 00 - 02:48 AM

Click here for the previous thread. I still can't figure out the tune in the Sam Henry book - can anybody help me on that?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry/original lyrics
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 May 03 - 06:22 PM

The American Civil War song, Bonny Blue Flag, supposedly used the traditional tune from "Irish jaunting Car." Click here for the tune we have for "Bonny Blue Flag." Can somebody tell us for sure if this is indeed the traditional tune for the original lyrics of "Irish Jaunting Car"?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry/original lyrics
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 15 May 03 - 06:59 PM

Perhaps it would be better said that both "The Bonnie Blue Flag" and the "Irish Jaunting Car" use the same tune. Note spelling of Bonnie used by Harry McCarthy who wrote "The Bonnie Blue Flag" in 1861.
Whether the tune is older than either is open to speculation, but many seem to think so. And how old are the words to "The Irish Jaunting Car"? (see Fag an Bealac, above).

Valentine Vousden was reported as the author of the "car" in 1900 in the South Dublin Union. Apparently the original title was "Larry Doolin's Jaunting Car."
Got to run. I haven't read this yet, and I don't know how reliable it is: History

Subject: RE: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry/original lyrics
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 15 May 03 - 08:40 PM

A lot of reading to get one line about Vousden. Sorry, folks.

Subject: RE: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry/original lyrics
From: GUEST,fan in japan
Date: 20 Jun 10 - 02:35 AM

I tracked down Vousden's version, and the tune is much different, and though the lyrics mention Larry Doolin and the theme is the same, it is a different song.

Subject: RE: Irish Jaunting Car - inquiry/original lyrics
From: Fergie
Date: 20 Jun 10 - 09:55 AM

Hi all

A couple of years ago I did some research into this song in its many variations. It was written, in its once popular form at the time of the Crimean war (1853 - 1856).

A lot of hard work and further research eventually uncovered that the tune used was the well known air 'The Jolly Beggerman" (I had placed this information in a previous thread a couple of years ago).

With some rewriting and rearranging, I put together a mix of a number of published versions and sing it as follows.

LARRY DOOLIN.

My name is Larry Doolin
Shure I'm a native of the soil,
If you wants a day's divarsion,
Shure I can drive you out in style,
My car is painted green and blue,
And on the door's a star,
And the pride of Dublin City,
Is my Irish jaunting car.

If you want to hire me,
Step into Mr. Maher,
And he'll send for Larry Doolin,
And his Irish jaunting car.

I've been hired by many a drunken man,
Tee-totallers and my friends,
A car-man has so much to do,
His duty never ends,
From morning until night he has,
To drive both near and far,
And at night he counts "the bounce" upon.
His Irish jaunting car.

If you want to hire me, etc.

I'll take you to the Monument,
The Furry Glen and then,
I'll take you to the Strawberry Beds,
And back to town again,
Get some bread and beef and Porter,
And some whiskey in the jar,
Now there's the way to take your pleasures,
In an Irish jaunting car.

If you want to hire me, etc.

Oh they say the Roosian bear is tough,
And I do believe it's true,
For he peppered the boys at Alma,
And at Balaclava too.
But if the Connaught Rangers,
Would bring home the Rooshian Czar,
I'll drive him away to blazes,
In my Irish jaunting car.

If you want to hire me, etc.

I hear they are in want of men,
The French and English, too;
And all about this Rooshian war,
They don't know what to do,
But, if they need a volunteer,
To help them win the war,
Shure I'll drive them all to Rooshia,
In my Irish jaunting car.

If you want to hire me, etc.

Oh, and when the war is over,
And it will be in a while,
In this stunning jaunting-car of mine,
I'll take you for a drive,
And then may every Irish heart have,
Some whiskey-in-the-jar,
To drink success to Larry Doolin,
And his Irish jaunting car.

If you want to hire me, etc.

When the Queen she came to Ireland
Her health for to revive,
She asked the Lord Lieutenant,
To take her for a ride,
Said she unto his greatness,
Before they'd trotted far,
How delightful was 'the joulting',
In the Irish jaunting car.

If you want to hire me, etc.

Oh do you want a car, your honour?
Shure here's the one for you.
It is an outside Irish jaunting car,
Just painted green and blue.
It belongs to Larry Doolin,
And you'll have to travel far,
For to find a better driver of,
An Irish jaunting car.

If you want to hire me, etc.

Oh, if my car could spake, Your Honour,
Shure a moral 'twould disclose!
How it carried Whigs and Tories,
Repealers and their foes,
But, it does well by obliging all,
And it suits me better far,
With my whip, my pipe, my pony,
And my Irish jaunting car.

If you want to hire me, etc. (twice).

Fergus Russell