Origins: Fields of Athenry (Pete St.John)

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry
From: KHNic
Date: 08 Apr 12 - 05:40 PM

"The Fields of Athenry" was written in the 1970s by Pete St. John.A claim was made in 1996 that a broadsheet ballad published in the 1880s had similar words; however, the folklorist and researcher John Moulden found no basis to this claim, and Pete St. John has stated definitively that he wrote the words as well as the music.

OK, it's from Wikipedia, but Pete St John.com
seems to agree, and who are we to doubt him.

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Apr 12 - 06:00 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 08 Apr 12 - 07:51 PM

A good idea to read a thread before posting to it...

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Jun 12 - 06:17 PM

Interesting thread. I just surfed in because I found the incredible spectacle of Irish football fans singing "Fields of Athenry" in the dying minutes of their teams crushing loss to Spain quite moving. Euro 2012: as Ireland is eliminated their fans raised the roof. New respect for "football" fans

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry
From: MartinRyan
Date: 01 Dec 14 - 05:13 AM

Harking back to my story about who showed Pete St. John the Famine records - the man in question (Michael D. Higgins) is now President of Ireland!

Regards

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry
From: GUEST,Rahere
Date: 01 Dec 14 - 07:39 AM

Given that it's recent, I'm so tempted to write an extra verse for Tuam, that field being on the Athenry Road...

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Oct 16 - 10:12 AM

My friend Martin wanted to sing this song but because of the football problem scandal that was going on this did not make him very happy at first but myself and my mum and the rest of my group Braveheart said this is not a song for entertaining for old folks homes but when he made an album of him singing songs the person he was working on the backing track for this album who I can't name was impressed by his record and the album is a success in my music record collection. Peter St. John the writer of this song I can not get a record the song as far I know the first record was by a folk singer called Paddy Riley cause that is how I first heard the song and that is how Marten my friend got to no it.

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 26 Oct 16 - 12:53 PM

Crikey!

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry
From: banjoman
Date: 27 Oct 16 - 07:03 AM

A version of FOA has become a standard anthem of Liverpool Football Club

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Jul 21 - 07:02 PM

Anybody have a YouTube video of the football version of this song?

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry (Pete St.John)
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 26 Jul 21 - 09:02 PM

Well, Liverpool fans (of which I'm one) sing a song to the same tune called the Fields of Anfield Road. The song refers to two of Liverpool's legendary managers, Bill Shankly (aka God) and Bob Paisley, the winger Steve Heighway and the Liverpool utter legend Kenny Dalglish. The Kop is the end of the ground from which the fans famously sing their anthems. There's also a reference to the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 in which a crush at another ground, Hillsborough in Sheffield, killed 96 Liverpool supporters. The Liverpool kit is red.

If you google "Fields of Athenry Liverpool FC" you'll get a few YouTubes popping up. I can't listen just now as Mrs Steve is in bed, which is indeed where I should be.

Outside the Shankly Gates
I heard a Kopite calling
Shankly, they have taken you away
But you left a great eleven
Before you went to heaven
Now it's glory round the Fields of Anfield Road

--Chorus--
All round the fields of Anfield Road
Where once we watched the King Kenny play (and could he play!)
Stevie Heighway on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
'Bout the glory, round the Fields of Anfield Road

Outside the Paisley Gates
I heard a Kopite calling
Paisley, they have taken you away
But you led the great eleven
Back in Rome in 77
And the Redmen they're still playing the same way

Chorus...

Beside the Hillsborough flame
I heard a Kopite mourning
Why so many taken on that day?
Justice has never been done
But their memory will carry on
There'll be glory round the Fields of Anfield Road.

Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry (Pete St.John)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 01 May 22 - 01:57 AM

Here are the Digital Tradition lyrics. Is that all there is? I have a Pete St. John Songbook right here in this room. Wish I could find it. It's a skinny little thing and got lost amid the Big Books. But can can anybody find a Pete St. John version in print, so we can verify the lyrics in the Digital Tradition?

---

FIELDS OF ATHENRY (DT Lyrics)

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young girl calling
"Michael, they have taken you away,
For you stole Trevelyan's corn,
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay."

Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young man calling
"Nothing matters, Mary, when you're free
Against the famine and the crown,
I rebelled, they cut me down.
Now you must raise our child with dignity."
By a lonely harbor wall, she watched the last star fall
As the prison ship sailed out against the sky
For she lived to hope and pray for her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.


@Irish @jail @love @parting
recorded by the Bards
filename[ ATHNRY
TUNE FILE: ATHNRY
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Subject: RE: Origins: Fields of Athenry (Pete St.John)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 01 May 22 - 01:59 AM

Also this:

---

FIELDS OF ATHENRY (alternative version)

By a lonely prison wall I heard a young girl calling
Michael they are singing it again
If I hear it one more time, I think I'll lose my mind
I'm so fed up with the Fields of Athenry

cho: Oh no the Fields of Athenry
If I hear it one more time I think I'll die
It's such a boring song it goes on and on and on
I'm so fed up with the Fields of Athenry

From within the prison wall I heard a young man calling
Mary why do you think I'm here
In here we all agree transportation'll set us free
Free from the Fields of Athenry

By a lonely harbour wall I saw the last star falling
As the prison ship sailed out against the tide
Hold on that girl did say I'm coming with you to Botany Bay
To escape from the Fields of Athenry

@parody @Irish @transportation
filename[ ATHENRY2
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XX
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