Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo

Subject: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Son of the Mill
Date: 05 Feb 01 - 10:45 PM

I down loaded the lryics to this song submitted by Jimmy C in December,now I require the tune. Cheers.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Feb 01 - 12:39 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Son of the Mill
Date: 06 Feb 01 - 12:53 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Son of the Mill
Date: 06 Feb 01 - 02:20 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: MMario
Date: 06 Feb 01 - 02:44 PM

I don't find it in google

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: alison
Date: 06 Feb 01 - 08:06 PM

try PMing John Moulden..... just a guess but there is a little village of Drumbo just off the back road from Belfast to Lisburn, and if it is an Ulster song.. he proably knows it............

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Big Tim
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 05:48 AM

I have a recording of the song but not the gear to submit the tune. More info however- The posted version has three mistakes, historical errors, repeated from one of Colm O'Lochlainn's ballad books. 1. The actual title is "The Drumboe Martyrs" written by Michael McGinley at least 45 years ago. 2. One of the victims was Charles Daly (not "Dawly") 3. Another was Tim O Sullivan (not O Donnell"). All in their 20s.

The song is set at Drumboe (with an "E") at Stranorlar, Co Donegal not at Drumboe near Belfast. It means"ridge of the hut" (druim both) The four men were executed by firing squad at 8.00am 14th March 1923 by a Free State Court during the Irish Civil war

The tune is a beautiful traditional air and is printed in "More Irish Street Ballads" by Colm O'Lochlainn (1965) now sdaly out of print but probably available thru libraries.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Big Tim
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 11:44 AM

Drumbo in County Down (no "E" - my mistype last time) means "ridge of the cow". Drumboe at Stranorlar (emphasise the "or") is a Townland name and appears only on OS maps. The site is signposted "Drumboe Martyrs Site 1923" in Stranorlar. I visited it recently. A Celtic cross marks the execution spot, inscribed,

"In proud and glorious memory of the Drumboe martyrs Comdt. Gen. Charles Daly, Brig.-Comdt. Sean Larkin, Lieut. Daniel Enright and Lieut. Timothy O'Sullivan Who gave their lives in the defense of the Irish Republic At this spot on the 14th March 1923"

The men were buried at the site but reinterred in August 1924 close to their respective homes. The song is accurate about their geographical origins, Sean Larkin was from Magherafelt in County Derry and the other three were from County Kerry. My recording of the song is by a band called "Wolfhound" on a double CD "50 Complete Irish Rebel Ballads Volume I". On Derry Records IRBI798CD, 1998. It's a moot point whether this can be truly called a rebel song as the executions occurred during the Civil War, four of eighty-one. Although O'Lochlainn's version contains three factual errors it's thanks to him that the song and the memory of four fanatical but very brave victims of Irish history have survived. The men's letters in the days and hours before the executions make heartrending reading.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Alice
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 02:49 PM

FAWLAKS, I have gotten one of Colm O'Lochlainn's street ballad books through an inter-library loan, so you can probably find a copy of the music that way.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 02:52 PM

Big Tim writes:
"Although O'Lochlainn's version contains three factual errors it's thanks to him that the song and the memory of four fanatical but very brave victims of Irish history have survived. "

I'm not entirely sure that I agree with you there. The song was known - and the incident to which it refers - throughout the North of Ireland. I often heard it sung in Belfast during the Fifties, long before either of Ó Lochlainn's two great books were available. In the area of Stranorlar/Ballybofey it is still known. However, you'll never hear it sung in public, only in private and even then not in "mixed company"; and by that I do not mean Catholic/Protestant !! The Civil War still casts a long shadow.
Annraoi

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Son of the Mill
Date: 07 Feb 01 - 08:47 PM

Thanks for all the infomation. Cheers.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Big Tim
Date: 08 Feb 01 - 05:00 AM

Iv'e just remembered - the song, with music, is also included, as "Drumboe Castle", in "Irish Songs of Resistance (1169-1923" by Patrick Galvin. Oak Publications, New York. 1962.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: alison
Date: 08 Feb 01 - 08:31 AM

Nice to see you Annraoi... we've missed you

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: GUEST,Liam G
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 12:38 PM

Big Tim,

You mentioned in one of your postings that...

'The men's letters in the days and hours before the executions make heartrending reading.'

Where did you get to view these letters? Are they available to the general public? Please let us know. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 04:54 PM

The three Kerry men were transferred to Donegal and joined with Sean Larkin who was a native of Magherafelt Co Derry. They were taken by surprise and arrested witout being able to resist on November 2nd 1922. They were held until January 16th 1923 and sentenced to death, executions took place on March 14th 1923. Sometime later the remains of all four were disinterred and taken to Athlone and handed over to the relatives for re-burial in their own Parishes. Slan Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: MartinRyan
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 05:18 PM

The Daly/Dawley confusion mentioned earlier is probably based on the Irish version of the name - a similar effect occurs in another song with Kerry connections - Sigerson Clifford's Boys of Barr na Sraide.
The O'Donnell/O'Sullivan one is curious - since O'Lochlainn mentions that he got a copy of the song from "O'Sullivan's brother".

Regar

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Big Tim
Date: 11 Jan 02 - 01:56 PM

Liam: the letters were published in 1958 in booklet form along with the song and a short history of the executions. The booklet is now out of print but can be consulted at Donegal Public Libraries. I have a copy and have written an article on the song/history which I will happily email to you, including the most poignant quotes from the letters (to me) if you can Personal Message me an email address, but you have to be a Mudcat member to do that, so sign up, no harp done! Tim. Forget that, email me at, [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Big Tim
Date: 27 May 02 - 02:36 AM

I've just got back from Donegal where I did some more research. "The Drumboe Martyrs" was writen by Michael McGinley (born in Breenagh, Ballybofey in 1852, year of death not traced, but in a book published in 1945 died "a few years ago in Ballybofey"). He also wrote "The Hills of Glenswilly". When the "Martyrs" were exhumed in 1924 he presided over the ceremony in Stranorlar. In County Derry I met an eighty year old man who remembers the Larkin family and was able to direct me to Sean's grave. There are two monuments , one at the execution site in Drumboe, the other, refurbished in 2000, on Stranorlar's main street. The executions are comemorated every year: some of the speakers have included, 1926 - Peadar O'Donnell, 1933 - Sean Russell, 1936 - Brian O'Higgins (author of countless rebel songs), 1939 - Madame MacBride, 1972 - Martin Meehan, 1976 - Daithi (David) O'Connell. To mark the 50th anniversary a new song "The Green Woods of Drumboe" was composed, "to an original air" by Eamonn Monaghan of Mountcharles, Donegal. (I have the words - 5 verses). Maybe this is the source of the confusion between the two songs "Martyrs" and "The Woods of Drumboe".

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Big Tim
Date: 23 Sep 03 - 11:53 AM

I got the date of the booklet "The Story of the Drumboe Martyrs" wrong above: it was in fact 1958. It has recently been revised and reprinted to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the executions. As well as giving the words of the "Drumboe Martyrs", also given are the words of another song on the subject "The Green Woods of Drumboe", written by Eamonn Monaghan about 30 years ago.

The revised booklet can be bought from the Sinn Fein Online Bookstore (though I ordered a copy over two weeks ago and it has still not arrived). Also available, according to a recent notice in the "Derry Journal" newspaper, by post from: The Cairde Centre, Bridge Street, Strabane, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: David Ingerson
Date: 25 Sep 03 - 08:17 PM

I checked in my O'Loghlainn last night. It's a simple enough tune that I might find the time to transcribe it into ABC.

Nice to read the fruit of your researching in One Green Hill, Big Tim.

David

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: GUEST
Date: 09 May 22 - 04:31 PM

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: Felipa
Date: 12 Mar 23 - 07:09 PM

see also https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=20951 "Lyr Req: Woods of Drumboe / Woods of Drumbo"

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Woods Of Drumbo
From: leeneia
Date: 15 Mar 23 - 03:23 PM

You can hear this song on this YouTube video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANSxCR_uMhg

I've heard this tune somewhere else, and if anybody else can supply other titles for it, you might be able to get the notes or abc at abcnotation.com