Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)

Subject: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Edmund
Date: 05 Jun 01 - 07:11 PM

My uncle used to sing this 50 years ago. It went something this:

As Saint Kevin once was wandering round the lakes called (Glendalock?)
He Met with King O'Toole and he asked him for a shock
Said the King "You are a stranger
And your face I've never seen
But if you have a bit of weed,
I'll lend you my dodeen Does this come close enough to ring any bells? ... Edmund

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Fergie
Date: 05 Jun 01 - 08:04 PM

St. Kevin lived in Glendalough in Co. Wicklow, he was a Saint, O'Toole is a common local name in the district, and a doodeen (Pronounced; do dean)is an old name for a clay pipe, so you are on to something authentic. I have heard other songs about this Saint but not this one I'd be interested to hear more.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Edmund
Date: 06 Jun 01 - 12:33 AM

OK Fergie.. I'll give you all that I can remember

As the saint he was a kindling up the monarch heaved a sigh
Said the Saint "what is the matter man, and wherefore do you cry?"
Said the king "I have a gander. It was given me by me mither.
And this morning he cocked up his toes
With some disease or either

With me fal de ral de di do me fallder ral de dee (etc. and sung after every verse)

Saint Kevin chides the king for grieving and asks the king

"what would you give me if your gander I revive?"
said the king "I'd be your serving man all the days I am alive"

St Kevin says he doesn't need a servant and (bargaining) asks
"if your gander I revive and make quite whole and sound
Would you give to me that bit of land the gander might fly round?"

The King agrees and St Kevin does his thing to the gander, which then flies around an enormous area .. upon which

Said the Saint "I thank your magesty for that tiny taste of ground."

Well, the King gets kind of ticked off at this point and calls upon his seven (?) sons to heave the Saint into a ditch (I think)
this is a big mistake, because the Saint then turns those "seven urchans into the seven churchens"

Fergie ... are there 7 churches there or is this just poetic liscence?

That's the best I can do> I'm trying to record some of the old songs for my kids and grand kids and this would make a nice addition if I can get it right. Any help would be greatly appreciated......Edmund

line breaks (sic) fixed by mudelf ;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Fergie
Date: 06 Jun 01 - 08:25 PM

Yes seven churches in Glendalough and a king with seven sons is a very magic, powerful king. Glendalough is the English corruption of the Irish name for this beautiful glen it means; the glen of the two lakes. Kevin was a reclusive monk who built a church there in the eight century I think. It was a practice in legend for a king to become a servant to a priest/monk. I'm becoming more interested in this song by the minute. I think I'll call in some reinforcements and get help from other mudcatters who might be able to help.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE GLENDALOUGH SAINT
From: Fergie
Date: 06 Jun 01 - 08:34 PM

These are lyrics from another song about the famous saint.

THE GLENDALOUGH SAINT

In Glendalough lived an old saint,
Renowned for his learning and piety.
His manners were curious and quaint,
And he looked upon girls with disparity.

CHORUS:

Ri fol di dol, fol di dol day,
Ri fol di dol, fol di dol laddy,
Ri fol di dol, fol di dol day,
Ri fol di dol, fol di dol laddy.

But as he was fishin' one day,
A catchin' some kind of trout, sir
Young Kathleen was walkin' that way
Just to see what the saint was about, sir.

You're a mighty fine fisher', Says Kate,
"tis yourself is the boy That can hook them,
But when you have caught them so nate,
Don't you want some young Woman to cook them?'

Be gone out of that', said the saint,
'For I am a man of great piety,
Me character I wouldn't taint,
By keeping such class of society.

But Kathleen wasn't goin' to give in,
For when he got home to his rockery,
He found her sitting therein,
A-polishing up of his crockery.

He gave the poor creature a shake,
Oh, I wish that the peelers had caught him:
He threw her right into the lake,
And of course she sank Down to the bottom.

It is rumoured from that very day,
Kathleen's ghost can be seen on the river
and the saint never raised up his hand.
For he died of the right kind of fervour.

line breaks fixed by mudelf ;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Fergie
Date: 07 Jun 01 - 05:47 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: MartinRyan
Date: 07 Jun 01 - 06:06 PM

Edmund

This turns up under the title "King O'Toole and Saint Kevin" in several 19th C. songsters. I don't have a source to hand but will dig one out when I get a chance.

Regards

p.s I've never heard it sung, mind you.

Subject: Lyr Add: SAINT KEVIN AND KING O'TOOLE
From: Edmund
Date: 07 Jun 01 - 06:38 PM

I found it!!! It turns out that my cousin had a copy in a pile of papers yellowed with age and half forgotten. Spellings are altered (not by me) to suggest an Irish pronunciation for certain words, and I'm leaving those as I find them. Now if I can just keep the lines separated in this mudcat format!

Saint Kevin and King O'Toole

As St. Kevin once was thravlin' through a place called Glendalough
He met with King O'Toole, and he asked him for a shock.
Said the King you are a stranger and your face I've niver seen,
But if you'd like a taste of weed, I'll lend you my dhudeen.

Chorus: With my falderal de dido, falderal da de Falderal, talol dadol, falderal da de

While the Saint was kindlin' up his pipe, the monarch haved a sigh
Said the Saint, "What ails your magesty - - and why do you cry?"
Said the King, " I had a gander that was left me by me mither,
But this mornin' he cocked up his toes with some disease or ither."

Chorus: (as before, and after each verse)

"If you're frettin' for your gander, you unfortunate old goose,
Dry up your tears – in sighin' the divil take the use!"
Said the saint "What would you give me if your gander I'd revive?"
Said the king I'd be your sarvin' man all the days I am alive.

"Now in trothen," said St. Kevin, I don't need a sarvin' man,
But I could find a good use for a little stretch of land.
So if your gander I revive and make quite whole and sound
Would you give to me the bit of land the gander might fly round?"

"To be sure I will and gladly," said the King, "do what you ask,"
Said the Saint, "Then fetch the gander; let me begin the task."
So the King went in the castle to bring him out the bird,
Though he hadn't the least intention then of shtickin' to his worrd.

Then the Saint he took the gander from the arrums of the King –
He first began to twitch its beak, and then to pluck its wing –
He wooshed it up into the air — it flew forty miles around!
Said the Saint, "I"ll thank you kindly for that little taste of ground."

Now the King, to raise a ruction, sure he called the Saint a witch,
And summoned his six big sons to heave him in a ditch.
"By St. Patrick," says St Kevin, "I"ll punish those young urchins!"
And he turned the King and his six big sons into the seven churches.

So you see the King was punished sore for his dishonest doin's –
The Saint he left the gander there to guard about the ruins,
And if you're there on a summer day twixt twelve and one o"clock,
You'll see that gander still flying 'round the Lakes of Glendalough.

Now you see there is a moral strong attached unto my song –
To punish men is always right whenever they do wrong.
For poor folks keep their worrd much better than folks that's grander,
Like the King who grudged to pay the Saint for curing his dead gander.

Well ... there it is, as best it has been carried over stateside by the Flynn (my) family. I would be very interested to see the words from a songbook and see to what extent we have diverged.

Edmund Flynn

repeating message fixed by mudelf ;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Edmund
Date: 07 Jun 01 - 06:43 PM

SORRY !!! I have no idea what I did to repeat that message so many times ... it is a good song ... but not THAT good!!!! Edmund

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Fergie
Date: 07 Jun 01 - 08:18 PM

I lke those lyrics, Now we only need the tune, do you know it? Can yo sing it on Paltalk some night, we're all dying to hear it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: toadfrog
Date: 07 Jun 01 - 08:32 PM

What kind of a saint is that, that smokes weed?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: MMario
Date: 07 Jun 01 - 08:57 PM

don't forget - scanned music can always be e-mailed to me and I will transcribe...I'd be happy to post the miditxt and abc here in the thread for either song...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Edmund
Date: 07 Jun 01 - 10:31 PM

I remember the tune as sung by my Uncle .. who was not very musical but good at words. But I don't have any idea how to do things on pal talk ... I don't think I even know how to find pal talk.
If anyone is willing to get it out to those who are interested I could make a tape of a few verses and mail it. But be prepared to put up with a 78 yr old voice.

Fergie .. is there anyway you can supply the tune for The Glendalough Saint. I like the words.....
Edmund

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Edmund
Date: 10 Jun 01 - 02:18 PM

For Martin Ryan .. you mentioned that you might have the song in a "19th C. Songster". Do songsters have the music as well as the words? If so I would very much like to have the music ... even the notes would be fine as my daughter can play from notes even if I can't.

For Fergie: In the lyrics for the Glendalough Saint, 1st verse .. 4th line .... is it possible that the last word is 'disquiety' instead of disparity? Seems to me that both the sense and the rhyme would be improved.
Edmund

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: GUEST,Bobby Bob, Ellan Vannin
Date: 10 Jun 01 - 04:20 PM

For a sung version of the song, Miko Russell sang it on a Topic recording called "The Russell Family of Doolin, County Clare" (Topic 12TS251), recorded in January 1974 in Gussie O'Connor's Bar in Doolin and released on an LP in 1975. The album featured four songs by Miko, and Miko playing his flute and whistle, brother Pakie playing the anglo concertina and another brother, Gussie, playing the whistle.

I'm afraid I don't know whether this has been re-released on CD, though other Miko Russell material has been.

Shoh slaynt,

Bobby Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Snuffy
Date: 10 Jun 01 - 07:47 PM

I don't believe either "disparity" or "disquiety" are real words, but I think the Dubliners sang "disparity" because "disparagement" doesn't rhyme.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 11 Jun 01 - 10:10 AM

Edmund:

In general, songsters had words only. That said, I haven't had a chance to look properly yet.

Regards

p.s. On the other song.... I'd settle for "asperity"!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Fergie
Date: 13 Jun 01 - 01:16 PM

asperity is correct

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Edmund
Date: 22 Jun 01 - 01:00 AM

St Kevin Asks King O'Toole for a "shock" ... is that the same as a "smoke"? Since he ends up with a pipe, I have assumed it does mean a smoke. Correct?

My father was in the US Navy stationed in Ireland in WW One and once asked a guy there why he smoked a clay pipe. "For the convenience of it" was the answer. Dad asked him what he meant by that. "If I drop it, I don't have to pick it up." .......... Edmund

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Brían
Date: 25 Jul 01 - 10:24 PM

Edmund, I found the answer to your question. A seach den phíopa (pronounced, shookh dun FEEP-uh) is "a turn at the pipe". This is the sort of detail you won't find in a typical music hall song.

Brían.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Edmund
Date: 03 Aug 01 - 06:49 PM

Thanks so much, Brian ... I just sent you a personal message ............ Edmund

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: MMario
Date: 01 Jul 02 - 12:45 PM

tune?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: MMario
Date: 18 Jul 02 - 08:29 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 07 Dec 04 - 11:00 PM

Found it in Folksongs and Ballads Popular in Ireland, Volume 3, Ossian. If I don't post in the next coupla days then I'm sure that others will have this. My copy is borrowed.

Regards, John

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 08 Dec 04 - 07:41 AM

Sorry, should have mentioned earlier that the song I have is THE GLENDALOUGH SAINT. Is the tune in fact missing for this particular song?

Regards, John

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: MMario
Date: 08 Dec 04 - 08:53 AM

John - looks like you have the tune for one version at least - suspect that the 'St Kevan and King O'Toole' uses a different one...but I've been fooled before!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St Kaven (sp?)
From: Brían
Date: 27 Sep 05 - 09:19 AM

Serendipity placed a copy of the Russel Family recording in my hands. My low-tech fingers will attempt a ABC of this. Tle melody sounds like a polka. The words match Edmund's version well. I will trace this thread to add tune at my convenience.

B