Any old (Irish) iron?

Subject: Any old (Irish) iron?
From: MartinRyan
Date: 13 Jun 02 - 05:32 PM

While looking for possible DTStudy candidates, I came across the song "Any Old Iron?" in the DT. It's listed as Irish. Anyone know why?

Regards

Subject: RE: Any old (Irish) iron?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 13 Jun 02 - 05:52 PM

Well, it has been suggested that costermongers were originally Irish - as indicated by a quote in Ben Jonson's -play "The Alchemist", back in the early 1600s "Her father was an Irish costermonger"...

And costermongers of course have been the archetypical cockneys, and Harry Champion who sang this song was the archetypical cockney...

And that's about as strong a case for "Any Old Iron" being Irish as I think can be cobbled together.

Subject: RE: Any old (Irish) iron?
From: MartinRyan
Date: 13 Jun 02 - 05:54 PM

Cobblers....?

Regards

Subject: RE: Any old (Irish) iron?
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 13 Jun 02 - 08:56 PM

G'day Martin and McGrath,

Looking only at documentary sources ('m on the other side of the world ... but interested in the sources of Australian [unwilling] migration) I seem to remember Mayhew commenting, in one of his 1850 books, that many of the London costermongers were Irish - because it was an easily accessible (if scanty) living for newly-arrived, displaced people ... and this was just after the Great Famine!

However, selling apples doesn't take much capital or property ... dealing in junk and old iron needs: somewhere to put it (property) and enough money to afford to buy and hold before reselling (capital) - so I would expect that lay to be more local.

Of course, the song may be made up by Irish costermongers, on a slow day!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Any old (Irish) iron?
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Jun 02 - 09:05 PM

See thread 47898 (clicky below). All is explained there. The "Irish" was a mistake. The song is as English as "Boiled Beef and Carrots."
Old Iron

Subject: RE: Any old (Irish) iron?
From: MartinRyan
Date: 14 Jun 02 - 03:18 AM

Thanks, Dicho. Hadn't noticed that thread.

Regards

Subject: RE: Any old (Irish) iron?
From: Declan
Date: 14 Jun 02 - 04:59 AM

Of course it could be a song about Norn' Iron :>)

Subject: RE: Any old (Irish) iron?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Jun 02 - 06:38 AM

But isn't boiled beef and carrots a traditional Irish delicacy anyway?