Tune Req: Old Dungarvan Oak

Subject: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: dulcimer
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 07:44 AM

I would like either midi or abc or internet source for this tune. Thanks

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvan Oak
From: Felipa
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 09:12 AM

If you are doing web searches, it will help to spell "Dungarvan" with an "a" at the end. Also, apparently there is a recording of the song on which the label mistakenly reads "Old Dungannon Oak", and the song is derived from the "Carmarthen Oak"

See this thread: Old Dungannon Oak
"... I might be able to help on the story of The Dungarvan Oak v. The Carmarthen Oak. One of Frank Hennessy's early songwriting success'was a recording of his song The Gypsy by an Irish singer called I think, Dermot Henry. Another Hennessy song was requested for his follow up. At the time he hadn't a suitable Irish flavoured song, but he did have The Carmarthen Oak, which tells of a local legend. So,the title was changed to Dungarvan Oak, because it fitted and Hennessy had conections with the area, a couple of words of the chorus were changed, and hey presto, another big Irish hit!. It has since been recorded by The Bards, that too was a hit.The strange thing is that some people now believe that there is a legend about an Oak tree in Dungarvan. Out of this legends are born!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: Big Tim
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 02:08 PM

The background to some apparently straightforward and obvious songs is quite amazing: this seems to be one of them.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: dulcimer
Date: 27 Jun 03 - 08:08 AM

After searching the internet, apparently it is not to be heard.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: GUEST,jeannie James
Date: 06 May 12 - 09:40 AM

apparently Daniel O'Donnell has recorded this, but I am trying to get a backing track and sheet music

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: beachcomber
Date: 07 May 12 - 06:59 AM

The man who wrote it, Music and Lyric , Frank Hennessy, worked as a presenter with BBC Wales Radio, perhaps he still does ? He was a good singer too.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE OLD DUNGARVAN OAK
From: GUEST,John Condon
Date: 07 May 12 - 07:57 AM

THE OLD DUNGARVAN OAK

C
As I roved out one morning
    F
Going to Dungarvan Fair
                C
I spied a pretty maiden
                         G
With the sunlight in her hair
   C
Her way was so delightful
   F
Her voice rang like a bell
             C                               
And as I overtook her
G                C
I asked if she was well


Chorus
   G
Lay down your woollen shawl me love
C               F
I swear it is no joke
                        C
And I'll tell to you the story of
   G                 C
The Old Dungarvan Oak


As we approached Dungarvan
The girl at me did stare
And she asked me why I raised my hat
To a tree so old and bare
I told her of the legend
If the tree should e'er come down
There'd be a great disaster
And Dungarvan would be drowned

CHORUS

Then she started laughing
My face grew very red
And she said that only fools believed
What those old legends said
Her laughter was contagious
For the truth to you I'll tell
By the time I reached the market place
I began to laugh as well

CHORUS

As I sit here by my fireside
It's the autumn of my life
And the darling girl I met that day
Is now my darling wife
I have a lovely daughter
And a son to push my yoke
And all because I raised my hat
To the Old Dungarvan Oak

CHORUS

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: Splott Man
Date: 08 May 12 - 03:56 AM

Frank Hennessy is still broadcasting on Sunday nights with Celtic Heartbeat.
And very good it is too.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 08 May 12 - 04:13 AM

Try here Jeannie



http://www.emeraldtracks.com/search/SearchCategory.do?category=Irish Country&offset=80

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: GUEST,Donal
Date: 12 Feb 19 - 05:58 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=864__wof508

An original about Abbeyside Dungarvan.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: Acorn4
Date: 12 Feb 19 - 06:43 PM

I think I might be able to help solve this one.

A singer at our local club often does the song. We went over to Ireland last year and on the way back to the ferry passing through co Waterford we saw Dungarvan signposted so we thought we've got a bit of time left, let's go and investigate.

A lovely place and we really enjoyed going around the museum, but could find no info at all on the oak tree.

The plot thickened a bit later when we met a friend of ours Taff Brissenden at Shrewsbury in a singaround he had organised. He did a song called "The Old Carmarthen Oak" which was exactly the some except for the substitution of name of the town.

It turned out that Frank Hennesey wrote the song as "The Old Carmarthen Oak" - I think the confusion might have arisen as he has an Irish sounding name but in fact the song was written about Carmarthen.

It would seem that Daniel O' Donnell is the villain in all this for blatant plagiarism as I believe he credits himself with the writing of the song.

Is it just a case of these Celts shamelessly stealing stuff from each other?

If you are visiting Dungarvan I can recommend taking a detour of the main road but you won't find the celebrated oak.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarven Oak
From: GUEST,Alan Ross
Date: 13 Feb 19 - 06:07 AM

At no stage has Daniel O' Donnell stolen this work. It was re-titled from Old Camarthen Oak - bur correctly credited to F. Hennessy. Sadly the Irish often steal works by changing the title then it doesn't match up with the song registration. This happened with 'Say you love me', spuriously changed from its 1950's title 'I've waited as long as I can' by Hylo Brown (that one is copyright theft by others, not Daniel). Irish country and folk musicians have a terrible habit of replacing place names with their own localities, and then claiming the rights. Daniel did not. My father wrote one of the songs on 'From the Heart', the album which this was released on, and at no point has it been credited to Daniel on there releases, just Mr. Hennessy. What other idiots and autobots on the Internet have done to songwriters' credits is almost beyond control. What you said about Daniel is defamation and a falsehood.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: Acorn4
Date: 13 Feb 19 - 06:33 AM

Twas only said tongue in cheek but I withdraw the remark in that case.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: GUEST,Alan Ross
Date: 13 Feb 19 - 07:22 AM

I know it's easy to confuse roles.. my great annoyance Is this thing on the Internet of saying for example, 'Old Dungarven Oak' by Daniel O' Donnell. Ok the recording is by him, but not the song. They blur the performer with the writer. It really infuriates me. It's not the artist at fault, and has nothing to do with songwriting credits. It's the way autobots and the Internet have devalued songwriters or often get it wrong where they put the artist and song together without mentioning the writers.   I can assure you that Daniel isn't credited with the song.. only Frank Hennessy. Though no doubt it'll have been nicked by someone here and there assuming that 'it's an old Irish folk song', when it's nothing of the kind!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: Acorn4
Date: 13 Feb 19 - 11:57 AM

Found this which I hope clarifies things:-

"The writer of the song is broadcaster/singer/songwriter Frank Hennessy from Cardiff. As you would expect, Frank is from a Cardiff Irish family, and I believe he gave his permission for the lyrics of 'The Old Carmarthen Oak' to be changed. There really was an ancient oak tree in Carmarthen town, called Merlin's Oak; when it was removed in the 80s the worst floods for over a century followed."

My apologies therefore to Daniel. As you say a lot of the lyric sites provide misleading info.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Old Dungarvon Oak
From: Acorn4
Date: 13 Feb 19 - 12:01 PM

The Old Dungarvan Oak