Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat

Subject: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: GUEST,Peter Fitz
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 04:30 PM

Back in the 1930s we had a phonograph record of this song (MY OLD SKILLARA HAT or ME AULD SKILLARA HAT). It had a number of stanzas, each one followed by the same chorus. One of the stanzas was the following:

I met the king of England a week ago today,
He shook me warmly by the had and asked me home to "tay."
"Begobs," says he, "I'm glad to see you're looking so fine and fat."
All the while he didn't know me in me old skillara hat.

CHORUS: Sure it was worn by me father and his father on down at the fair,
Where all the boys and pretty girls were sure to be oh there.
It was built a hundred years ago, and a "divil" a worse for that,
A regular lady-dazzler is me old skillara hat.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 06:04 PM

Surprisingly hard to find. I have heard it occasionally over the years. I see it listed as "My old skilara hat" - but nowhere I can get hold of. Odd. Must try "auld"...

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Nov 04 - 06:07 PM

That's it "My auld skillara" turns it up in a few old Walton's songbooks. I'll dig one out if it doesn't appear here soon.

Regards

Subject: Lyr Add: MY AULD KILLARNEY HAT
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Nov 04 - 10:50 PM

MY AULD KILLARNEY HAT, sung by Sister Mary Gertrude, can be found on 3 "various artists" albums:
"The Irish Folk Collection, Vol. 3," St. Clair CD #7199, 2001.
"Wild Irish Rose," St. Clair CD #7155, 2001.
"Green Velvet, Vol. 4," St. Clair CD #7219, 2001.

MY AULD KILLARNEY HAT
As recorded by Sister Mary Gertrude.

1. When first I left Killarney’s lakes to venture o’er the sea,
My poor old father shook my hand and sadly said to me:
"You're leaving us tomorrow and I'm going to miss you, Pat,
And all I've got to give you is my old Killarney hat."

CHORUS: Sure it's as green as Killarney and as deep as Galway Bay.
It's as elegant and graceful as a cock of new-mown hay.
It's been kicked and hacked and walked on, but it's divil the worse for that.
It's my crowning touch of elegance, my old Killarney hat.

2. I prospered in America, and soon I made my pile.
One day up to the White House I wandered all in style.
The president said: "'Twould make you think of quitting to mend(?) his hat.
You'll always know Pat Reilly by his old Killarney hat." CHORUS

3. Last March I led the big parade on great Saint Patrick's day.
Lord save us! How the people cheered and how the bands did play!
But the sight that took their breath away and nearly knocked them flat
Was the bunch of shamrocks shining in my old Killarney hat. CHORUS

4. And now I’m going back again across the ocean wide
To see once more the dear old place I left when but a child.
My hair has greyed a little bit; I’ve grown a trifle fat,
But they’ll know me when they see me by my old Killarney hat. CHORUS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 12:23 PM

I think the record Peter Fitz refers to is John Sheridan's MY AULD SKILLARA HAT backed by COME BACK, PADDY REILLY, TO BALLYJAMESDUFF issued on (English) Regal Zonophone MR.1744 some time before 1938.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 12:25 PM

Oh dear, I see I'm down as Guest at 12.23PM. Must get my cookie back. Billy Weeks

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: Billy Weeks
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 12:27 PM

That's better!

Subject: Lyr Add: MY AULD SKILLARA HAT
From: Frank Maher
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 01:43 PM

Now Patsy Byrne may brag about the hat his father wore.
No doubt it was a gay cobeen in the merry days of yore,
But now it's a little bit out of date and let me tell you that
It couldn't hold a candle to me auld skillara hat.

CHORUS: Sure 'twas worn by me father at the patterns and the fairs,
Where all the boys and pretty girls were sure to be all there.
It was built a hundred years ago and it's little a worse be that,
For a regular lady dazzler is me auld skillara hat.

Walking down the street the other night the royal house to see,
Sure all the boys from Golden Haith kept shoutin' after me:
"There goes the Duke of Charrolberg and he's an aristocrat!"
For the boys they didn't know me with me auld skillara hat. CHORUS

I met the king of England a week ago today.
He shook me warmly by the hand and he asked me home to tay.
"Well then Pat," says he, "sure I'm glad to see you're looking so fine and fat,"
And all the time he kept looking at me auld skillara hat. CHORUS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 09:22 AM

This page says that the words to MY OLD SKILLARA HAT appear in "Walton's New Treasury of Irish Songs and Ballads 2."

Funny thing: if you Google with "Skillara", all you find are (1) references to the song (with varying spelling of OLD/AULD/OULD); and (2) the obscure expression "Skilla and skillara!" in a discussion of the World Cup at a Jamaican forum.

Can anyone explain what "Skillara" means?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: GUEST,Brian
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 11:10 AM

I must admit I scanned through my Focloir and I can't figure what the heck a skillara is.

Brian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: MartinRyan
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 11:47 AM

The Killarney one seems to have been written by Leo Maguire - published under his name in the 1950's. I haven't seen any earlier trace of it.

Not sure about the origins of the "Skil(l)ara" one, as yet

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: Frank Maher
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 04:20 PM

I wonder does it have anything to do with the Price of the Hat....
Scilling is Irish for Shilling!!Just a Thought!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: GUEST,Criostóir
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 08:53 PM

Here's my tuppence worth. I reckon the word 'skillara' (or various other spellings of it that I've seen) is a corruption of the Irish word 'scoláire' meaning scholar.

Nollaig Shona dhíobh go léir/Merry Xmas to all!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: Snuffy
Date: 07 Dec 04 - 08:22 AM

Is it not a place - like Homburg, Panama, Glengarry etc?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: Brían
Date: 08 Dec 04 - 07:10 PM

I asked a Native Speaker about the song and the word Skillara. She was familiar with the song, but she couldn't make sense of the word. I checked seanruad.com but couldn't find any place named Skillara. Anyone else want to have a try? Scoláire doesn't make sense in the context of the song.

Brían

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: MartinRyan
Date: 09 Dec 04 - 02:57 AM

"A mythical placename" is my best bet until I see firsthand evidence!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: Brían
Date: 09 Dec 04 - 10:45 AM

Thanks, Martin!

Brían

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Aug 17 - 11:55 AM

YouTube has 2 recordings of MY AULD SKILLARA HAT from old 78-rpm records: by John Sheridan and by The McNulty Family, plus a video of a recent live performance by Eamonn McGirr & Jim Larkin.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Old Skillara Hat
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Jan 19 - 09:19 AM

I agree it's probably from 'scoláire', it probably refers to a graduation cap or scholar's hat.