origins: the two carrick smashers

Subject: the two carrick smashers
From: GUEST,tanners
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 07:06 AM

there is a song called THE TWO CARRICK SMASHERS very popular in the town of carrick-on-suir co.tipperary ireland.It is obviously based on an older music hall song,maybe something like THE TWO BARNSLEY BASHERS.This is just a wild guess.I would be grateful if anyone out there could help me to track down the original song.

Subject: RE: the two carrick smashers
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 07:12 AM

It's the Ashton Mashers in the DT but I always knew it as Rochdale Mashers. Back Preston Street is replaced with 'Down Yorkshire Street'. Hope this helps.

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: the two carrick smashers
From: Scrump
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 10:02 AM

There was another thread on this a while back - it was written by the Brothers Malone, a music-hall act who wrote various versions of it "The X-town Mashers" including Ashton, Oldham and Rochdale, as already mentioned by DtG. I assume the Irish version was derived from the same source - maybe the Brothers Malone toured Ireland (in fact from their name they were probably Irish anyway), or maybe someone took it over there and rewrote it for the local market?

The late great Harry Boardman recorded a version of the Ashton Mashers preceded with the original song called "We are the Brothers Malone" from which the Mashers song evolved.

It was also recorded by Fivepenny Piece and it's available on their latest EMI compilation CD. Their version says "Down Stamford Street" rather than "Back Preston Street" - I've never heard anyone sing the latter although it's in DT (Stamford Street is the main street in Ashton). The Oldham Tinkers recorded Rochdale Mashers, too.

If anyone knows of any other versions, or recordings, I'd be interested.

Subject: RE: the two carrick smashers
From: MartinRyan
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 06:43 PM

Scrump

There's a version (or two) of The Brothers Malone somewhere around here - I used to hear it regularly in Athlone. Haven't heard the --- Mashers.

Regards

Subject: RE: the two carrick smashers
From: MartinRyan
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 06:45 PM

Click here for an earlier thread on The Brothers Malone. Looks like I promised to try to remember the words - and forgot!

The two songs are clearly related OK

Regards

Subject: RE: origins: the two carrick smashers
From: GUEST,Terry B - PNE
Date: 02 Oct 11 - 04:06 PM

My Mum and Dad used to sing "We are two Preston Mashers" on a Saturday night after they had had a good time at the pub in the 1950's. Of course it is said that the "Steamer" referred to the pub in Preston - that pub just happens to be in the part of Preston known as Ashton.

My parents were both Prestonians. However, they use to enjoy the company of Scots in the pubs and so also use to sing "I belong to Glasga"