Lyr Req: After Aughrim's Great Disaster

Subject: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: GUEST,theTREE
Date: 14 Sep 06 - 04:38 PM

I'm searching for lyric's for the song "After Aughrim's Great Disaster." It is sung on a Liam O'Flynn album, "Out To An Other Side" (Tara Records LTD, 1993). Nice men's a capella harmony.

Subject: RE: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: Effsee
Date: 14 Sep 06 - 04:47 PM

From an old thread:-

After Aughrim's great disaster,
When the foe in sooth was master,
Twas you who first rushed in and swam the Shannon's fearful flood,
And through Slieveloom's dark passes,
You wove your gallowglasses,
Although the hungry Saxon wolves were howling for our blood.
And as you crossed Tip'rary,
You rised the Clan O'Leary,
And drove a crack before them as their horsemen onward came,
With our swords and spears we gored them,
As through flood and light we bored them,
Ah, but Sean o Duibhir an Ghleanna, we were worsted in the game.

Long, long we kept the hillside,
Our couch hard by the rill-side,
The sturdy knotted oaken bough our curtain overhead,
The summer's blaze we laughed at,
The winter snows we scoffed at,
And trusted in our long steel swords to win us daily bread.
'Til the Dutchman's troops came round us,
With fire and sword they bound us,
They fired the woods and mountains 'til the very clouds were flame,
Yet our sharped swords cut through them
In their very hearts we them hewed them,
Ah, but Sean O Duibhir an Ghleanna, we were worsted in the game.

Here's a health to your and my king,
The monarch of our liking,
And to Sarsfield underneath whose flag, we'll cast once more a chance,
For the morning dawn will wing us
Across the sea and bring us,
To take our stand and wield a brand among the sons of France,
And though we part in sorrow,
Still Sean O Duibhir an Ghleanna,
Our prayer is God save Ireland and pour blessings on her name,
May her sons be true and needed,
May they never feel as we did,
Ah, Sean o Duibhir an Ghleanna, we were worsted in the game.

Written by Patrick Augustine Canon Sheehan (d. 1913) and as sung by Kevin Mitchell. (Caution: the odd word may be wrong.)

Subject: RE: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: GUEST,Jack Campin
Date: 14 Sep 06 - 05:30 PM

You can find that in Patrick Galvin's "Irish Songs of Resistance" (which I have a copy of somewhere).

Subject: RE: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: Amos
Date: 14 Sep 06 - 05:46 PM

Lovely, and thanks!

A

Subject: RE: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: GUEST,CS sans cookie
Date: 14 Sep 06 - 07:47 PM

I think that you will find that the line should read "And drove a creagh before them....

A creagh was a human shield of captured livestock, women and children which was occasionally used by ill mannered and bad tempered revolting natives in the bad old days.   It was placed in front of an advancing army to discourage attack

Subject: RE: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: Sorcha
Date: 14 Sep 06 - 08:51 PM

There is also a lovely tune called After the Battle of Aughrim

Subject: RE: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: GUEST,Jerry O'Reilly
Date: 15 Sep 06 - 01:11 AM

Canon Sheehan of Doneraile places the action of the song in the Williamite wars of 1689-91, but according Donal O'Sullivan in Songs of the Irish "John O'Dwyer of the Glen" was the third son Darby O'Dwyer (died 1629)who was chief of the O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh and lived at Cloniharp Castle near Dundrum Co. Tipperary. The glen referred to is supposed to be the Glen of Aherlow. Little is known of his history but his cousin Colonel Edmund O'Dwyer operated in Tipperary, Limerick and Waterford against the Cromwellian forces in the period 1649-1652. This may possibly be who Canon Sheehan had in mind even though he placed him in the "wrong war".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: GUEST,Proinsias Barrertt, Tipperary.
Date: 21 Apr 10 - 03:22 PM

Hello, a few mistakes there in the song lyrics. This is the version i use which makes a bit mor sense:
1) It was you who first plunged in and swam the shannons boiling flood
And through Slieve-Bloom's (mountain range in Tipperary) dark passes, you led your Gallowglasses (big mercenary's of scottish origin)although the hungry Saxon wolves were howling for your blood
2) And drove a 'creacht'(irish for a herd of cattle) before them as their horsemen onward came
With sword and speer we gore them, as through flood and fire we'd worn them....

P.B.

Subject: Lyr Add: SHAUN O'DWYER AGLANNA (P A Sheehan)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 07:23 AM

From Werner's Readings and Recitations, Volume 44 compiled and arranged by Elise West (New York: Edgar S. Werner & Company, 1908), page 92:

[I have put in boldface the words that are different from the above version.]


SHAUN O'DWYER AGLANNA.
Canon P. A. Sheehan.

After Aughrim's great disaster,
When our foe, in sooth, was master,
It was you that first plunged in and swam
    The Shannon's boiling flood;
And through Slieve Bloom's dark passes,
You led our Gallowglasses,
Altho' the hungry Saxon wolves
    Were howling for our blood.
And as we crossed Tipperary,
We revived the clan O'Leary,
And drove a creacht before us,
    As our horsemen southward came.
With our spears and swords we gored them,
As through flood and flight we bore them,
Still, Shaun O'Dwyer achorra,
    We're worsted in the game.

Long, long we kept the hillside,
Our couch hard by the rill-side,
The sturdy knotty oaken boughs,
    Our curtains overhead;
The summer's blaze we laughed at,
The winter's snow we scoffed at,
And trusted to our long steel swords
    To win us daily bread;
Till the Dutchman's troops came round us,
In fire and steel they bound us;
They blazed the woods and mountains
    Till the very clouds were flame;
Yet our sharpened swords cut through them,
In their very heart we hewed them—
Oh! Shaun O'Dwyer achorra,
    We're worsted in the game.

Here's a health to your and my King,
The Sovereign of our liking;
And to Sarsfield, underneath whose flag
    We cast once more a chance;
For the morning's dawn will bring us
Across the seas, and wing us
To take our stand, and wield a brand
    Among the sons of France.
And though we part in sorrow,
Still, Shaun O'Dwyer achorra,
Our prayer is: "God save Ireland!
    And pour blessings on her name!"
May her sons be true when needed—
May they never feel as we did.
For, Shaun O'Dwyer aglanna,
    We're worsted in the game.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: GUEST,^&*
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 02:32 PM

We revived the clan O'Leary

should read

"we reived the clan O'Leary"

i.e. raided, plundered.

achorra is a clumsy anglicisation of "a chara" lit. O (my) friend.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: Paul Burke
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 04:07 PM

Memory problewms - I thought it went

After Aughrim's great disaster,
When my leg was still in plaster...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 10:42 PM

GUEST,^&*: I suppose you're right about rieved, but my source does say revived. Now that annoys me: it makes me wonder whether all those other textual differences I so carefully documented were worth the trouble.

It also struck me as odd that, comparing the 2 versions, some of the pronouns are different:

your vs. our
you vs. we
them vs. us

But since I am ignorant of the history behind this song, as well as the Gaelic song that this English song was supposedly based on, I am unable to judge which version makes more sense.

Can anyone else clarify these discrepancies?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: GUEST,^&*
Date: 25 Apr 10 - 03:58 AM

Hi Jim

It's one of those cases where the poem and the song have separate lives, I reckon. I'll check on the original publication of Sheehan's work later - but many of those who sing the piece would be unaware of its literary origins and would instinctively personalise (or folk-process, if you like) the song. Anthologies of Irish poetry, for that matter, were often none too scrupulous about sources, even when they knew the origins - so slight variations are not unexpected there either.

The original Gaelic song (which, as it happens, I have been singing again lately after a lapse of many years) is not really related. All that comes across to the English is a few phrases and a little of the original mood.

p.s. It's reived not rieved - which rather proves the point! ;>)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: After Aughrim's Great Disaster
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Apr 10 - 04:14 PM

Aargh!

Wikipedia agrees with your spelling in their article on Border Reivers.

However, Google book search using "We * the clan O'Leary" finds rieved (twice), rived, revived, and broke.

Go figure.