Lyr Add: Flight of the Earls

Subject: Lyr Add: Flight of the Earls
From: Fliss
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 06:59 PM

Flight of the Earls

Beside the campfire's fitful blaze,
Amid the forest drear,
I picture in the dying rays
The home to me so dear;
The lowly cot, the leaping stream,
The spire upon the hill;
I see them as I lie & dream,
My heart is with them still.

Middle verse is:

To my green isle my thoughts return,
Sweet Erin ever blest,
For thy deep valleys oft I yearn,
Wherein my kindred rest;
The shamrock springs within my heart
When Patrick's day is nigh,
For though from home and friends apart
To them fomd mem'ries fly.

The loving hearts I've left behind
With mine in exile beat;
A joyous welcome sure I'll find
When there someday we meet.
Oh haste, ye weary laggard years,
And speed me o'er the foam,
To greet again, 'midst happy tears,
My native land! My home!

Words & music traditional



Was surprised to find it wasnt in the DT already.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flight of the Earls
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 10:45 AM

Where did you find them, Fliss?

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flight of the Earls
From: An Buachaill Caol Dubh
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 02:39 PM

And what's the melody? It's not just the rhythm, but the kind of sentiment and progression of thought, that makes me think of "The Moon Behind The Hill", to the air "Gramachree" ("The Harp that once..."). There's another song - again, I would guess, nineteenth-century, as I think the above one is - about the "Flight" of the Earls: it goes to "The Boys of Wexford", and begins,

"Across the dark and stormy sea
We speed with swelling sail,
Yet still there lingers on our lea
A phantom Inis Fail;
Oh, fear not ever gentle land
Your sons shall prove untrue,
For, tho' we're flying to a foreign strand,
We leave our hearts with you"

Unfortunately, "Inis Fail" isn't pronounced to rhyme with "sail" but as "Inishfall", and I can't remember whether the pointing has it

"fear not, ever-gentle land" or
"fear not ever, gentle land"

It seems that the term "Flight of the Earls" was coined to imply that O'Neill and O'Donell &c had actually "fled"; it seems that their original intention was to seek aid on the Continent, but that fever took its toll in Rome. Anyway, others better informed than I can doubtless add further details.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flight of the Earls
From: Fliss
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 06:22 PM

Hi Martin
I found them in a song book Ive got. Songs of Ireland Boosey and Hawkes. Its a large green book part of a set of books of songs from around the British Isles. Its in most music shops.

Its tune is very similar to 'The Boys of Wexford', but gentler. Dont know much Gaelic... An Buachaill Caol Dubh - the boy with the black hair? Just looked it up. The dark slender boy:)

There are several other threads at the min about this song. Also it seems a programme on it soon. Hope the History channel shows it.

Im not Irish, but have an Irish surname by marriage and my kids have Irish blood from 2 great grandparents. Over the years Ive read a lot about the history of Ireland, as well as the rest of the British Isles.

slan leat
fliss

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flight of the Earls
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 07:30 PM

Were Boosey and Hawkes the publishers, rather than the authors/compilers? I have one of their books by that name - but the song is not there.

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flight of the Earls
From: DaveA
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 07:33 AM

Re the question as to the melody, I posted a link to a site that had a 50 second piano sample of the tune I was taught in the earlier thread. The sample plays the complete melody for a verse.

It does seem to scan with the lyrics An Buachaill Caol Dubh posted.

Here is the link
http://www.michaelshull.com/aa_blessed.htm

Cheers

Dave

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flight of the Earls
From: Kenny B (inactive)
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 06:19 PM

I use this tune as an intro to the song "Flight of Earls"
ie two for the price of 1 because in my ignorance o Irish history I thought that That the "Flight of Earls" in the song referred to people being pissed off with the dance tune, I now know better

A good old Irish hymn Tune/march

Flight of Earls

Flight of the Earls potted History

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flight of the Earls
From: Fliss
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 07:24 AM

HI Martin

The songbooks are arranged by Margery Hargest Jones and published by Boosey & Hawkes.

ISBN 0 851 62077 9 (on my book. On Website the ISBN is 9780851620770

There is a set of 6 books Englsnd, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, The Americas and Christmas.

http://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/features/seriessubseries.asp?seriesID=45&sender=Dep&HighlightID=15

Hope link helps.

The tune is the same as the Boys of Wexford more or less what Kenny has posted from The Session.
fxx

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flight of the Earls
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Mar 14 - 11:20 PM

I know the tune of Beside The campfires fitful blaze,, if anyone's interested..

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flight of the Earls
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 23 Mar 14 - 08:47 PM

Used to sing this in primary school in Suffolk - over 50 years ago!, so it was probably in that book of Community Songs for Schools, which had songs from all over the UK and Ireland in it. Can't recall if the middle verse was there, but will check my copy of the book when I get home.
My recollection of the tune is similar to that posted by Kenny B, with the exception of the second half of the second line, which had a rising phrase up to the
high D ( same note note as starts the 3rd line) c b a ga bc# d