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09 Jan 10 - 01:37 PM (#2807589) Subject: Tune Req: The Wexford Insurgent - tune anyone? From: GUEST I recently came across a song called The Wexford Insurgent but cannot find an air for it. In many sources it is given as a translation from the Irish and one publication is dated as far back as 1828, so it must have been written close to the time of the Wexford 1798 rebellion. (The Catholic miscellany and monthly repository of information, Volume 7) Any more information about this song (and ideally the tune!) would be greatly appreciated. |
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13 Jan 10 - 08:23 PM (#2811403) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Wexford Insurgent - tune anyone? From: seamasmac Anybody any thoughts on this at all? Sorry, but I didn't realise I wasn't signed in when I posted it. |
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14 Jan 10 - 03:13 AM (#2811571) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Wexford Insurgent - tune anyone? From: MartinRyan There's no sign of it in Terry Moylan's The Age of Revolution in the Irish Song Tradition - and I don't think it's in Zimmerman's book, offhand. I'll check out your link later. Regards |
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14 Jan 10 - 06:32 AM (#2811633) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Wexford Insurgent - tune anyone? From: MartinRyan Interesting one alright. I suspect it was never a song - and would be sceptical of the "Translated from the Irish" claim. To me, the whole poetic sensibility of the piece is mainstream English of the time. Given its date (1828), it seems to anticipate the Spirit of the NaTION genre of Davis and his contemporaries in The Nation. The pseudonym Hibernicus, of course, means "An Irishman" and seems to have been used a lot in the 19th C. Regards |
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14 Jan 10 - 06:33 AM (#2811635) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Wexford Insurgent - tune anyone? From: MartinRyan p.s. there's a whiff of "The Wounded Hussar" about it, isn't there? Regards |
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15 Jan 10 - 06:05 AM (#2812467) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Wexford Insurgent - tune anyone? From: seamasmac You may well be right about the false claims of Irish language origin Martin. For one, I don't know of any extant songs written in Irish about Wexford in 1798 (though that may be due to my ignorance more than their non-existence!). I also found it curious that the alleged 'translation' contained the word 'Sasnach' but no other hint of Gaeilge and indeed that the whole song is in rhyming couplets which would be quite unusual in songs of that time I would have thought - suggesting that it may well have been without a tune. |
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15 Jan 10 - 06:17 AM (#2812476) Subject: ADD: The Wexford Insurgent (Hibernicus) From: Joe Offer Well, here's the song text: SONG OF THE WEXFORD INSURGENT Translated from the Irish THE heroes of Wexford have burst through their chains, And the voice of the freeman is loud o'er her plains, The Sassenachs are broken, their horsemen have fled, And the pride of their host on the mountain are dead. For roused is the blood of the hold Shilmalier, - The pride of the conflict when foemen are near, - And the heroes of Bargy and Bantry are there, In the shock ever foremost in flight in the rear. Oh soon will the hearths of the traitors be lone, And their halls but re-echo the shriek and the groan And the red flame shall burst thro' their roofs to the sky For the hour of freedom and vengeance is nigh. The men of the mountains are down in the vale, And the flags of Shelburne are loose to the gale, - And though gentle the Forth yet her sons never slight, For the mildest in peace are oft boldest in fight.V The cold-blooded Sassenach is low on the hill, Like the red rock he presses, as lone, and as chill; There pulseless and cold, the pale beams of the moon Show the deep-riven breast of the fallen dragoon: And low lies his charger, his bosom all torn, And from the dark helmet the horse hair is shorn, And the hearts of the great, and the brave, and the proud, Have been trampled in death when the battle was loud. Oh! long in fair England each maiden may mourn, The pride of her bosom shall never return, His heart's blood is scattered, his last prayer is said, And the dark raven flaps his wild wing o'er his head. Yes, long she may call him from battle in vain, The sight of her lover she ne'er shall regain, - All cold is his bosom, and crimson his brow, And the night wind is sighing its dirge o'er him now! HIBERNICUS Source: The Catholic miscellany and monthly repository of information, Volume 7 (1828), page 46. |
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18 Jan 10 - 07:55 AM (#2814839) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Wexford Insurgent - tune anyone? From: MartinRyan The plot thickens: It's included in Paddy Berry's "Wexford Ballads", with the following note: Translated from the Irish of Michael Og O'Longain. Taken from a book of '98 ballads published by the '98 Commemoraton Association - Editor, Patrick Toibin, Enniscorthy, 1938 I know I've seen the Tobin publication at some stage - I may have a copy of it about. If so, I'll check it for further details. Regards |
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29 Apr 10 - 11:14 AM (#2896702) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Wexford Insurgent - tune anyone? From: seamasmac I found another source of this song last week in the Irish Traditional Music Archive, which gave the tune to it as An Rógaire Dubh (The Black Rogue) which is listed on The Session. It seems a bit too bright for my liking though and I've started singing it to the air of The Munster War song. I'll ask Paddy Berry next time I see him if he's got an air for it. James. |
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29 Apr 10 - 04:37 PM (#2896858) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Wexford Insurgent - tune anyone? From: GUEST,^&* Yeah - I can hear it going to An Rogaire Dubh alright. By "The Munster War Song, I take it you mean Rosc Catha na Mumhan? I can see how it would fit there too - but I think the Rogaire Dubh one, slowed down somewhat, gives a more jaded, non-heroic feel to it. |
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21 Oct 11 - 12:51 PM (#3242562) Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Wexford Insurgent - tune anyone? From: seamasmac After all that, here it is: Click here |