18 Aug 11 - 08:17 PM (#3209165) Subject: Origins: They Wounded Old Ireland From: Joe Offer I received an e-mail from somebody who alleges that Andy M. Stewart wrote "They Wounded Old Ireland." I know that Andy's songbook, The Andy M. Stewart Collection, has the song - but some of the songs in the book were not written by Stewart. Does anyone know the songwriter's name for certain, and can you correct the Digital Tradition lyrics that are posted below? In the album notes for Stewart's By the Hush album, it says that words and music were written by Andy M. Stewart
Thanks. -Joe- THEY WOUNDED OLD IRELAND Come gather 'round you freeborn men And draw your chairs to mine. And I'll tell you of my country, That you might understand. And of the English armies, That marched in for to stay. Oh that night they wounded Old Ireland, And she's bleeding to this day. Their dogs of war were loosed to run And hunt the rebels down They hoped to rule this land by fear And hold it for the Crown But a mighty thought was born in Men When they killed James Connely Oh that night they wounded Old Ireland And she's bleeding to this day. The Border lies like an open wound That only love can heal For bitterness and cruelty They will never close the weal The mean of vision built a dream Which the blind men stole away Ah that night they wounded old Ireland And she's bleeding to this day. My heart it holds a vision clear That thousands more can see Of Ireland free from hatred And death and bigotry Where Irishman to Irishman Can in friends clasp a hand If we banish fright from the Ulster night Then we'll free Old Ireland. Copyright Mark Westphal @Irish @rebel filename[ WOUNDIRE MW oct97 You'll find a collection of Mark Westphal songs and poems on this page (click). Note that "They Wounded" isn't on the list. |
21 Aug 11 - 03:39 PM (#3210503) Subject: RE: Origins: They Wounded Old Ireland From: GUEST,Andy M Stewart I am the writer of both words and music of "They Wounded Old Ireland" published by Strathmore Music and Film Services , Worldwide. Registered by MCPS in the UK and Harry Fox Agency in the US. The album it first appeared on was by me and entitled "By the Hush", it won folk album of the year in 1983 and a separate award ,presented by the ex Prime Minister of Britain James Callaghan and given to me personally in London. The talentless and arrogant ass Mark Westphal has claimed the copyright. I want an an immediate apology, and dissolution of this false claim or I will sue him and all others associated with this fraud. Sincerely Andy M Stewart.
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21 Aug 11 - 06:29 PM (#3210566) Subject: RE: Origins: They Wounded Old Ireland From: Noreen Is Mark Westphal the MW who submitted these words to the Digital Tradition? How odd... |
22 Aug 11 - 01:05 AM (#3210692) Subject: RE: Origins: They Wounded Old Ireland From: Joe Offer I don't for a moment believe that the message above was written by Andy M. Stewart. It is quite different from the cordial tone of the correspondence I had with his agent this last week. I don't know how the Digital Tradition came to attribute the song to Mark Westphal, but I guess a resource is only as accurate as its sources. Here is the text of an e-mail I received from Mark Westphal: Joe, I did not write "They Wounded Old Ireland" I did write: Pick Up Your Rifle My Father Once Said to Me NINA Best Regards, Mark Westphal |
22 Aug 11 - 02:25 AM (#3210719) Subject: RE: Origins: They Wounded Old Ireland From: GUEST,999 Great. We got two guests (now three). What is the question? |
22 Aug 11 - 03:41 AM (#3210734) Subject: RE: Origins: They Wounded Old Ireland From: Musket The question appears to be; Who can throw the most jingoism into revision of history? |
22 Aug 11 - 10:23 AM (#3210866) Subject: RE: Origins: They Wounded Old Ireland From: GUEST,leeneia But Ian, it says on right on the album notes that it's Andy's prayer for peace. Don't you believe it? Well, I don't either. |
22 Aug 11 - 06:35 PM (#3211112) Subject: RE: Origins: They Wounded Old Ireland From: GUEST,DonMeixner I don't know if the song is intended to be anything but a well written song. Is it revisionist history? How so? D BYW: All history is open to revision on a minute by minute basis. Someone opens a trunk and finds an old letter and more facts come to light. Events don't change but cause and effect does. Just today I read that the Great Depression would probably have been several years shorter in the US had FDR not meddled in the economy. |