08 Dec 00 - 01:45 PM (#353781) Subject: Lyr Add: PAT O'BRIEN^^ From: NSC There is a version of this song in the DT but it is incomplete. I got it from the late Rory O'Connor from Doolin Co. Clare. Tim Lyons sings a version of this song but misses the important penultimate verse where Nancy "Dashes blood in his face" PAT O'BRIEN Come all ye lads and lassies and listen to my song, 'Twill only be a few short lines and I won't detain you long. Concerning two fond lovers all in their youth and bloom, And one of them was murdered and the other was hung in June.
'Twas in the town of Sligo that this fair maid did dwell,
And Pat O'Brien, her true love's name, was a carpenter by trade,
She wrote O'Brien a letter and an answer to it came,
Well when she read this letter it enticed her for to go,
It was when he saw her coming it was then he went to hide,
T'was then he stepp-ed up to her it was in his colourless face,
He grabbed her by the yellow locks and he dragged her to the ground,
She was only a few days buried, I mean to let you know,
"Oh go to John Keatons house and that without delay,
Her mother went in reach of her and there her body found.
O'Brien was quickly taken and straight away lodged in jail,
Apart from Tim and myself, and of course my source, I have never heard anyone else sing this song. Does anyone have a version of this song. I would like to try and trace its origins if possible. ^^ |
09 Dec 00 - 12:03 PM (#354075) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pat O'Brien From: Malcolm Douglas There is an entry at The Traditional Ballad Index, which is of limited use as it contains only two references; one to Laws, one to the DT file: Pat O'Brien [Laws P39] Tom Lenihan, the traditional singer from Clare, has a version of Pat O'Brien, and has recorded it twice: on Songs Traditional in West Clare (Topic Records 12TS363) and on The Mount Callan Garland (Comhairle Bhéaloideas Éireann, CBE003, 1994). The latter is a book accompanied by two cassette tapes, and appears still to be available. Malcolm Pat O'Brien [Laws P39]DESCRIPTION: Pat asks Nancy to meet him. Having decided not to marry her, he stabs her. Her ghost tells her mother of the crime. Her body is found and Pat arrested. The ghost keeps appearing to him, finally inducing him to confess. He is hanged AUTHOR: unknown EARLIEST DATE: 1909 (Greig/Duncan2) KEYWORDS: homicide ghost execution gallows-confession FOUND IN: US(NE) Ireland Britain(Scotland(Aber)) Canada(Newf) REFERENCES (6 citations): Laws P39, "Pat O'Brien" Greig/Duncan2 203, "Pat O'Brien" (1 text) Munnelly/Deasy-TheMountCallanGarland-Tom-Lenihan 10, "Pat O'Brien" (1 text, 1 tune) Flanders/Ballard/Brown/Barry-NewGreenMountainSongster, pp. 131-135, "Pat O'Brien" (1 text, 1 tune) Guigné-ForgottenSongsOfTheNewfoundlandOutports, pp. 300-302, "Pats O'Brien" (1 text, 1 tune) DT 516, PATOBRI Roud #1919 RECORDINGS: John Kehoe, "Pat O'Brien" (on MUNFLA/Leach) Mrs. K. McCarthy, "Pat O'Brien" (on MUNFLA/Leach) Charlie Williams, "Patrick Power (Parker)" (on MUNFLA/Leach) CROSS-REFERENCES: cf. "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter (The Gosport Tragedy; Pretty Polly) [Laws P36A/B]" (theme) NOTES [81 words]: "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter" is just the first similar ballad that came to mind. As Munnelly notes, "it is a classic of the type of murder ballads which eminated from the popular broadsheet presses of the 19th century." Munnelly also remarks on the "popularity of this song in oral tradition." I don't have a broadside example yet. The Charlie Williams MUNFLA/Leach recording at first names the ship's carpenter "Patrick Power (Parker?)" but later names the murderer "Pat O'Brien." - BS Last updated in version 4.2 File: LP39 Go to the Ballad Search form Go to the Ballad Index Instructions The Ballad Index Copyright 2021 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle. |
10 Dec 00 - 01:19 AM (#354309) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pat O'Brien From: Joe Offer The version in the Digital Tradition is from from Flanders, Ballard, Brown, and Barry, New Green Mountain Songster. Is there anybody who has the book who can check to see if there is any background information? Anybody got a copy of the Songster they want to sell me for cheap? -Joe Offer- |
11 Dec 00 - 08:23 AM (#354843) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pat O'Brien From: MartinRyan I have the Mount Callan Garland set - I'll check it when I get a chance. Its quite likely Tim got it from Tom, of couirse. Regards |
11 Dec 00 - 11:45 AM (#354970) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pat O'Brien From: Liam's Brother The entry in G. Malcolm Laws' British Broadside Ballads Traditional in America says "Pat O'Brien" has been found in Maine and was printed in the Bulletin of the Folk-Song Society of the Northeast as well as in The New Green Mountain Songster. There is a further mention of additional stanzas from Vermont printed in the Union newspaper of Springfield, Massachusetts (Dec 4, 1932) by Helen Hartness Flanders. There are no Irish or British references. I would think almost certainly that this ballad was written in Ireland and is about a real murder.
All the best |
11 Dec 00 - 02:53 PM (#355116) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pat O'Brien From: GUEST,Tom Munnelly I remember some years ago trying to find a source for this ballad using such Longford/Sligo (where the song is usually located) experts as Bairbre Ní Fhloinn, who in her turn contacted local historians and librarians. Unfortunately nothing turned up. If you check 'The Mount Callan Garland' (p 36) you will see that I cover the motif of the corpse which bleeds again when approached by its killer (Motif no.D1318.5.2.) 'Pat O' Brien' and its near relative 'The Old Oak Tree' are sung traditionally throughout Ireland. The lack of references to Irish versions of ballads in Laws and Bronson reflects the lack of study of the field of Irish song by British and American scholars rather than the lack of material. See you in Miltown, Martin. Tom |
01 Nov 05 - 10:10 PM (#1595459) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pat O'Brien From: Dave Ruch The song was also in the repertoire of NY State lumberman Ezra "Fuzzy" Barhight, who was recorded by folklorist Ellen Stekert in the 1950's. He was 80 years of age when he first sang it for her, and learned most of his songs in the northern PA/southern NY lumbercamps, where, as he said "a good many of the men were Irish". I'm learning his version now, and will post the lyrics once I have them all, but at first glance, they are VERY similar to NSC's Co. Clare version above. |
01 Nov 05 - 11:24 PM (#1595497) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pat O'Brien From: Malcolm Douglas Since this thread has re-appeared, I'll add a little more to it as I have access to more references these days. The song is listed in the Roud Folk Song Index at number 1919; two examples from Ireland (including the one published by Tom Munnelly), one from London (presumably learned in Ireland), two from Canada, three from America (New England) and one from Scotland. Of course this reflects only "collected" examples; if the song is still widely current in Ireland, then specialists in that field would be doing us all a favour if they were to tell us more about it. For myself I doubt any real connection to The Old Oak Tree (there is more in common with The Bloody Miller), but Tom Munnelly is far more experienced than I am. A Newfoundland example can be seen online, with a short sound sample, at MacEdward Leach & the Songs of Atlantic Canada: Pat O'Brien There is some additional commentary in The New Green Mountain Songster, but two-thirds of it is speculation or not directly relevant. Printed examples don't much differ, which does suggest a broadside source; though none seems so far to have been identified. |
02 Nov 05 - 02:25 PM (#1595914) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pat O'Brien From: Dave Ruch Thanks for the additional information, Malcolm. I just listened to the Atlantic Canada version you referenced, and not surprisingly, the tune is much different from the NY/PA version I have, but again the text is much the same. |
21 Oct 21 - 08:41 PM (#4123785) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pat O'Brien From: GUEST,Hayden Arp The recording that I'm familiar with is sung by Jean Ritchie, while she is recording for Alan Lomax in NYC. But it's only a fragment. |
24 Oct 21 - 07:56 PM (#4124092) Subject: Lyr Add: THE LAMENTATION OF PAT O'BRIEN From: Jim Dixon From Graham's Illustrated Magazine, Vol. 52, No. 6 (Philadelphia, June 1858), page 560: [I have made many corrections to spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc. Apparently, the magazine editor printed ad litteram a manuscript from a semiliterate person.--JD.] THE LAMENTATION OF PAT O'BRIEN. [1] Come all you tender Christians; I hope you will draw near. A doleful lamentation I mean to let you hear, Concerning two young lovers all in their youth and bloom, How one of them was murdered and the other hung last June. [2] This young man’s name was Pat O'Brien, a carpenter by trade. Both day and night he took delight in courting this fair maid, Until at length, he got the love of her; 'tis then he proved unkind. 'Tis bad advice and jealousy that's soon attained his mind. [3] She wrote to him a letter and an answer to her came, Saying, “Nancy, lovely Nancy, I hope you won’t me blame, For I being working all the time, I could not see you, love, But I hope [to have] your company this evening in the grove.” [4] Those lines he said enticed her that evening for to go. She dressed herself in private, I mean to let you know. As she being young and innocent, straightway to him did go, But little did she ever think he would prove her overthrow. [5] It was when he seen her coming, 'tis then he went to hide. He said those words unto himself: “You never shall be my bride, For I am told for certain you have deceived me. This very night, I will have revenge; your butcher I will be.” [6] He quickly then walked up to her, and then his color changed, Saying, “Patsy, lovely Patsy, what makes you look so pale?” “I want no talk; kneel down and pray, for your grave there now I have; There is no woman breathing shall ever me deceive.” [7] She looked all around her, but no one could she see, Saying, “Pat O'Brien, don't prove unkind, or do not murder me. Although you got your will of me, I did let no one know. How could you find or have the heart for to use me so?” [8] He caught her by the yellow locks and drew her to the ground. It was with a knife he stabbed her and gave her a deadly wound. Her last dying words were: “Patsy, you do not feel those pains,” So with the spade that made her grave, he then dashed out her brains. [9] The ghost of this fair one to her mother did appear. Her mother spoke to her without either dread or fear. “O, Mother, lovely Mother, you will never see me more, For Pat O'Brien has murdered me and laid me in my gore. [10] “Go now unto John Keating's grove, and make no delay. You will get my body buried and there covered up with clay. You will see my blood upon the ground where he has murdered me. Go now and have him taken and hanged he will surely be.” [11] Her mother went in search of her, and soon her body found, When numbers soon assembled to see the deadly wound. All men were made stoop over her that were about the place. When Pat O'Brien stooped over her, she dashed blood in his face. [12] That moment he was sent to jail, the truth unto you I will tell, Where he lay heavy bolted all in a dismal cell. The thoughts of this murder, which grieved his heart full sore, Each night he would see her ghost all in her bleeding gore. [13] The day then of his trial as he stood in the dock, Those words he said were feeling which made the people shock: “I tell you, judge and jury, and all that do stand by, I own I murdered Nancy Ryan; I am willing for to die. [14] “Now to conclude and make an end, my age is 24. I left my tender parents in sorrow, grief, and woe. But youth that is at your liberty, a warning take by me To shun all bad advisers and cursed jealousy.” |
25 Oct 21 - 02:13 AM (#4124111) Subject: RE: Origins: Pat O'Brien From: Joe Offer Thread #125547 Message #2782177 Posted By: Jim Carroll 06-Dec-09 - 01:01 PM Thread Name: BS: 'Faux Irishman' Pat O'Brien Subject: RE: BS: 'Faux Irishman' Pat O'Brien
"Did the Pat O'Brien this thread is named after actually exist?" |