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Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem

30 Jul 02 - 01:29 PM (#757023)
Subject: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Rudi

Heard this song in a Killarney Pub. Found the lyrics now but who could help me with the cords and notes?

30 Jul 02 - 01:43 PM (#757034)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: MMario

click me

url=http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/pages/tiGLWAYBAY;ttGLWAYBAY.html

31 Jul 02 - 12:22 AM (#757321)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: Uncle Jaque

Hmm - I'm familiar with another "Galway Bay", but don't recall who wrote it; I think it's a little older than the MAKEM one, but perhaps not considered "traditional" just yet.

It goes;

"It's far away I am today
from the climes I knew as a boy;
And long ago, the hour I know
I first saw Illinois;
.... (I forgot - will have to look it up).."

It is a lovely tune, and well adapted to the Irish flute or whistle by the way.

We could probably find this version as well on Digitrad were we sufficiently motivated so as to look.

31 Jul 02 - 02:30 AM (#757374)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: Blackcatter

Uncle Jaque,

That's in a song called Galway Bay? Is there a Galway Bay on Lake Michigan I haven't heard of?

I beleive the Tommy Makem version is a spoof of the original Galway Bay isn't it? I have the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem singing this on vinyl, but they didn't bother to credit Tommy with the lyrics.

pax yall

31 Jul 02 - 02:39 AM (#757376)
Subject: Lyr Add: MY OWN DEAR GALWAY BAY (Frank Fahy)^^^
From: Blackcatter

Damn if your Galway Bay song isn't in the DT - with a reference to Illinois and everything. There is, alas, no tune to accompany it and unless I'm missing something, it's not the tune for the other two Galway Bays.

MY OWN DEAR GALWAY BAY
(Frank Fahy)

It's far away I am today from scenes I roamed a boy
And long ago the hour, I know I first saw Illinois
Not time nor tide nor water wide could wean my heart away
But straight and true 'twill fly to you my own dear Galway Bay

My chosen bride is by my side her brown hair silver-grey
Our daughter Rose as like her grows as April dawn to day
Our eldest son, our chosen one his father's pride and stay
With gifts like these I'd live at ease beside you Galway Bay

By shore and creek both grey and bleak the rugged rocks abound
But sweeter green the grass between than grows on Irish ground
So friendship fond all else beyond and love to live always
Bless each dear home beside your foam my own dear Galway Bay

Had I youth's blood and hopeful mood and heart of fire once more
For all the gold the earth could hold I'd never leave your shore
I'd live content whatever God sent midst neighbors old and grey
And leave my bones 'neath churchyard stones beside you Galway Bay

The blessings of a poor old man be with you night and day
The blessings of a poor old man whose heart will soon be clay
'Tis all the heaven I ask of God upon my dying day
My soul to soar forever more above you, Galway Bay^^^

pax yall

31 Jul 02 - 07:10 AM (#757448)
Subject: DT Correction: GALWAY BAY (Clancy/Makem)
From: masato sakurai

The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem version is:

GALWAY BAY

Maybe someday I'll go back again to Ireland
If my dear old wife would only pass away
She nearly has my heart broke with her naggin'
She's got a mouth as big as Galway Bay

See her drinking sixteen pints of Pabst Blue Ribbon
And then she can walk home without a sway
If the sea was beer instead of salty water
She'd live and die in Galway Bay

See her drinking sixteen pints at Padgo Murphy's
The barman says I think it's time to go
Well she doesn't try to speak to him in Gaelic
In a language that the clergy do not know

On her back she has tattooed a map of Ireland
And when she takes her bath on Saturday
She rubs the Sunlight soap around by Claddagh
Just to watch the suds flow down by Galway Bay

(From: HERE)

~Masato

    Note from Joe Offer - this version is much closer to the Clancy/Makem recording [In Concert] than the transcription we have in the Digital Tradition. The tavern's name does sound like Pat-Joe Murphy's, but how to spell it is a good question.
    -Joe-

31 Jul 02 - 10:13 AM (#757520)
Subject: Chords Add: GALWAY BAY
From: Uncle Jaque

Oh now that's a hoot, Masato!

Blackcatter - that's it, all right; this thread reminded me of it. It's one of those songs that is a favorite for a while, and then for some reason sort of fades into mental obscurity. I looked it up indeed (in my archives) and was just picking it on the old Yamaha; my it is a pretty air - 6/8 time I reckon - and I hope you can get a MIDI or score for it somewhere. Otherwise, you may have to look for a CD of it and fake it by ear (as I usually do).

We never did find a chord score for it, but I seem to have improvised one which works pretty well for me in "D" standard tuning;

(D) It's far a- (D7) way I (G) am to- (D) day from scenes I (G) roamed a (D) boy
And (A7) long ago the (D) hour, I (G) know I first saw Illin- (A7) ois
Not (D) time nor tide nor (G) water (D) wide could wean my (G) heart a- (D) way;
But (A7) straight and true 'twill (D) fly to (G) you, my (D) own dear (G) Galway (D) Bay.

Now you could get the proper score for this and discover that my progression is all bogus, for which I apologize in advance; it is still under development here.

As I recall, the 1st & 2nd lines have pretty much the same melody as the 5th & 6th, while the 7th & 8th are essentially a reflection of 3 and 4; the old "A-B/A-B' structure so common in folk music and Fiddle Tunes.

If you cannot get a score or MIDI, let me know and I'll let you in on a little program called "Pure Voice" which is put out by QUALCOMM (EUDORA) and which I have used to share fairly compact audio files as e-mail attachments with another Mudcatter Amigo overseas. I wouldn't want you to pick up any of my potential bad habits or errors, but could at least give you an idea of how it goes - and it really is, IMHO, a very pretty tune.

20 May 10 - 12:06 PM (#2910626)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: Mr Happy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0eBh7yTlk4

26 Jul 13 - 08:03 PM (#3542211)
Subject: Lyr Add: GALWAY BAY (Francis A. Fahy)
From: Jim Dixon

Here's how the words appear in The Ireland Anthology, edited by Sean Dunne (London: Macmillan, 1957), page 138:

(I have boldfaced the words that are different from the ones Blackcatter posted on 31-Jun-2002. Note there is an additional verse.)


GALWAY BAY
(Francis A. Fahy)

'Tis far away I am today from scenes I roamed a boy,
And long ago the hour I know I first saw Illinois;
But time nor tide nor waters wide can wean my heart away,
For ever true, it flies to you, my own dear Galway Bay.

My chosen bride is by my side, her brown hair silver-grey,
Her daughter Rose, as like her grows as April dawn to day;
Our eldest boy, his mother's joy, his father's pride and stay—
With gifts like these I'd live at ease were I near Galway Bay.

A prouder man I'd walk the land in health and peace of mind
If I might toil and strive and moil, nor cast one thought behind;
But what would be the world to me, its rank and rich array,
If memory I lost on thee, my poor old Galway Bay.

Oh, grey and bleak, by shore and creek, the rugged rocks abound,
But sweeter green the grass between than grows on Irish ground,
So friendship fond, all wealth beyond, and love that lives always,
Bless each poor home beside your foam, my dear old Galway Bay.

Had I youth's blood and hopeful mood and heart of fire once more,
For all the gold the earth might hold I'd never leave your shore;
I'd live content whate'er God sent, with neighbours old and grey,
And lay my bones 'neath churchyard stones beside you, Galway Bay.

The blessings of a poor old man be with you night and day,
The blessings of a lonely man whose heart will soon be clay;
'Tis all the Heaven I'd ask of God upon my dying day—
My soul to soar for evermore above you, Galway Bay.


from Irish Songs and Poems (1887)

26 Jul 13 - 08:09 PM (#3542212)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: Jim Dixon

Click for an MP3 of the McNulty Family singing a version of Fahy's GALWAY BAY, which they call MY OWN DEAR GALWAY BAY, from The Internet Archive.

27 Jul 13 - 11:03 AM (#3542375)
Subject: Lyr Add: GALWAY BAY (Arthur Colahan, 1947> Crosby)
From: GUEST,John Foxen

I think the song Tommy Makem is parodying is this one:

GALWAY BAY
Words and music by Arthur Colahan, 1947.
As recorded by Bing Crosby, 1947.

If you ever go across the sea to Ireland,
Then maybe at the closin' of your day
You will sit and watch the moon rise over Claddagh
And watch the barefoot gossoons at their play.

Just to hear again the ripple of the trout stream,
The women in the meadows makin' hay,
And to sit beside a turf fire in the cabin,
And see the sun go down on Galway Bay.

For the breezes blowin' o'er the seas from Ireland
Are perfumed by the heather as they blow,
And the women in the upland diggin' praties
Speak a language that the strangers do not know.

For the strangers came and tried to teach us their way.
They scorned us just for bein' what we are,
But they might as well go chasin' after moonbeams
Or light a penny candle from a star.

And if there's goin' to be a life hereafter—
And faith, I'm sure there's goin' to be—
I will ask my God to let me make my heaven
In that dear land across the Irish Sea.

27 Jul 13 - 05:32 PM (#3542485)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,leeneia

I have made a MIDI of the tune for 'My Own Dear Galway Bay,' and I'll send it in for posting. I learned it from a vinyl LP with Dolores Keane singing. The words that go with it were posted by Blackcatter above on July 31, 2013.

Watch this spot.

Click to play (joeweb)

28 Jul 13 - 01:07 PM (#3542767)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Dani

That's lovely, thanks for adding! Grew up singing the parody, and never knew the original.

Dani

28 Jul 13 - 01:20 PM (#3542772)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Peter Laban

Not sure about it being the original. A far as I know Dolores Keane used a tune for the song that was (recently, at the time of recording) composed by Tony Small.

28 Jul 13 - 01:23 PM (#3542773)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: MartinRyan

The Francis Fahy one was usually sung to Skibbereen until Tony fitted his air to it. Still often used, especially in Connemara.

Regards

29 Jul 13 - 01:35 AM (#3542988)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,leeneia

Something went wrong with the MIDI. We're going to do it again.

Click to play (joeweb)

(this one should work -Joe-)

29 Jul 13 - 03:48 AM (#3543005)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: Brakn

My version, not the best..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_nkqDPdmAI

regards

29 Jul 13 - 03:57 AM (#3543007)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: Brakn

Thanks Jim Dixon for the McNulty Family version. Wonderful.


My version.

29 Jul 13 - 12:01 PM (#3543153)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,leeneia

The song was in my mind, yesterday, so as my husband and I wended our way to the Plaza for barbecue, I sang it. At the long light where the Southwest Trafficway crosses one of the many avatars of 47th Street, he joined me. Ah, Love!

29 Jul 13 - 12:05 PM (#3543156)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Galway Bay by Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,leeneia

Thanks for the song, Michael.