04 May 04 - 03:50 PM (#1177685) Subject: Dan Milner CD. From: MARINER Two nights agoI heard a song called ,I think "Cork Harbour", on Aine Hensey's "Late Session" on R.T.E Radio 1. The singer was Dan Milner and I'm sure she said that he was part of the shanty crew at South Street Seaport, New York. As it happens i will be in New York at the end of next week and would like to know where to buy this recording. Can antone tell me if it is available at South St?.(I'll be staying not far from there for a few days before heading upstate.) |
04 May 04 - 04:16 PM (#1177719) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Big Mick I will send Dan an email and he will likely respond in this thread. Mick |
05 May 04 - 06:34 AM (#1178328) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: bbc The cd it's on is "Dan Milner & Friends--Irish Songs from Old New England." It's Folk Legacy cd #124. Order at www.folk-legacy.com. best, bbc |
05 May 04 - 12:50 PM (#1178628) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Peter K (Fionn) Mariner, Dan's a Mudcatter, so if he doesn't see this thread you could try PM-ing him. He operates here as Liam's Brother. I'm not sure where you are, but there'll be lots of opportunity to catch Dan at Warwick Folk Festival this year - 23-25 July. I think he's billed for all three nights - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. |
05 May 04 - 01:10 PM (#1178656) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: MARINER Thanks for advice folks. I'm in the south east of Ireland but as i said I'll be in N.Y.at the middle of next week, enroute to the Catskills for a "Funky Ceili Weekend" Sadly I won't make the Warwick Folk Festival, I'll be long time back in Wexford before then. Guess I can get the cd at South Street Seaport. |
05 May 04 - 01:14 PM (#1178666) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Steve in Idaho And Dan is more than worth hearing - superb individual and a superb performer. I had the pleasure of seeing him in concert while In DC a couple of years ago. Many thanks to Ferrara and BillD for that one - and a host of other Mudcatters for taking the time to ferry me around. Steve Here's their web site |
05 May 04 - 05:27 PM (#1178836) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Liam's Brother Hi Mariner! I've sent you a "PM" so you'll know how to get in touch when you reach NYC. Glad you enjoyed "Cork Harbor." "Irish Songs from Old New England" has 16 Irish and Irish-American ballads altogether sung by Gordon Bok, Martin Carthy, Bob Conroy, Len Graham, Frank Harte, Louis Killen, Jim McFarland, Bonnie Milner, Deirdre Murtha, Robbie O'Connell, Caroline Paton, Sandy Paton, Ian Robb and myself. Bonnie, Deirdre and I sang "Cork Harbor" as a trio. You can read a little about the CD here. Look forward to meeting you. I have a funny Wexford story for you. All the best, Dan Milner |
05 May 04 - 07:41 PM (#1178944) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: David Ingerson Dan, I enjoyed Cork Harbor, too, so much so that I am starting to learn it. However, there are a few words that don't make a whole lot of sense to me. I'm wondering if an accurate transcription is posted anywhere. Now that I think about it, the words might be in one of Flanders books. If so, which one, and might it be available anywhere other than rare book stores? Thanks for any info. David |
05 May 04 - 10:51 PM (#1179068) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Liam's Brother Hi David! "Reef loose..." for example? Send me a PM with the lines in question. All the best, Dan |
06 May 04 - 07:50 PM (#1179846) Subject: Lyr Add: CORK HARBOR (Laws K6) From: Liam's Brother CORK HARBOR (Laws K6) Come all of you bound o'er the deep, I pray you will attend Attention pay to these few lines that I have lately penned I was a hardy a seaman as ever unfurled a sail By the lightning bright, I lost my sight, in a tremendous gale. When I was young and in my prime, my age was 22 I fell in love with a charming girl the truth I will tell you I courted her for 2 long years till her parents came to know They swore they would make me plough the deep where the stormy winds do blow It was on the 24th of March from Cork Harbor we set sail Bound down for Gibraltar with a sweet and a pleasant gale The winds was fair, our course we steered right straight before the wind But my heart was in Cork Harbor with the girl I left behind When we got to Gibraltar we lay a few days there Our orders read to Liverpool and still the winds blew fair The very day we put out to sea on her we crowded sail The winds came on; the eclipse (came) o'er the sun; it blew a heavy gale The thunder fell tremendous loud, the lightening wild did flash The heavy seas broke o'er our decks and along our side did lash The winds they kept increasing till it blew a tremendous gale The captain cries, "Go aloft, my boys, reef loose your 2 topsails." He scarcely had spoken when along our yards we lay Like jolly tars through storms and stars his orders to obey Our main topmast was split, my boys, by a ball of rolling light I being one of that hearty crew by the lightning lost my sight Then early the next morning we were dismissed a few Our captain was swept overboard with the first mate and 2 of our crew But Providence kind to me and landed me safe on shore Safe back into Cork Harbor with the girl that I adore To me she proved most loyal, most truehearted and kind And in a short time afterwards in wedlock we were joined We now live happy together in peace and unity I now can hear her gentle voice, though her face I cannot see |
06 May 04 - 09:06 PM (#1179885) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: David Ingerson Thank you, Dan. I'm at work so I don't have my transcription in front of me, but I think I have "release" for "reef loose" and there are probably several others like that. But the phrase "we were dismissed a few" is what I heard but I'm still puzzling over its phraseology. I've never heard that usage before. Can you shed any light on it? By the way, your CD is inspiring and very well done, especially in your choice of performers. Nice job! David |
07 May 04 - 08:20 PM (#1180764) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Just another Dave Some other versions in print have that line as "we were a sight to view".... I wish I could remember exactly where I found that... but I am reasonably sure it was from information I found on-line somewhere. Sorry, Dave |
07 May 04 - 08:28 PM (#1180773) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Liam's Brother David, I think you can read "dismissed" to mean "extinguished." Dave, this is a very rare ballad, Laws K6. I'm only aware of 1 other version collected from tradition - "By The Lightening We Lost Our Sight" in W. Roy MacKenzie's Ballads and Sea Songs from Nova Scotia. I would be delighted if you could point me to other traditional versions. Thanks in advance. All the best, Dan |
07 May 04 - 09:18 PM (#1180802) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Malcolm Douglas Roud lists two examples at present (no.1894): that in MacKenzie, and a further text in Fowke, Sea Songs and Ballads from Nineteenth Century Nova Scotia, where it is called The Blind Sailor. It's quite close to the one you quote, though longer. Fowke suggests a broadside origin, and in turn refers to a New Brunswick example printed by Phillips Barry, presumably in The Maine Woods Songster (about which I know nothing). Where did your set come from? So far as I know, no tunes were recorded for any of those three published texts, though Fowke does say that Barry thought that it was probably intended to be sung to some form or other of Erin's Lovely Home. |
08 May 04 - 07:12 PM (#1181407) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Just another Dave You're in luck, Dan!! I found my notes... I got it here on the DT. Do a search on "By the lightning" (no 'e'). It quotes MacKenzie, and references Laws. I, personally, prefer the "we were a sight to view" over the "we were dismissed, a few" in that I think it makes more sense to modern audiences, and also provides an additional play on the blindness theme. Dave |
09 May 04 - 03:01 AM (#1181587) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Anglo It's not in the Maine Woods Songster. And that's the only Phillips Barry entry in the bibliography of Edith Fowke's book, so I don't know where this New Brunswick text was published. Fowke also refers to Helen Creighton's Songs & Ballads From Nova Scotia - in the song "Captain Burke" some sailors are lost, and four surviving seamen are rendered lame and blind by lightning while reefing the fore topsails. |
09 May 04 - 02:46 PM (#1181731) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Malcolm Douglas Roud lists Captain Burke at number 834 (Laws K5). Beside Creighton (in the DT at Captain Burke), examples appear in Healy, Irish Ballads and Songs of the Sea (The Ballad of the Blind Sailors) and Ranson, Songs of the Wexford Coast (The Blind Sailors). That Barry reference is a bit of a mystery. |
09 May 04 - 10:41 PM (#1181967) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Liam's Brother Hi Malcolm! Thanks for the Edith Fowke reference. I have never seen Sea Songs and Ballads from Nineteenth Century Nova Scotia but I will look forward to coming across it now. The text above is almost word-for-word from the Flanders Ballad Collection. The melody is in 4/4 time, major key and it is not unlike (though not the same as) "Erin's Lovely Home." All the best, Dan |
09 May 04 - 11:01 PM (#1181973) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Malcolm Douglas Thanks for that. Is the Flanders set published? John seems to have tracked down the Barry example (just now confirmed via the Ballad-L list) and will doubtless get back to us about that one a little later. |
11 May 04 - 06:57 PM (#1183263) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Liam's Brother No, Malcolm, the Flanders text is not published. The song appears once in the collection. The singer lived in Bridgewater, Maine and was involved in the lumbering industry in a variety of ways. All the best, Dan |
13 May 04 - 02:08 AM (#1184455) Subject: Lyr Add: THE LIGHTNING FLASH From: Anglo THE LIGHTNING FLASH Sung by the late Mr John P. A. Nesbitt, St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Text recorded by Miss Mary W. Smyth; melody recorded by Mr. George Herzog. 1. When I was young and in my prime, my age twenty-two, I fell in love with a pretty girl; the truth I'll tell to you. I courted her for seven years, till her father came to know, He says: "I'll have you cross the seas, where the stormy winds do blow." 2. On the 14th day of September last, Queen's Harbor we sailed away; Bound down to Gibraltar in a sweet and a pleasant gale, The wind blew fair, our course we steered, our ship before the wind, But still my heart was filled with love for the girl I left behind. 3. When we got to our distant port, we stopped a short time there, Our orders run to Milliger ["Malaga"] the weather being fair; The very next day we sailed away, all with a cloud of sail, When the storms arise, eclipsed the sun; they blew a tremendous gale. 4. The wind it ris to a hurricane, it blew a tremendous gale-- And the captain says, "My brave boys, go reef the main topsail!" No sooner when his order was given, up aloft we lay, Like hearty tars to lay these yards, his orders to obey. 5. When we got to the main topsail, a horrid flash came on-- Oh, God! How I remember the last eclipse of the sun! The thunder rolled tremendously, and the lightning round us flash, The heavy sea rolled over us, and sand on deck did dash. 6. Early next morning wasn't we a sight to view! Our captain was washed overboard and three men of the crew; The thunder rolled tremendously, and by that veil of light, I and three of those sailors, by that lightning we lost our sight. 7. But thanks be unto kind Providence that carried us back on shore, Back to dear old Ireland, to the girl whom I adore; To me she did prove loyalty,--constant and kind to me, We join our hands in wedlock bands, but her face I ne'er can see. [From the Bulletin of the Folksong Society of the Northeast (No.3, 1931, p.14)] |
13 May 04 - 02:14 AM (#1184456) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: Anglo I just posted the text of the version from the Phillips Barry reference. Ed Cray sent me a rather difficult to read lo-res scan of the tune. It's not mensurated and would be awkward to render as ABC. If anyone really wants to see it, PM me and I'll send you the scan. And if anyone wants it, I could also post the text from Fowke. Since this has become a thread discussing this song, with little reference to the subject line apart from the fact that the song is on it, I wonder if the thread title should be changed. |
13 May 04 - 07:00 AM (#1184582) Subject: RE: Dan Milner CD. From: bbc Very nice cd. I just picked it up at Folk Legacy & am really enjoying it! Thanks for bringing it to my attention. bbc |
13 May 04 - 09:53 PM (#1185278) Subject: Lyr Add: PAT O'BRIEN (from Flanders collection) From: Liam's Brother Glad you enjoyed the recording Barbara. Thanks John for the text above. I'd love to see the Fowke text whenever you have a few minutes to type it in. About the thread title, I would point out that 13 other singers also took part in the recording and two other singers did a nice job with this song. In any case, perhaps some people are interested in another Irish song from the Flanders Ballad Collection. Each of the singers on the CD got a few songs from which to choose. No one picked the one below. Any thoughts? Is there a Latin scholar with the proper spelling? PAT O'BRIEN Now Pat O'Brien, a friend of mine, on board a Broadway car did ride To Harlem where he did reside when his daily work was done The reason that he had to ride, he couldn't walk for he had tied A pick and shovel to his side and he'd a turkey that he'd won He laid the turkey on the seat himself took one beside With pick and shovel to his feet he settled down to ride And when the car got overcrowded the conductor to him said, "You'll have to remove your turkey, sir, and let a man sit down instead." "Ah, not on your life," said Pat O'Brien, "that bird belongs to me. That lovely bird's not saying a word he owes no odds t' ye" So down in his seat went Pat O'Brien, his words I will repeat, "You cannot disturb the turkey, sir, for I'll pay for the turkey's seat." A lady soon came in and sat directly opposite of Pat She wore beneath her opry wrap a dress ???????* The car got warm so much that the lady soon removed her wrap Exposing to the gaze of Pat a lovely neck to see And while Paddy was admiring her neck and shoulders fair The lady soon got angry at Paddy's ardent stare. And when she couldn't stand it longer and she replaced her wrap 'Twas then she shouted "rubberneck" and looked right straight at Pat "Ah, not on your life" says Pat O'Brien, "it's a dollar to a dime. Begorra," says he, "I should have thought your neck was gen-u-wine But if it's not," says Pat O'Brien, "as sure as me name is Pat It's a damn good imitation; you can bet your life on that!" Two ladies who sat next to Pat were much amused and decided that To have a little fun with Pat so one of them she said, "To ride in the cars I never care; you meet so many Irish there They're enough to drive you to despair; they have such vulgar ways." "It's true," said lady number two. "They're always in the way For where the Irish do resort I always stay away You'll meet them at the seashore, the opera or the ball You meet the dirty Irish now anywhere at all." "Ah, not on your life said Pat O'Brien," you could see that he was mad "To rid ye'selves of the Irish now to tell ye's I'll be glad." So he took his turkey by the neck; he blustered like a bear. "The pair of ye's can go straight to hell, you won't find any Irish there!" *Latin, something like "kep beck-a-la" for a meaning of "plunging neckline." |
14 May 04 - 09:44 AM (#1185655) Subject: Lyr Add: THE BLIND SAILOR From: Anglo From Edith Fowke: Sea Songs & Ballads from 19th Century Nova Scotia (Fenwick Hatt's Notebook) THE BLIND SAILOR Come all ye jolly seman bold I hope you will atend And lissen unto those few lines That I so late have pend I was once as braw and hardy a tar As ever unfurled a sail Untill by lightning lost my sight In that tremendeous gail When I was young and in my prime My age scarce twenty two I fell in love with a handsom girl The truth I will tell you I corted her for three long years Untill her father came to no He said he would send me to plow the sea Where the stormy wind do blow Her father being a noble man In the town where I was born He said his gold and riches I never should addor He sent a press gang for my love And I was forsed to go Conveyed me to a ship was bound Where the stormy wind do blow Twas the first day of october From Cork harbor we set sail We was bound down to giberalter With a sweet and plasant gail The wind blew fair our corse to stair Our ship she flew before the wind My love seemed to be warmer still For the girl I left behind When we reached our distant port A short time we layed their For the news right hom to England went And the winds they still blew fair We put to sea the very next day With a horad press of sail The wind come on and eclipse the sun And blew a horid gail Oh early the next morning It was dismal for to view Our mit he was washed overboard With for more of our crew The thunder pealed tremendeously And the lightning wild did flash The swelling waves roled over us And against our sides did dash The wind it still kept arising Unto a horid gail Our Captin says we must try my boys To reef our main topsail His words was scarcely spoken When up aloft we laid Like hardy tars through wind and storm His orders to obey When we reached our mainmast head A mor heaveyer flash came on My god I will remember The last eclips of the sun Our main topgalent mast in pieces split All by a belying light And me and foure more seaman bold By lightning lost my sight Now if providence proves kind to me And I get safe on shore It is back into Cork Harbor To the girl that I ador She apears to be good natured Both loving kind and free To gather we will live in unity All thoug her I cannot see Notes: This is another ballad that has been reported only from the Canadian Maritimes. Mackenzie called it "By the Lightning We Lost Our Sight." It may have had a factual basis, but its combination of elements suggests that it was a broadside. This text is three stanzas longer than the one Mackenzie noted: his lacks stanzas 2, 3, and 9, which add a romantic element to what is otherwise a realistic narrative. A New Brunswick version that Barry prints retains stanzas 2 and 9 but lacks 1 and 3. Barry notes that "the opening line is lifted from 'Erin's Lovely Home,' to some tune of which, we suspect, it was meant to be sung." While this particular ballad is rare, there are others with the same theme. Creighton gives one called "Captain Burke" (Laws K5) in which four seamen on a slave ship are blinded by lightning; it seems to be a variant of a Wexford ballad, "The Blind Sailors," which Ranson collected. Blind and crippled sailors and soldiers sometimes had ballads like these printed and sold them in the streets as a means of collecting alms. References: Laws ABBB, K6, 143 (Mackenzie, 226; Bulletin No.3 [1931], p. 14). Cf. Creighton SBNS, 109; Ranson, 24. Source: Sea Songs and Ballads from Nineteenth Century Nova Scotia: The William H. Smith and Fenwick Hatt Manuscripts, edited by Edith Fowke (Folklorica Press, 1981), pp. 76-77 |