"Carrickfergus" is an
Irish folk song
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
, named after the town of
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 28,141 at the 2021 census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
in
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
, Northern Ireland. The
Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularisi ...
' 1964 album titled "
The First Hurrah!" includes this title. A somewhat differing version was released under the name "The Kerry Boatman", by
Dominic Behan
Dominic Behan ( ; ; 22 October 1928 – 3 August 1989) was an Irish writer, songwriter and singer from Dublin who wrote in Irish and English. He was a socialist and an Irish republican. Born into the literary Behan family, he was one of the mo ...
on an LP called ''The Irish Rover'', in 1965.
Origins
The modern song is due to Dominic Behan, who published it in 1965.
Behan relates that he learned the song from actor
Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...
.
In his book, "Ireland Sings" (London, 1965), Behan gives three verses, the first and third of which he says that he obtained from O'Toole and the middle one that he wrote himself.
The 1964 album "
The First Hurrah!" by
The Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularisi ...
includes a song entitled "Carrickfergus (Do Bhí Bean Uasal)".
The melody has been traced to an
Irish-language
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenou ...
song, "Do Bhí Bean Uasal" ("There Was a Noblewoman"), which is attributed to the poet
Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna
Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna (c. 1680 – 1756; Anglicised as ''Yellow-haired Charles McElgunn'') was an Irish poet.
Biography
Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna is one of the four most prominent south Ulster and north Leinster poets in the sevent ...
, who died in 1756 in
County Clare
County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
. Music collector
George Petrie obtained two settings of this melody from fellow collector
Patrick Joyce. Joyce came from
Ballyorgan in the
Ballyhoura Mountains
The Ballyhoura Mountains () are in south-east County Limerick and north-east County Cork in central Munster, Ireland, running east and west for about 6 miles on the borders of both counties.
Name
The name 'Ballyhoura' comes from Irish ''Beala ...
, on the borders of counties
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
and
Cork
"Cork" or "CORK" may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
*** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine
Places Ireland
* ...
. Petrie wrote that he believed "Do Bhí Bean Uasal" came from either County Clare or County Limerick, and was in any case a Munster song.
[George Petrie: ''Ancient Music of Ireland'', M. H. Gill, Dublin, 1855 (re-printed 2005, University of Leeds, )]
An early version of the song appeared on a ballad sheet in
Cork City
Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...
in the mid-nineteenth century in
macaronic
Macaronic language is any expression using a mixture of languages, particularly bilingual puns or situations in which the languages are otherwise used in the same context (rather than simply discrete segments of a text being in different langua ...
form. The Irish lyrics were about a man being
cuckold
A cuckold is the husband of an adulterous wife (or partner for unmarried companions); the wife of an adulterous husband is a cuckquean. In biology, a cuckold is a male who unwittingly invests parental effort in juveniles who are not geneti ...
ed, a bawdy and humorous ditty. By contrast, the English language lyrics are nostalgic, albeit with a slightly humorous twist at the end.
[
Robert Gogan suggests that Carrickfergus may have evolved from at least two separate songs, which would explain why it does not have a consistent narrative. For example, the ''Ancient Music of Ireland'', published by George Petrie in 1855, contained an Irish-language song called "An Bhean Uasal" which featured many but not all of the sentiments used in Carrickfergus. Gogan also refers to a recording of a song called "Sweet Maggie Gordon" which is kept in the Music for the Nation section of the US ]Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
. It was published by Mrs Pauline Lieder, in New York in 1880. It contains verses which are similar to Carrickfergus, but the chorus is closer to another Irish/Scottish folk song called "Peggy Gordon".
Kilkenny
The story seems to surround Kilkenny
Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
; indeed the "Ballygran" referred to in the song may be the local Ballingarry coal mines, so that the "marble...black as ink" in the lyrics would be a reference to coal.
Irish-American journalist Niall O'Dowd
Niall O'Dowd (born 18 May 1953) is an Irish-born American journalist and author. He was involved in the negotiations leading to the Northern Irish Good Friday Peace Agreement. He is the founder of ''Irish Voice'' newspaper and ''Irish Ameri ...
(2021) has compared the song to its Scottish equivalent "Over the Water", suggesting that the song may have originally referred to ''Kilmeny'' on the Scottish island of Islay
Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...
. Kilmeny is a hamlet next to the Ballygrant quarry which, he suggests, is the "Ballygran" mentioned in the lyrics.
In contrast to the Ballingarry coal mines, Ballygrant quarry did indeed produce a "dark-grey to black marble" variant of Islay limestone, which was a primary source of employment for locals during the 18th and 19th centuries. O'Dowd suggests that, because of the centuries of travel between Ulster and Scotland, there is more of a connection between Carrickfergus and Islay than there is with Kilkenny.
The confusion between Kilmeny and Kilkenny could further derive from the fact that Kilkenny, Ireland does indeed produce a black marble "as black as ink."
Performances
The song has been recorded by many well known performers. It is a popular request at folk festivals and concerts, and was played at the 1999 funeral of John F. Kennedy Jr.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. (November 25, 1960 – July 16, 1999), often referred to as John-John or JFK Jr., was an American socialite, attorney, magazine publisher, and journalist. He was a son of 35th United States president John F. K ...
The song was more recently performed by Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimmin ...
over the closing credits of an episode of HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
's series ''Boardwalk Empire
''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter for the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. The series sta ...
''. Furthermore, the Russian singer-songwriter Aleksandr Karpov (a.k.a. "Aleksandr O'Karpov") translated the lyrics into Russian, recording a Russian version of "Carrickfergus", also titled ( – "Beyond the blue sea, beyond the ocean").
Other recordings of "Carrickfergus" have been made by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
, Pete Seeger
Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...
, The Seekers
The Seekers were an Australian folk music, folk-influenced pop music, pop group originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the Unit ...
and two former members of The Byrds
The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...
, Roger Mcguinn
James Roger McGuinn (; born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician, best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the band. As a so ...
and Chris Hillman
Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his w ...
, who both did solo versions. Bryan Ferry also did a version on his 1978 album '' The Bride Stripped Bare''. A cover of the song is also included on The McKrells' 2000 album "Hit The Ground Running".
Dexys Midnight Runners released their version of the song on an album of Irish and Country songs, and closed their 2023 concert shows each night with it during the encore following their 1980 No. 1 hit Geno
The song is referenced in the song " Galway Girl", written and performed by Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
on his 2017 album " Divide".[Sheeran, Ed. "Galway Girl." Divide. By Ed Sheeran. Perf. Ed Sheeran. Recorded 2016. Producer(s) Mike Elizando, Ed Sheeran, 2017. CD]
The song " The Water is Wide" has a similar tune and very similar lyrics in some lines.
List of recordings
* Dermot Kennedy
Dermot Joseph Kennedy (born 13 December 1991) is an Irish singer and songwriter. He is known for his 2019 singles " Outnumbered" and " Power Over Me", his 2020 single " Giants", and his feature on the 2020 Meduza single " Paradise". He is signed ...
, as Carrickfergus, Live in Ireland, RTE#1 show
* Joe Dassin
Joseph Ira Dassin (; November 5, 1938 – August 20, 1980) was an American–French singer-songwriter. In his career spanning sixteen years (1964–1980), he enjoyed numerous successes in France and the French-speaking world, as well as singing ...
, as ''Mon village du bout du monde'' on the album '' Joe Dassin (Les Champs-Élysées)'' (1969)
* The Dubliners
The Dubliners () were an Folk music of Ireland, Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in pers ...
, on the album ''Now
Now most commonly refers
to the present time.
Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to:
Organizations
* Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization
* National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization
* Na ...
'' (1975)
* Paddy Reilly
Patrick Reilly (born 18 October 1939) is an Irish folk singer and guitarist. Born in Rathcoole, County Dublin, he is one of Ireland's most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of " The Fields of Athenry", " Rose of Allendale" ...
, on the album '' The Town I Loved So Well'' (1975)
* Five Hand Reel, on the album '' For A' That'' (1977)
* Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...
, on the album '' The Bride Stripped Bare'' (1979)
* Loreena McKennitt
Loreena McKennitt (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic music, Celtic and Middle Eastern music, Middle Eastern influences. McKenni ...
, with main vocals by Cedric Smith, on the album ''Elemental
An elemental is a mythic supernatural being that is described in occult and alchemy, alchemical works from around the time of the European Renaissance, and particularly elaborated in the 16th century works of Paracelsus. According to Paracelsu ...
'' (1985)
* Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...
and The Chieftains
The Chieftains were a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous w ...
, on the album '' Irish Heartbeat'' (1988)
* Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...
, on the album '' Speaking of Dreams'' (1989)
* Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...
, on the album '' Van Morrison: The Concert'' (1990)
* Danny O'Flaherty, on the album ''Remember'' (1997)
* Anne Buckley
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie and Ana.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in t ...
and Ronan Hardiman
Ronan Hardiman (born 19 May 1961) is an Irish composer, famous for his soundtracks to Michael Flatley's dance shows '' Lord of the Dance'', '' Feet of Flames'' and '' Celtic Tiger Live''.
Early life
Hardiman was born in Dublin on 19 May 1961. ...
on the album '' Feet of Flames'' (1999)
* Neck
The neck is the part of the body in many vertebrates that connects the head to the torso. It supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that transmit sensory and motor information between the brain and the rest of the body. Addition ...
, perform it in the Film 4 Movie ''With or Without You
"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock music, rock band U2. It is the third track on their fifth studio album, ''The Joshua Tree'' (1987), and was released as the album's lead single on 16 March 1987. The song was the group's most succes ...
'' Directed by ''Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom (born 29 March 1961) is an English film director. He began his career working in British television before moving into features. Three of his films—''Welcome to Sarajevo'', ''Wonderland (1999 film), Wonderland'' and ''24 ...
'' (1999)
* Darren Holden, on the album ''Golden Irish Favourites'' (1999)
* Harry O'Donoghue
Harry O'Donoghue is an Irish musician.
Childhood
Harry was born in 1954 in the town of Drogheda on the banks of the river Boyne on the East coast of Ireland.
Early career
At age twenty, Harry began playing guitar and bodhran and was soon pe ...
, on the album ''Live and Well'' (2000)
* Órla Fallon
Órlagh Fallon (born 24 August 1974), professionally known as Órla Fallon, is an Irish singer, songwriter and former member of the group Celtic Woman and the chamber choir Anúna.
Early life and education
Fallon was born in Knockananna, Irelan ...
, on the album '' The Water Is Wide'' (2000)
* Charlotte Church
Charlotte Maria Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed, 21 February 1986) is a British singer-songwriter, actress, and television presenter from Cardiff, Wales.
As a child, Church was a popular classical singer with a less-successful attempt to mov ...
, on the album '' Enchantment'' (2001)
* Declan Galbraith, on the album '' Declan'' (2002)
* The Dubliners
The Dubliners () were an Folk music of Ireland, Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in pers ...
, on the album '' 40 Years'' (2002)
* Lisa Kelly, on the album ''Lisa
Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA"
* Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978)
* Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980)
* Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...
'' (2003)
* The Chieftains
The Chieftains were a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous w ...
, on the album '' Live from Dublin: A Tribute to Derek Bell'' (2005)
* Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female Irish musical ensemble, formed in 2004 for a one-time event held in Dublin, Ireland. They started touring internationally as a group after multiple airings on PBS helped to boost the group's popularity.
Celtic W ...
, on the album '' Celtic Woman: A New Journey'' (2007)
* Irish Stew of Sindidun
Irish Stew of Sindidun (often referred to as Irish Stew only) is a Serbian Celtic rock band from Belgrade. While initially playing Irish folk music, the band later made a shift towards light punk rock, inspired by Irish folk music and other genres. ...
, on the album '' Dare to Dream'' (2008)
* Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel Jones (; born 9 November 1965), is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially primarily associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and ''Don Giovanni,'' but he has subsequ ...
, on the album '' Scarborough Fair-Songs from the British Isles'' (2008)
* Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and presenter. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop g ...
, on the album ''Songs For My Mother
''Songs for My Mother'' is the fifth studio album released by Boyzone frontman and Irish singer/songwriter Ronan Keating. The album was released on 16 March 2009 on Polydor Records, and is his first album to be released since the reunion of B ...
'' (2009)
* Allison Moorer
Allison Moorer (born June 21, 1972) is an American Country music, country singer-songwriter. She signed with MCA Nashville in 1997 and made her debut on the U.S. Billboard Country Chart with the release of her debut single, "A Soft Place to F ...
, on BBC television ''Transatlantic Sessions'' Series 4, episode 5 (2009)
* Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.[Daydream
Daydreaming is a stream of consciousness that detaches from current external tasks when one's attention becomes focused on a more personal and internal direction.
Various names of this phenomenon exist, including mind-wandering, fantasies, a ...]
'' (2011)
* Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimmin ...
, on the album '' Boardwalk Empire Volume 1: Music from the HBO Original Series'' (2011)
* Donna Taggart
Donna Taggart (born 24 August 1985) is a Northern Irish Celtic singer and musician. She is best known for her 2016 track " Jealous of the Angels".
Born in Clanabogan and educated at the University of Liverpool, she was very shy growing up, a ...
, on the album ''Celtic Lady, Vol. 1
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
''(2011)
* Green Crow, on the album Письмо из бутылки (A letter from a bottle) (2012)
* 10,000 Maniacs
10,000 Maniacs are an American alternative rock band founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that c ...
, on the album '' Twice Told Tales'' (2015)
* Damien Leith
Damien Leo Leith (born 18 January 1976, in Dublin) is an Irish-Australian singer–songwriter. He was the winner of the Network Ten music contest ''Australian Idol'' in 2006. Since winning the title, Leith has released nine studio albums, four of ...
, on the album '' Songs from Ireland'' (2015)
* By Toutatis, on the album '' The Beasts'' (2015)
* Dexys, on the album ''Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul'' (2016)
* Jason Manford
Jason John Manford (born 26 May 1981) is an English comedian, presenter, actor and singer.
Manford was a team captain on the Channel 4 panel show ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' from 2007 until 2010 and has presented numerous television shows for the BBC an ...
, on the album '' A Different Stage'' (2017)
* Voces8 and Sibéal Ní Chasaide
Sibéal Ní Chasaide (; born 1998), known mononymously as Sibéal, is an Irish singer from the Ráth Chairn Gaeltacht, County Meath, specializing in the centuries-old melismatic Irish singing style of sean-nós. She is best known for singing M ...
, on the album ''Enchanted Isle'' (2019)
* Dexys (a.k.a. Dexys Midnight Runners) on the album ''Let The Record Show: Dexys Do Irish And Country Soul''.
References
External links
Brian Kennedy
– Carrickfergus (Excerpt)
Seán Ó Sé's rendition of Do Bhí Bean Uasal
Useful Discussion of history of the song at
Mudcat Café
The Mudcat Café is an online discussion group and song and tune database, which also includes many other features relating to folk music.
History
The website was originally founded in October 1996 as a Blues-oriented discussion site. It was n ...
Partial listing of lyrics with history as well at
TripSavvy now Dotdash Co, formerly About.Com
{{authority control
Irish folk songs
Year of song unknown
Carrickfergus
1960s in Irish music