The 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 ...
"Muirsheen Durkin" tells the story of an emigrant from Ireland who goes to mine for gold in California during the
California Gold Rush
The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...
, 1849. The song is about emigration, although atypically optimistic for the genre. The name "Muirsheen" is a good phonetic approximation to the pronunciation of "Máirtín" (Martin) in
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
Irish; it could alternatively be construed as a diminutive of "Muiris" (Maurice). A pratie is a potato, the historical staple crop of Ireland. "America" is pronounced "Americay", as was common among Gaelic peoples around Ireland.
The air to which it is sung is ''Cailíní deasa Mhuigheo'' (''Pretty Girls of
Mayo''), which is a popular
reel dating from the nineteenth century.
Performers
The song reached prominence when
Johnny McEvoy's recording reached no. 1 in Ireland in 1966.
It has been
covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of ...
by the following artists (and others):
*
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the bands Planxty and Moving Hearts and has had significant success as a solo artist. His first albu ...
*
Sharon Shannon
*
Four to the Bar on their live album
Craic on the Road.
*
The Pogues
The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish phrase :wikt:póg mo thóin, ''p� ...
*
The Irish Rovers (both as "Muirsheen Durkin" and as "Goodbye Mrs. Durkin")
*
Johnny McEvoy
*
The Dubliners
* The
Poxy Boggards
*
Golden Bough
*
The Mollys on their album ''
Hat Trick''
*
Off Kilter on their album ''Celtic Armadillo''
*
Darby O'Gill
*
The Wolfe Tones
* 1916 on their album ''
Last Call for Heroes''
*
Na Fianna
*
Fiddler's Green
Variations
"Molly Durkin" is a derivation made popular by Murty Rabbett in the 1940s in the United States.
The song has a lively tempo and tells a whimsical tale of a man who decides to give up his work as a mortar shoveller in order to take up mining gold. The song is not so much a song of leaving Ireland as it is an Irishman's response to a woman's scorn.
Lyrics from The American Songbook, by Jerry Silverman
/ref>
Recordings:
* Murty Rabbett & His Gaelic Band: "Farewell To Ireland" Properbox 3(P1109-12) (1999/2005)
* Ballinasloe Fair-Early Recordings Of Irish Music In America Traditional Crossroads CD 4284, CD (1998/2005)
References
External links
* http://www.affthecuff.org.uk/songs/mursheen.html
* http://www.8notes.com/scores/5619.asp?ftype=midi
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Year of song unknown
California Gold Rush
Irish-American culture
Irish folk songs
Songs about California
The Dubliners songs
Traditional ballads
19th-century songs
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles