Boyle Traditional Singers' Circle - Ciorcal Ámhránaíochta Traidisiúnta Mhainistir na Búille

3rd Saturday of every month. Next session: 21st March 2020. CANCELLED




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Fáilte - Welcome
to the Boyle Singers' circle - Ciorcal Amhránaíochta Mhainistir na Búille

Traditional unaccompanied singing, in English and Irish.

Dodd’s Crescent Bar (back room), The Crescent, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, Ireland.
The third Saturday of every month, all year around, 9.30pm onwards.

All singers and listeners welcome.


16 March 2019, the night before St. Patrick's Day


An oíche roimh Lá Fhéile Pádraig, bhí cupla téama in amhránaíochta an seisiúin, ina measc, Éire, An fharraige, An lucht siúil agus chríochnaigh an seisiún leis an Old Triangle, d'fhonn cuireadh ceolmhar a thabhairt don slua a bhí tar éis 'theacht isteach sa teach tábhairne.

On the Paddy's Day/Irish theme, we heard a lovely version of Her Mantle So Green from Trish. 

Jim O'Neill of Markethill, Co. Armagh, sang Her Mantle So Green to Peter Kennedy and Sean O'Boyle at Markethill, Co. Armagh, on July 12, 1952. Lots of people have sung it since, (https://mainlynorfolk.info/steeleye.span/songs/mantleofgreen.html) but one of the best versions is by Kevin Mitchell, who sang it on his 1996 album, I Sang That Sweet Refrain
Kevin had also learned it from Jim O'Neill. https://youtu.be/LIaUy5JJJHw
 
As I went a-walking one morning in June
To view the fair fields and the meadows in bloom,
I spied a fair female, she appeared like a queen,
In her costly fine robes and her mantle so green.

I steppèd up to her, put her in surprise;
I own she did not know me, I being in disguise.
Says I, “Fairest creature, will you come with me?
Oh we'll join in wedlock and married we'll be.”

She says, “Oh no, young man, I must be excused,
For I'll wed with no man, so you must be refused.
To the green fields I will wander, to shun all men's view
Since the lad I love dearly is in famed Waterloo.”

“Well, since you will not marry me, will you tell me your love's name?
As I was in that battle, so I might know the same.”
“Draw near to my garment, for it's there to be seen,
His name is embroidered on my mantle so green.”

At the raising of her mantle. it was there I beheld
His name and his surname in letters of gold.
Young Willie O’Reilly appeared to my view,
“He was my chief comrade in famed Waterloo.

“Your love and I fought where the bullets did fly
And in the field of battle his body does lie.
We fought for four days till the fifth afternoon,
He received his death-summons on the eighteenth of June.”

When she heard the sad news she fell into despair,
With the wringing her hands and the tearing her hair.
“To the green fields I will wander to shun all men's view
Since the lad I loved dearly lies in famed Waterloo.”

“Oh Nancy. lovely Nancy, it was I won your heart,
In your father's garden the day we did part;
In your father's garden so plain to be seen
I rolled you in my arms in your mantle so green.”

And now this couple's married, I've heard people say,
Great nobles attended on their wedding day.
He dressed her in fine silk, she appeared like a queen
In her costly fine robes and her mantle so green.

(There’s a Mudcat thread about this song too: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=11494)

Her mantle so green, and John's Freeborn man of the travelling people (Ewan McColl) put Tony in mind of Kevin Mitchell's singing of The Blue Tar Road (Liam Weldon). 

Clíona was thinking sustainability and sang Archie Fisher's The final trawl, Helen sang the Sea Captain (Once there lived a Captain).

Kevin, Donal, Frank also had St. Patrick in mind - Three-leaved shamrocks and all.
Delighted to see John and Cepta and hear John singing again. Grace, The Banks of Claudy, Adieu to Old England Adieu, My singing bird, Are you right there Michael, The old triangle (with lots of encouragement from the large audience) also got airings. There were more...

Come back next month, theme will be... Easter? 

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