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.


Oct. 17th 2009 in Dodds

Late night - loads of songs - watch this space!

19 September 2009

Visitors from the Sligo Traditional Singing Circle visited the club on the 19th September as they often do. They're holding their annual singers' weekend on the weekend, 2-4 October 2009, in Sligo Town. There'll be representatives of the Boyle Singers there, along with many more. It was a great weekend last year and we expect that it'll be as good if not better this year. For more details, see the Sligo Traditional Singing Circle website.

15 August 2009 at the BSC

A very full night of songs at the Boylers last Saturday. The night had a beginning, middle and end and then an extended encore! There were men singing women’s songs and women saying men’s rhymes and some singing songs to tunes of other songs. (Make that into a song and we’ll give you an extra singing slot!)

Declan Coyne told us, “For I was nothing to him, Though he was the world to me”, an old song, sometimes called The Sad Song (as if there were no other) and sometimes, The Palace Grand.

Frank was in reminiscent mood:
My youthful days are past and it makes my heart feel weary,
As I sit in the cart in the wilds of the prairie.
Hunting the deer that skip around the beaver,
While my thoughts fondly stray to the Bogs of Shanaheever .

Nora, Mary and Marion were thinking of exiles as well: “Dear exiles all who hail from Boyle”, “The crowded streets of Brooklyn” and “I am a lonely exile” (Cill na Martra).

Eugene was more in party-mode with the Irish Jubilee, and he remembered every last one of the 30 or more verses on the menu. Here’s a taster:
We ate oatmeal till we could hardly stirabout, Ketch-up and hurry-up, sweet-kraut and sauer-kraut;
Dressed beef and naked beef and beef with all its trousers on, Soda crackers, fire crackers, Cheshire cheese with breeches on;
Beefsteaks and mistakes were down upon the bill of fare, Roast ribs and spare ribs and ribs that we couldn't spare;
Reindeer, snowdeer and dear me and antelope, The women ate so much melon, the men said they cantaloupe;
Red herrings, smoked herrings, herrings from old Erin's Isle, Bangor loaf and fruit cake and sausages a half a mile;
Hot corn, cold corn, and corn cake and honey-comb, Red birds and red books, sea bass and sea foam;
Fried liver, baked liver, Carter's little liver pills, And everyone was wondering who was going to pay the bill.

Marion told of a famous greyhound, Mary of a “young cowboy”. George was Down by Lough Arrow’s side. A second from Mary : the Water is Wide and Clare was By Clyde’s bonnie banks, (Blantyre explosion). Breege sang about Willie the ploughboy, Paddy from Elphin sang about The Shady boy, Tony was weeping at 19, Clíona sang Two sisters for Clare and Mary and the Charlady’s Ball to keep with the theme of the Irish Jubilee and the Races at Killadoon (I can’t forget all the thrills I met...). Ronnie Drew’s anniversary was remembered in a rendering of Monto from a visitor to Boyle who saw our advertisement in the window of Dodd’s and dropped in.
I’ve missed a few, I know, and can only mention in passing the matchmaking story, the food story, the driving lesson tale, Percy French, My name is Delaney, a name that won't shame me and a Song for Ireland.

This writer had to leave before the encore, so I can’t say with certainty what happened next. Who could?

Be there next month for the beginning of our FOURTH year. Ó neart go neart.

Music and song in Strokestown House

The next "Reel thing" concert takes place in Strokestown House,Co.Roscommon.
Thursday 13th August
8pm sharp.

It features the husband and wife team of Martin Quinn(accordion/fiddle) and Angelina Carberry(banjo). Their guests on the night are Patsy Hanly(flute) and Pauline Hanly(singer).

Contact 0906625824 for information/bookings.

July 18th 2009

Cyril McDermott, who has recently launched a CD of songs telling the tale of his local area, around Elphin, Co. Roscommon, was a welcome guest at the Singers' night. There was a good crowd, with people on their way back from the South Sligo Summer School at Tubbercurry and on their way to the Joe Mooney in Drumshanbo. More came hotfoot from the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton and there was a number of visitors who promised to sing, but hoofed it, under cover of the break and the handing around of the sambos, leaving us in suspense until the next time!

20th June 2009

Oíche dhátheangach at the Boyle Singers on Saturday night, with several singers ag rá amhráin as Gaeilge: Eileanór a rún, Liostáil mé le Sáirsint, Óró mo churachín agus an Seanduine dóite. So much so, that a storyteller was moved to recite a macaronic recitation!

Dár ndóigh, bhí neart béarla ann freisin, with Helen and Breege kicking off the night in great style, both singing their own compositions - and a third singer, with an unplanned display of creativity, sang a unique version of the Newry Highwayman, as the actual lyrics evaded her on the night. SHE shall go unnamed. A wide selection of songs and singers including Tony, Clare, Eugene, Noreen, Frank, Marian, Clíona. Paul made his debut by joining in with gusto on that old favourite, Happy Birthday! Pádraig, Frances and Teresa recited and told stories.

And the songs? Banks of the Bann, Jimmy Murphy, Rosie Stewart's Jug of Punch, Luke Manner, Liverpool lullaby, Mrs McGrath, Maid of Magherally, Maggie, Westlin' Winds, In Bodenstown Churchyard, the Chapel gates at Cooraclare and several more.

The Shannonside Northern Sound Supporting the Arts award was on display on the night.

Go dtí an t-am céanna an mhí seo chugainn, beirigí bua agus bainigí taitneamh as an tSamhraidh - because, for the record - the weather is GORGEOUS at the moment.

SESSION COMING UP - Saturday, 20th June

Polish up your vocal chords... Singers' session, this Saturday, 20th June.

Boyle Singers Circle poster