The Road from Killorglin to Caherciveen

This song has become one of the local anthems and an essential part of the repertoire for singers locally. The composer of this song was James Sugrue (born 1909), from Coolnaharragill Upper, Glenbeigh. He was known as ‘Jim Bud’, He composed a lot of songs and was said to be able to make up a rhyme about an occurrence in the time it would ‘take you to spit’. The renowned singer, Brendan Moriarty got the song many years ago from a woman around Mountain Stage and through his excellent rendition of it, made it famous. The line ‘And the Mountain Stage station no longer is seen’ in the third verse dates the song after 1st February 1960 when the station closed. Around the year 1936 the song-collector and composer Herbert Hughes collected many songs in the area. It is thought the song ‘My blue-eyed mountain Queen’ set around Glenbeigh is another composition by James Sugrue and appears with musical arrangement by Hughes in ‘Irish Country Songs Volume IV.

The air to the 1st and 4th lines of the song are similar to ‘The road by the river that flows through Raheen’ but differs in the 2nd and 3rd lines.

Source: Matt Joe O’Neill (Private Collection)

I’ve tramped around England and the most part of Wales
I’ve seen all their valleys and their mountains and dales
But in all of my travels, no equal I’ve seen
As the road from Killorglin to Cahersiveen

Now we’ll start around Milltown where the fresh winds blow fair
And then we’ll go westward and straight to Puck Fair
Caragh Lake and Dook’s Golf Links and then Curraheen
On the road from Killorglin to Cahersiveen

Now we’re in Glenbeigh more lovelier than all
Backed up by Rossbeigh with her sand dunes so tall
And the mountain Stage station no longer is seen
On the road from Killorglin to Cahersiveen

And again we’ll go westward and come to Filemore
Where many a fowler went fowling of yore
On the long range of mountains from Bahaghs to Been
On the road from Killorglin to Cahersiveen

Now we are nearing our journey’s end
When to Gortnafola you come to Strandsend
Where Sullivan the blacksmith, he still keeps up steam
On the road from Killorglin to Cahersiveen

Then away O’er the Water lies Killavarnogue
Where oft times I strolled with my friends long ago
Where the water runs fair and the grass, it grows green
On the road from Killorglin to Cahersiveen

Now we are back in that lovely old town
Where no man or woman will ever let me down
When I pray to the Lord to be laid in the green
With the stout-hearted people of Cahersiveen

Yes I pray to the Lord to be laid in the green
With the stout-hearted people of Cahersiveen.