Songs of Work
This song became a big hit in 1968 for Limerick born singer Mick Treacy. It was composed by Sean McCarthy (1923 - 1990) from Finuge. Co. Kerry. Sean was drinking one day with John Murphy’s son in the Nine Elms bar in Kensington when the thought occurred to him that he should write a song about the father in the style of ‘McAlpine’s Fusiliers’. The setting of the song is London during the Second World War. When Murphy heard about it he warned “I hope there’s no scandal in it, McCarthy” “Oh, divil a bit,” Said McCarthy, “It’ll be a tribute from one Kerryman to another.”
Mr Murphy had hitchhiked to London in the early 1930s from Loughmark, Cahersiveen. In the interim, the 96-year-old head of what is now international construction company John J Murphy and sons, never forgot his roots, employing Irish men for decades. He worked on the construction of RAF runways and airports during the Second World War and was heavily involved in rebuilding London after the blitz, the Channel Tunnel in the 1990s and had the contract for the Olympics site in London. John Murphy died on the 7th May 2009 at the age of ninety six and was brought home by private jet to Kerry airport 80 years later for the funeral in his native Cahersiveen.
Bhí meitheal ag baint mhóna i bparóiste na Priaireachta agus chaith duine acu lasán ar an gcnoc. Bhí an aimsir chomh tirim sin gur las an cnoc go léir. Níor thug an té a chaith an lasán aon chabhair dóibh chun an lasair a mhúchadh. Ní raibh fear na meithle buíoch dó, mar dódh a lán d’acraí an chnoic. Do dhein sé an t-amhrán seo don nduine a las an tine. Máire Ní Mhurchú, a bhí i scoil na gCailíní i mBaile an Sceilg, a bhailigh an t-amhrán ó Phádraig Ó Leidhin, Cúm, sa bhliain 1938.
A meitheal were cutting turf in a bog in the parish of Prior when one of the group carelessly threw away a match. The weather at the time was extremely dry and the whole mountainside caught fire. The man that threw the match didn’t assist the rest of the group as they attempted to bring the fire under control. The head of the meitheal was very annoyed with the man’s behaviour and composed an unflattering song about him. This song was included in the 1938 folklore collection made in Ballinskelligs Girls’ National School. It was collected by Máire Ní Mhurchú from Pádraig Ó Leidhin, Coom.
This song paints a very picturesque image of days spent in the bog footing turf and the characters involved. The composer prefers to remain anonymous. The complete version of the song appeared in the book ‘Ballinskelligs Remembered’ Volume 2, compiled by Finbar Bracken, Mícheál Leidhin and Dessy Cronin.
Spailpín bocht ab ea an Cárthach a d’fhág Uíbh Ráthach agus chuaigh ag obair d’fheirmeoir mór suas faoin dtír. Ba ghnáthach d’fhir ceantracha bochta cosúil le hUíbh Ráthach, a fhágaint sa 18ú agus 19ú haois agus slí bheatha a bhaint amach ag spailpínteacht. San amhrán seo deineann an spailpín cur síos ar an gcruatan a d’fhulaing sé agus é ag rómhar sna páirceanna. Is beag meas atá aige ar an bhfeirmeoir a thug obair dó agus deir sé gur caitheadh go holc leis. Ba dhóbair dó bás d’fháil de bharr na hoibre, a deir sé, agus caitheadh fios a chur ar an ndochtúir. Maire Ní Mhurchú, a bhí ar scoil i mBaile an Sceilg i 1938, a bhailigh an t-amhrán seo ó Phádraig Mac Criomhthain (52 blian d’aois), ó Chill Urlaí, Baile an Sceilg.
The Cárthach was a poor spailpín or farm labourer who left his native Iveragh to work for a farmer in another county. Seasonal migration of such labourers from less fertile coastal areas such as Iveragh was a common occurrence during the 18th and 19th centuries. In this song the labourer describes the hardship he encountered while working with his spade in the fields. He is highly critical of his employers and resents their unkind treatment of him. Indeed the Cárthach claims that he worked himself to the point of exhaustion, so much so that he required the treatment of a doctor to revive him. Maire Ní Mhurchú, a pupil at Ballinskelligs National School in 1938, collected the song from Pádraig Mac Criomhthain (52 yrs), Cill Urlaí, Baile an Sceilg.