The Medusa Fora

Since I've seen it, I have been wondering about the poem Shane recites during the Streams of Whiskey -part in the IISFFG documentary. It goes something like "In Ar...(something) in the county galway one summers evening in the month of may."
Can anyone inform me futher? Who wrote that?
Google obviously says nothing and you can guess the difficulty of obtaining (possibly) esoteric Irish poetry in Helsinki.
Thanks.

In Oranmore in the County Galway.....

I think it's a song called 'The Galway Shawl' others may have more info. and be able to point to the lyrics.

The Galway Shawl

Near Oranmore in the county Galway
One pleasant evening in the month of may
I spied a damsel so young and handsome
Her beauty fairly took my breath away

Chorus:
She wore no jewels, no costly diamonds
No paint nor powder, no, none at all
She wore a bonnet with a ribbon on it
And round her shoulders was a Galway Shawl

As we went walking she kept on talking
'til her father's cottage came into view
She said "Come in sir and meet me father
And for to please him play the Foggy Dew"

She sat me down beside the hearthstone
For'nenst her father who was six feet tall
And soon her mother had the kettle boiling
But I kept on thinking of the Galway shawl

Chorus

I played The Blackbird, The Stacks of Barley
Rooney's Favourite and the Foggy Dew
She sang each note like an Irish linnet
And the tears came into her eyes of blue

'Twas early early, all in the morning
I trod the long road for oul' Donegal
She cried "goodbye Sir" then she waved me onward
And my heart remained with the Galway Shawl

Chorus

Firsty wrote:In Oranmore in the County Galway.....

I think it's a song called 'The Galway Shawl' others may have more info. and be able to point to the lyrics.

The tune of Sean O'Casey's "Red Roses For Me" is a close cousin.

Thanks a lot!

yeah, tis great lyrics but as Shaneo says it ain't loike "Oim going, oim going where streams of whiskey are flowin'..." tis a way different style.

IrishRover wrote:yeah, tis great lyrics but as Shaneo says it ain't loike "Oim going, oim going where streams of whiskey are flowin'..." tis a way different style.

He was praising that song over his own you know?

Revsta wrote:

IrishRover wrote:yeah, tis great lyrics but as Shaneo says it ain't loike "I'm going, I'm going where streams of whiskey are flowin'..." tis a way different style.

He was praising that song over his own you know?

Yeah, his point was Streams Of Whiskey's no work of genius

*disagrees*

yeah, well genius=Shane will never say hes work is work of genius

Fintan wrote:The Galway Shawl

Near Oranmore in the county Galway
One pleasant evening in the month of may
I spied a damsel so young and handsome
Her beauty fairly took my breath away

Chorus:
She wore no jewels, no costly diamonds
No paint nor powder, no, none at all
She wore a bonnet with a ribbon on it
And round her shoulders was a Galway Shawl

As we went walking she kept on talking
'til her father's cottage came into view
She said "Come in sir and meet me father
And for to please him play the Foggy Dew"

She sat me down beside the hearthstone
For'nenst her father who was six feet tall
And soon her mother had the kettle boiling
But I kept on thinking of the Galway shawl

Chorus

I played The Blackbird, The Stacks of Barley
Rooney's Favourite and the Foggy Dew
She sang each note like an Irish linnet
And the tears came into her eyes of blue

'Twas early early, all in the morning
I trod the long road for oul' Donegal
She cried "goodbye Sir" then she waved me onward
And my heart remained with the Galway Shawl

Chorus

I've always loved those lyrics, especially the part about "And the tears came into her eyes of blue". Irish music emits such beauty like this so often.

that i a really nice song. has the pogues covered it? is there anywere that i can get a copy of it that anyones knows of.


by the way i'm off to helsinki in march for my hols. again

IrishRover wrote:yeah, well genius=Shane will never say hes work is work of genius

In the Doc. He was laughing at his own lyrics and saying how he writes pop that people can't tell isn't pop. He was joking about how "amazing" Streams of Whiskey was and that Galway was much better.

that confirms me wroiting

Smerker wrote:Yeah, his point was Streams Of Whiskey's no work of genius

*disagrees*

I´ve always thought that he was pointing out the difference in attitude. You know, there is a bit of contrast between "One pleasant evening in the month of May" and "I am going where the streams of whiskey are flowing". But He probably meant what you said.

molly wrote:by the way i'm off to helsinki in march for my hols. again

Welcome to Hellsinki!

Fintan wrote:The Galway Shawl

Near Oranmore in the county Galway
One pleasant evening in the month of may
I spied a damsel so young and handsome
Her beauty fairly took my breath away

Chorus:
She wore no jewels, no costly diamonds
No paint nor powder, no, none at all
She wore a bonnet with a ribbon on it
And round her shoulders was a Galway Shawl

As we went walking she kept on talking
'til her father's cottage came into view
She said "Come in sir and meet me father
And for to please him play the Foggy Dew"

She sat me down beside the hearthstone
For'nenst her father who was six feet tall
And soon her mother had the kettle boiling
But I kept on thinking of the Galway shawl

Chorus

I played The Blackbird, The Stacks of Barley
Rooney's Favourite and the Foggy Dew
She sang each note like an Irish linnet
And the tears came into her eyes of blue

'Twas early early, all in the morning
I trod the long road for oul' Donegal
She cried "goodbye Sir" then she waved me onward
And my heart remained with the Galway Shawl

Chorus

I keep trying to write how I feel about this song but I can't. None of it sounds right.

My parents danced to it on their first dance at their wedding
My sister and her husband danced to it at their first dance at their wedding.

I know it word for word and I recall one time getting up on the mic and singing it when I was seriously drunk in our local.

My sister is the dancer in our family she always jives etc and you can never get me up on the dance floor but I can honestly say I don't think I've ever refused my dad a dance to this song.