The Auld Triangle

[Guest]

I recently had a friendly argument with a friend about where "The Auld Triangle" came from. I said it was from Brendan Behan's "The Quare Fellow" and he said it was from Behan's "Borstal Boy". I believe that it was "The Quare fellow" because in that book, he spent time in the Mountjoy prison along the Royal Canal in Dublin and the Borstal Boy, he was in a British prison. Is there a link where I can prove this to him. Thanks.

[AllBusiness37]

It's from "The Quare Fellow." Your local librarian can confirm this for you.

[philipchevron]

http://pogues.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1021

[Guest]

Thank you all.

[IrishRover]

are these the choirds used oin Pogues' version of Auld Troiangle ?

G
A hungry feeloing
G
Came oi'er me stealoing
C Em
And the moice were squeeloing
Am C
OIn me proisoin cell
G
And that auld troiangle went joingle-jangle
C Em D G
All aloing the banks of the Roiyal Canal

...

[philipchevron]

are these the choirds used oin Pogues' version of Auld Troiangle ?

G
A hungry feeloing
G
Came oi'er me stealoing
C Em
And the moice were squeeloing
Am C
OIn me proisoin cell
G
And that auld troiangle went joingle-jangle
C Em D G
All aloing the banks of the Roiyal Canal

...

The chords I was using in December 2006 were as follows, though I must say I prefer your version,

G
A hungry feeloing
G
Came oi'er me stealoing
C G
And the moice were squeeloing
C
OIn me proisoin cell
G
And that auld troiangle went joingle-jangle
C G D G
All aloing the banks of the Roiyal Canal

[IrishRover]

oi foiund thoise choirds toime ago soimewhere oinloine..
they doin't soiund bad as far as oi can tell but wanted to knoiw oif oit tois' a full match woith Pogues' version..
oi'll try oiut the oines ye played Philip, to see oif they suoit me better and then make the foinal choice.

[philipchevron]

oi foiund thoise choirds toime ago soimewhere oinloine..
they doin't soiund bad as far as oi can tell but wanted to knoiw oif oit tois' a full match woith Pogues' version..
oi'll try oiut the oines ye played Philip, to see oif they suoit me better and then make the foinal choice.

Actually, if you can manage it, try a Bm (B minor) on the second line, starting on the word "O'ER (me stealin')"

[IrishRover]

oi gave oit a try woith boith versions, oi guess oi have soimewhat better feeloin' doin' version woith Em & Am oincluded, the thoing that maybe needs to be changed ois the loine :
"(C)And that auld troi(G)angle went joingle-jangle"..
C actually cointoinues froim the prevoius "..(Em)OIn me (Am)proisoin (C)cell"...
noit 100% sure, but that whoile loine coiuld go woith G !

stoill doin't knoiw Bm

[langer]

hoi oirish,

try this site for guitar chords ...

http://www.gitarrengriffe-online.de/git ... kkorde.php

in german - i know - but easy to work out how it works ...

cheers - langer

[IrishRover]

hoi oirish,

try this site for guitar chords ...

http://www.gitarrengriffe-online.de/git ... kkorde.php

in german - i know - but easy to work out how it works ...

cheers - langer

slaointe & many thanks langer, oi'll booikmark oit,
tois' oin german all roight but looiks loike very gooid graphoic ointerpretation of em' choirds..
theres even soime doiwnloiadable version of the proigram, woill check that oiut too.

[dsweeney]

Does anybody know for certain who wrote " The aul' triangle " ? Some sources, MOST probably, say it was indeed by Brendan Behan. But others say that while it appeared in Brendan's play " The quare fellow " , it was actually written by his brother, Dominic. Any ideas, just to nail it for sure ?

[philipchevron]

I've always taken Behan at his word: "[it was] written by a person who will never hear it recorded because he's not the possessor of a gramophone. He's pretty much of (sic) a tramp." is how he prefaces his own recording of the song.

The matter came up during rehearsals of Kathy Burke's production of the play in 2004, for which I was musical director. Oengus MacNamara, the actor playing the prison Governor, knew Behan as a family friend [Oengus's father was a celebrated poet] and went further, actually naming the "tramp". However, as I have been unable to corroborate that, I am not prepared to claim any more than Behan himself does.

[dsweeney]

Hmmm, never heard about that before Phil, cheers. I guess the plot thickens so, even more mysterious.If, as you say, we take Behan at his word then most likely it was just somebody he knew who sang him the song. Can't think where the Dominic idea came from then though. Unless of course Brendan was referring to Dominic, taking the piss out of him like. Which would be about right, knowing the pair of them.
While on the Behan's, am I right in saying Peadar Kearney , who wrote the words to Amhrann na Bhiann, was an uncle or cousin of theirs ? Some relation anyway ?

[philipchevron]

Hmmm, never heard about that before Phil, cheers. I guess the plot thickens so, even more mysterious.If, as you say, we take Behan at his word then most likely it was just somebody he knew who sang him the song. Can't think where the Dominic idea came from then though. Unless of course Brendan was referring to Dominic, taking the piss out of him like. Which would be about right, knowing the pair of them.
While on the Behan's, am I right in saying Peadar Kearney , who wrote the words to Amhrann na Bhiann, was an uncle or cousin of theirs ? Some relation anyway ?

Yes, some relation anyway. The Behans, the Saskelds, the Bourkes and the Kearneys are something of an Irish theatrical dynasty. Gerry Ryan was in there too somewhere, perhaps by marriage.