Castle of Dromore: A Song History

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"The Castle of Dromore" is in Songs of the Four Nations, a collection of old songs from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales; the second edition was published by J. B. Cramer of London in 1892.[1] The book subtitles it an Irish lullaby and credits the English words to its editor, Harold Boulton, the Irish translation to Douglas Hyde, and the arrangement of an "old Irish air" to Arthur Somervell.[1][2] Boulton's preface mentions that he had also worked on an earlier Scottish collection, Songs of the North.[1] The book prints Hyde's Irish text, headed "Caislean an Droma-Mhoir," as a translation, but the Traditional Ballad Index notes that the English and Irish versions have each been claimed as the original; the Ballad Index spells the Irish title "Caislean Droim an Óir."[1][3]

Painting of a seated woman in a green dress holding a cord, against a flowered wallpaper

Vincent van Gogh, La Berceuse (Woman Rocking a Cradle), oil on canvas, 1889. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public domain (CC0). Shown for the song’s lullaby theme; it has no connection to the song.

The air was also printed under other names. In The Irish Song Book, Alfred Perceval Graves set Boulton's words to a tune he called "My Wife is Sick"; the English Folk Dance and Song Society library catalogues the book's second edition under 1895.[4][5] A melody titled "My wife is sick and like to die, oh dear what shall I do" is no. 509 in Charles Villiers Stanford's edition of George Petrie's collection, published by Boosey for the Irish Literary Society of London.[6] Francis O'Neill's Chicago collection Music of Ireland prints the tune as "The Castle of Dromore," together with an Irish title.[7] The sources consulted here do not establish which Dromore the song means; a contributor's note on the Traditional Tune Archive places the Irish version's Dromore in County Down.[8]

The Ballad Index records that Richard Hayward recorded the song for Decca (F-2266) on 6 February 1931.[3] The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem sang it on their album The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.[3][9] The Traditional Tune Archive says the Scottish group the Corries made a popular recording.[8] The uilleann piper Leo Rowsome played the air on The Drones and the Chanters: Irish Pipering, a Claddagh anthology of several pipers.[8][10]

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Sources

  1. Internet Archive: Harold Boulton, ed., "Songs of the Four Nations" (London: J. B. Cramer & Co., 2nd ed., 1892).
  2. Bibliothèque nationale de France: catalogue record for "Songs of the four nations" (2nd ed., 1892), with contents.
  3. The Traditional Ballad Index: "Castle of Dromore, The (Caislean Droim an Oir)".
  4. Internet Archive: Alfred Perceval Graves, ed., "The Irish Song Book, with Original Irish Airs" (London: T. Fisher Unwin, 2nd ed.).
  5. Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (EFDSS): catalogue record for "The Irish song book: with original Irish airs" (1895).
  6. Internet Archive: George Petrie, "The Complete Collection of Irish Music", ed. Charles Villiers Stanford (London: Boosey, for the Irish Literary Society of London).
  7. Internet Archive: Francis O'Neill, "O'Neill's Music of Ireland" (Chicago: Lyon & Healy).
  8. The Traditional Tune Archive: "Castle of Dromore (The)".
  9. Wikipedia: "The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (album)".
  10. Ward Irish Music Archives: catalogue record for "The Drones and the Chanters: Irish Pipering" (Claddagh Records).