Digital Tradition Mirror

The Boys of Fairhill

The Boys of Fairhill

 Come boys 'tis there you'll see lads and lassies in their glee
 Evergreen bowers would make your heart thrill
 The boys they won't harm you the girls soft will charm you
 Here's up them all cried the boys of Fairhill

 Come boys and have a drink of Fahy's well spring water
 If you feel dry you are welcome there still
 It's better than Beamish's or J. J. Murphy's porter
 That has been proved by the boys of Fairhill

 Come boys round by Gurranabraher there you will see the fields so green
 Where the sun shines in splendour the lark sweetly sings
 Thousands cross the briney foam just to kiss the Blarney stone
 You can view it alone from the groves of Fairhill

 Come boys and have a day with our hurling team so gay
 The crackling of the ash it would make your heart thrill
 Talk about the Kerry pike let them all come if you like
 They're bound to be knocked out by the boys of Fairhill

 Come boys and have a day with our Harriers Club so gay
 Around the Croppy Boy and the old road called the Cill
 Where many a bloody Black and Tan and their treacherous Saxon clan
 Were all laid low by the boys of Fairhill

 Come on boys and have a day with our bowling club so gay
 The loft of the bowl it would make your heart thrill
 When you hear the Shea boy say - Timmy Delaney has won the day
 We beat them all says the boys of Fairhill

 Come boys out to our club and from that to Quinlan's pub
 Where our gallons we'll fill our porter will flow
 We'll drink a health to Dashwood's race as we tap the half o' tierce
 That's the stuff to give 'em says the boys of Fairhill

[1977:] This is one of the best known of Cork songs.
Wherever Cork people gather in celebration you're sure to hear
De Boys at some stage. Originally it was a song in praise of
Cork's traditional pastimes, bowling, drag-hunting and hurling.
Because of its popularity, verses were added and the original
has almost been forgotten. This version learnt from Paul
Frost is probably close to the original. A few of the north city
landmarks are mentioned - Quinlans Pub in Blackpool also known as
the Harrier Bar, the haunt of the local beaglers and,
by way of contrast, Fahy's Well, near Wash Brew Lane famous
for the purity of its spring water. (Notes Jimmy Crowley, 'The Boys of Fair Hill
')

[1998:] I have purposely scuttled the more recent vulgar verses and have
returned to the original lyric which I collected in 1976 from Hadda
O'Callaghan of Blacpool, Cork, brother of the author Séan. It seems
less a city song here and more a pastourelle. Not surprisingly, as
almost all of Cork's Northside was then open country and famous
for the singing of its larks. (Jimmy Crowley, notes 'Uncorked!')

SKW
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