Full Description
This nostalgic collection of Irish ballads and poems celebrates the rich history and culture of the Irish-American experience.
Spanning the early 19th century through the 1930s, these carefully selected pieces capture the hopes, dreams, and struggles of Irish immigrants as they built new lives in America. From the decorous parlours of the Irish middle class to the tumultuous vaudeville halls, these songs and verses paint a vivid picture of a people finding their place in a new land.
Iconic figures like 'Irish Molly-Os,' 'Mother Machrees,' and 'Dacent Irish Boys' come to life, embodying the spirit of a proud and resilient community.
Many of these pieces, such as 'My Wild Irish Rose' and 'My Irish Molly', still figure in the repertoire of Irish traditional groups. However, they owe far more to the era of vaudeville, music hall and Tin Pan Alley than to any Irish Music Tradition.
While some entries may lean into the "Oirishness" that purists love to critique, this collection embraces the sentimental charm that endeared these works to generations of Irish Americans. For them, these ballads and poems were a cherished connection to the green hills of a distant homeland, a badge of honour in their adopted country. Compiled with love and unapologetic nostalgia, A Little Bit of Heaven: An Irish American Anthology pays tribute to the enduring legacy of the Irish on both sides of the Atlantic. It is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the Irish-American experience through the power of song and verse.
Contents
Contents
Introduction 9
1 The Irish Emigrant
The Irish Emigrant, Lady Dufferin 15
Teddy O'Neale, James Gaspard Maedar 17
Shores of Amertkay, Anon 19
The Moon Behind the Hill, William Kenneally 20
Goodbye, Mursheen Durkin, Anon 22
Ireland -A Seaside Portrait, John James Piatt 24
Off to Philadelphia, Anon 25
The Old Bog Road, Teresa Brayton 27
The Emigrant's Letter, Percy French 29
An Irish Mother, Percy French 31
Goodbye, Mick, Anon 33
2 A Little Bit of Heaven
Kathleen Mavourneen, Julia Crawford 37
Killarney, Edmund Falconer 38
The Exile's Devotion, Thomas D'Arcy McGee 40
Come Back to Erin, Claribel 42
The Exile's Return, John Locke 43
Danny Boy, Fred E. Weatherly 46 I'll take You Home Again, Kathleen, Thomas P Westendorf 47
The Shamrock, Maurice Francis Egan 49
Mr Dooley on Irish Christmasses, Finley Peter Dunne 50
A Little Bit of Heaven, J.Keirn Brennan 54
Mother Machree, Rida Johnson Young 56
Ireland in America, Alice Furlong 57
'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream, John J. O'Brien and Al Dubin 60
3 When McGuiness Gets a Job
When McGuiness Gets a Job, Anon 63
Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill, Anon 65
The Hod-Carriers'Song, Anon 67
Paddy on the Canal, Anon 69
The Boston Burglar, Anon 71
4 Wakes and Weddings
and Every County Ball
Mick McGilligan's Ball, Anon
If You're Irish, Come into the Parlour, ShanGlenville and Frank Miller
The Magutres, Edward Harrigan
Lannigan's Ball, Anon
Teaching McFadden to Waltz, Anon
McCarthy's Party, Anon 84
Finnegan's Wake, Anon 86
Macnamara's Band, John J. Stamford 88
5 The Fighting Race
The Wearing of the Green, Dion Boucicault 93
The Celts, Thomas D'Arcy McGee 95
Irish Astronomy, 'Private Myles O'Reilly' 97
When Johnny Comes Marching Home, 'Louis Lambert' 99
The Croppy Boy, 'Carroll Malone' 101
A Savage, John Boyle O'Reilly 103
The Fighting Race, J. I. C. Clarke 104
The General's Death, Joseph O'Connor 107
The Fenian Man o War, Anon 108
Come to the Bower, Anon 109
Mush, Mush, Anon 111
'Throw Him Down, McCloskey', John W. Kelly 113
A Challenge, John L. Sullivan 115
Clancy Lowered the Boom, Anon 116
6 My Irish Molly, O
Molly Bawn, Samuel Lover 119
Molly Brallaghan, Anon 120
Colleen Dhas Cruthen na Moe, Dion Bouctcault 122
The Rose of Tralee, William P. Mulchinock 124
Bridget Donahue, Johnny Patterson 125
My Wild Irish Rose, Chauncey Olcott 127
Little Annie Rooney, Michael Nolan 128
Macushla, Josephine V. Rowe 130
My Irish Molly, O, Billy Jerome 131
Peggy O'Neill, V. Pearse, E. G. Nelson and Gilbert Dodge 133
7 On Stage, Everybody!
Barney Brallaghan''s Courtship, Peter K. Moran 137
Dear Old Donegal, Johnny Patterson 139
The Donevans, Edward Harrigan 141
The Mulligan Guard, Edward Harrigan 142
'Who Threw the Overalls in Mistress Murphy's Chowder?',
George L. Geifer 144
Down Went McGinty, Joseph Flynn 146
Harrigan, George M. Cohan 149
If We Only Had Old Ireland Over Here, Anon 150
8 A Great Day for the Irish
Maggie Murphy's Home, Edward Harrigan 153
Muldoon, the Solid Man, Edward Harrigan 155
The Band Played On, John F- Palmer 157
Casey at the Bat, Ernest Lawrence Thayer
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Chauncey Olcott and George Graff
It's a Great Day for the Irish, Roger Edens
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