Since then, “Danny Boy” has been recorded by artists from nearly every genre of popular music: Everyone from Elvis Presley to Bing Crosby to Kate Smith to The Pogues to Harry Belafonte to Johnny Cash has their version. The first recording was made in 1915 by the German vocalist Ernestine Schumann-Heink. Weatherly gave the song to the English opera singer Elsie Griffin, who introduced it to a wider audience. On a trip back to England in 1912, Mary introduced Fred to “Londonderry Air.” Fred fused his heavy-hearted lyrics with the ancient melody. Weatherly’s sister-in-law, Mary Weatherly, was an Irish immigrant who sailed to America with Frederic’s brother in search of silver. Before he began practicing law, Weatherly had been quite prolific as a songwriter, publishing about 1,500 songs in his lifetime. They were penned in 1913 by a British lawyer named Frederic Weatherly. Rory Dall O’Cahan may or may not existed, but he’s an important part of the fabric of the story of “Danny Boy.”Īnd as it turns out, the famed lyrics weren’t written by an Irishman. Legend has it that the tune was composed by a Celtic harpist named Rory Dall O’Cahan, who lived in Scotland in the late 17th century. Mystery surrounds the origins of the melody. Petrie credited a Miss Jane Ross of County Derry (also known as County Londonderry), Ireland, for notating “Londonderry Air” after hearing it played by an unnamed blind fiddler. In George Petrie’s “Ancient Airs of Ireland,” where the ballad first appeared in print, Dr. The melody comes from an Irish air called “Londonderry Air,” named for the County Londonderry where it was first collected. “Danny Boy” is not a completely original song. The lyrics neither specify the relationship of the singer to Danny Boy or the reason for Danny’s departure. The lyrics of “Danny Boy” have a certain ambiguity, lending themselves to function as a universal lament about separation, the finality of death, and the greater power of love. So begins the infamous Irish ballad “Danny Boy,” a song that has long been a staple at Irish Catholic funerals, wakes and memorial services around the world. It’s you, it’s you must go and I must bide. The summer’s gone, and all the roses falling, Irish musical ensemble Celtic Woman performs Danny Boyįrom glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
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