School: Gusserane

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1. Song

   “One evening last week into Ross I did go I came from the Hook and I passed by Coolroe”

   

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   About the year 1894, Guinness firm the principal buyer of barley in Ireland got in a lot of foreign barley for malting, this was ruinous to the Co. Wexford as barley was the principal cash crop the farmers raised. The price of barley fell from 15s/6d to 7s/= per barrel hence the following song was composed.

   
   Song

   One evening last week into Ross I did go
   I came from the Hook and I passed by Coolroe
   I met an old farmer named Maurkeen Kehoe
   Going to town with a sample of barley

   ii
   Passing Pat Sullivans at the cross of Dunmain
   We went into see Mary and have a small drain
   An old woman inside they called Johanna Kane
   She was arguing with Catherine Carley

   iii
   With sighing and sobbing you think she would choke
   Saying Johanna honey last year I was broke
   I went into town for to auction the yoke
   And the landlord came up to me snarling

   iv
   On the last fair of Ross, I was selling a foal
   To buy a new pair of buskens," provisions and coal
   He came up to my daughter and swore by his soul
   That he should gey the price of my barley

   v

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. genre
      1. poetry
         1. folk poetry (~9,504)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Annie Ryan

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Garryduff, Co. Wexford

   Informant

   Mr Richard Ryan

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   70

   Address

   Garryduff, Co. Wexford