I play Celtic music, and have for many years. It is not uncommon for me to sing Danny Boy more than once at every Irish event. During the last decade I learned that I have a slight connection to this song, which gives me an extra story to tell about it, and a special feeling when I perform it. Here's that story.
Roots and Rhythms
No. 5
Danny Boy
James A. McQuiston
March 2018
The photo shown above is of Dunluce Castle, which sits precariously on a cliff along Co. Antrim's north coast. This was home to Sorley Boy McDonnell, who was leader of the Scots in this part of Ireland. His family had been there for a couple hundred years when my McQuiston branch of the same Clan Donald family came there in 1565. We were all part of the first people in history to be specifically called the Scotch-Irish, when Queen Elizabeth of England issued a manifesto in April of 1573 referring to "Sorley Boy and others who are of the Scotch-Irish race."
To me, Scotch-Irish and Irish, it's all the same. We are all a melting pot particularly of Celtic and Viking blood, but with Norman and Anglo-Saxon sometimes begrudgingly added in. My father's family had been Presbyterian for centuries, and the largest Presbyterian congregation in Irish history was found at the McQuiston Church in South Belfast. He turned Catholic when he married my mother, and I grew up at St. Thomas Irish Catholic Church. The first priest I ever knew, Father Graves, had a beautiful Irish brogue. My Auntie Joyce, direct from Ireland, lived in our apartment house. She had red hair and the sweetest Irish brogue you could imagine. So I benefitted from both angles of life in Ireland, and learned everything I know about music from "Irish" music sessions.
My wife and I visited Dunluce Castle, where my ancestors had fought for their own brand of freedom so many years ago. From there, we toured the countryside until reaching the small town of Dungiven. This is the very town my family left from to immigrate to America in 1735.
We found that there was Irish music to be played at, of all places, Murphy's Pub, just a block away from where we were staying. We headed down there in the evening and sat at a table with a wood carver, who lived out on Rathlin Island. He carved Celtic legends out of bog Oak, and found his inspiration in the waves as he traveled the ferry to the mainland. Speaking of brogues, his was so beautiful that I ran the batteries out on my little micro-tape recorder, just so I could listen to it all in the years to come.
This next little story has not much to do with music, but with the kindness of these people. I approached the bar, as I arrived, to purchase a Guinness beer. The barkeep filled the glass until the head of the beer was risking overflowing, as all bartenders do. Then he set it down for it to settle down, as he took my money. I was so desparately thirsty for my first Guinness in the old country that I reached for the beer.
The man next to me on a barstool, grabbed my arm, as I reached for the mug, and said, "Ah! That's no Guinness!" Then he motioned for the barkeep to top it off, which he did. I thought nothing more of it, but apparently the bartender did, as all night long, whenever I would get near the bottom of my glass, he was right there with a full one at no cost!
There was a sessions group preparing to perform and we asked if we could join in for a song or two. As we sat there with our woodcarving friend, we began discussing what songs we could perform that night. The name of "Danny Boy" came up, and our friend said, "If ya play that song tonight, they'll run ya out of town."
Well I was a bit shocked, but I knew some U.S. bars have asked us not to play it because too many people start crying and leave. So I asked him why.
He explained that the melody was written right there in that town by a harpist from the O'Cahan Clan. The story was that, as the O'Cahans were losing their land and chieftainship, before the Flight of the Earls, this harpist went into a cave for two days and came out with this beautiful melody. For a long time it was known as "O'Cahan's Lament." Eventually, it became known as the "Londonderry Air," an air being a slow, sometimes sad, instrumental, and the town of Londonderry, also known as Derry, being located just a few miles away.
The lyrics to "Danny Boy" were written in 1910, by Fred Weatherly, and this has become the most requested song in history.
I explained to our companion that I was, in fact, also related to the O'Cahans through a marriage between Angus Og McDonald and Agnes O'Cahan. He then showed me a plaque on the wall which told the same story I was about to tell him. Talk about feeling like I was "home again."
We decided to skip the song altogether, but we did enjoying performing a handful of other songs with the impeccable band that was assembled there, that evening. It was one of those nights you just couldn't forget, even if you tried.
It is generally assumed that "Danny Boy" is being sung by a father whose son has gone off to war. Some have even hinted that the inspiration was Sorley Boy himself, though I have found no proof of this.
While singers like the great John McCormack made the song popular, it has been recorded by a large number of people, including Elvis Presley. It was even played at his funeral.
Others who have recorded it are Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett, Art Garfunkel, Sinead O'Conner, Harry Belafonte, and many more artists.
The song has crossed all genres and remains one of the most heartfelt, and influential songs in the history of humankind.
While singers like the great John McCormack made the song popular, it has been recorded by a large number of people, including Elvis Presley. It was even played at his funeral.
Others who have recorded it are Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett, Art Garfunkel, Sinead O'Conner, Harry Belafonte, and many more artists.
The song has crossed all genres and remains one of the most heartfelt, and influential songs in the history of humankind.