| AKA | Wings of a Swallow Little town in old County Down |
| First Published | 1920 |
| Writer/composer | Richard W Pascoe / Monte Carlo and Alma Sander | Roud | RN13214 |
| Music Hall Performers | Talbot O'Farrell, others |
| Folk performances | Collected from the singing of: Keeping Family; England : London 1930s – 1950s Turriff, Jean; Scotland : Aberdeenshire; 1971 Knights, Jimmy (‘Holy Jim’); England : Suffolk; 1974 Smith, Levi; England : Surrey; 1974 Smith, Phoebe; England : Suffolk; 1976 Doughty, Johnny; England : Sussex; 1979 Cassidy, Nan / Cassidy, Kitty; Ireland; 2012 Black, Freda; England : Hampshire; 2012 |
[From SHEET MUSIC] Sure if I had the wings of a swallow I would travel far over the sea Then a rocky old road I would follow To a spot that is heaven to me When the sun goes to rest way down in the west Then I'll build such a nest in the place I love best In that dear little town in the ould County Down It will linger way down in my heart Tho' it never was grand it is my fairy land Just a wonderful world set apart O my Ireland of dreams you are with me it seems And I care not for fame or renown Like the black sheep of old I'll come back to the fold Little town in the ould County Down. In the evening when shadows are falling 'Round the ould door without any key There's a voice in my dreams ever calling There are eyes ever watching for me There is someone I bless with true tenderness And her lips I'll caress when I bring happiness
A song from the 1920s when many of the songs sung in the British Halls were imported from America – this one was written by Cornish-born Richard W Pascoe(1888-1968) who also wrote That Tumble-Down Shack in Athlone.
In the UK the song was initially associated with the singer Talbot O’Farrell but it later featured in the repertoire of John McCormack and a number of other British and Irish artists.
The song has been found in the repertoire of traditional singers in England, Scotland and Ireland, its often known as Wings of a Swallow.. Not to be confused with The Little Swallow a much older Irish song collected by Edward Bunting in approximately 1800 which starts: I would I were a little swallow, I would rise into the air and fly Away to that inconstant rover.
Sources:
- VWML entry
- Kilgarrif Sing Us
- Lyrics and Sheet Music: Francis & Days Annual No. 43, p1
- Edward Bunting (1796?) The Ancient Music of Ireland, p70
Last Updated on May 5, 2023 by John Baxter | Published: May 5, 2023
