No Irish need apply

AKA	No Irish wanted here An Irish labourer

Lyrics

Mrs FR Phillips

Music

Thomas Hudson

Roud Index

RN1137

Sure I was out the other night on such a wild goose chase
 I saw an advertisement about a decent place
 It is myself the place will suit, but I cannot tell you why,
 The lady said did you not read, no Irish need apply!
 For tis my country you dislike, I’m sure I don’t know why, 
 Faith tis all blarney when you say, no Irish need apply
  
 Just take a trip to Ireland, they will treat you like a man,
 The whiskey they will put into you as long as you can stand,
 With heart and hand their welcome you, tell me the reason why, 
 Our ears offend with that dirty end, no Irish need apply,
 So just look out and mind yourself, for I say, by the by,
 You all you lose your senses when you say, no Irish need apply
  
 You talk about your soldiers, now tell me if you can,
 If the bravest of them all are not Irish men,
 In Russia, and in China too, and India by the by,
 You never say when you want men, no Irish need apply,
 For if you want good soldiers, listen to me by the by,
 Would you ever have a Wellington if no Irish need apply.
  
 Of generals and statesmen, old Ireland can boast,
 her poets too, tis well known to you, are universal toasts,
 There’s Campbell, Moore and Lover, and Goldsmith by the by,
 You would not get their equals if no Irish need apply,
 You talk about your country, but you know tis all my eye,
 For the best feather in your cap is when Irish do apply.
  
 When the Queen was in Ireland, enjoying the jaunting car,
 the true hearted boys they shouted out “ Cead mile failte”
 To defend their majesty they would fight and die, 
And to prove to all the world at Irish need apply
 So to conclude, toss off your glass, I see the reason why
 You should put in your advertisements no Irish need apply

This song was allegedly originally written as a response to the widely held belief that Irish men were banned from working on the great exhibition of 1851. It was popular in the early halls until the 1870s. Mrs Phillips wrote the words to the Thomas Hudson tune, The spider and the fly.

Reflecting the attitudes of the time, married women were not known by their first names, but despite the fact that we do not know her first name, Mrs Phillips was one of the very first female music hall singers and something of a rarity in that she wrote her own material.

In the later stages of her career, she became Ma Phillips, and was described in the trade newspaper The Era:
This lady has been long before the public and she is, without question, one of the greatest public's greatest favourites. Strange to say, she has achieved her position without the aid of a good voice. [But] Mrs Phillips has a style peculiarly her own and her songs are invariably so well written and are given with such expression that she never fails to take her audience by storm.

The song appears to have been rewritten for an American audience in 1863 by Kathleen O'Neill (without crediting the original British version). It was probably this version which was adopted by number of singers drawing on traditional Irish and American music including Pete Seeger. It is just about possible that it was written in America first and then adopted in Britain, but from what I can see, this is unlikely.

Sources:

Original lyrics from Jolly Dogs Songster, available from VWML

British Music Hall, an illustrated history

Kathleen O’Neil’s version from the Lester Levy sheet music collection at https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/collection/053/009

Pete Seeger does it:

Last Updated on October 15, 2022 by John Baxter | Published: December 9, 2019