{"id":12856,"date":"2021-09-15T14:31:44","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T14:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=12856"},"modified":"2021-09-15T14:31:48","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15T14:31:48","slug":"muirsheen-durkin-diggin-lumps-of-gold","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/muirsheen-durkin-diggin-lumps-of-gold\/","title":{"rendered":"Muirsheen Durkin\/ Diggin’ lumps of Gold"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Goodbye Muirsheen Durkin
Molly Durkin<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1883?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Felix McGlennon?<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN9753<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Pat Harvey?<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Modern performances<\/strong>
The Dubliners, The Pogues, The Irish Rovers, many more..<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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MUIRSHEEN DURKIN from Mudcat<\/a>\n\nIn the days I went a courtin', I was never tired resortin'\nTo the alehouse and the playhouse or many a house beside,\nI told me brother Seamus l'd go off and go right famous\nAnd before l'd return again l'd roam the world wide.\n\nSo goodbye Muirsheen Durkin, l'm sick and tired of working,\nNo more I'll dig the praties, no longer I'll be fooled.\nFor as sure as me name is Carney\nI'll be off to California, where instead of diggin' praties\nI'll be diggin' lumps of gold.<\/em>\n\nI've courted girls in Blarney, in Kanturk and in Killarney\nIn Passage and in Queenstown, that is the Cobh of Cork.\nBut goodbye to all this pleasure, for l'm going to take me leisure\nAnd the next time you will hear from me\nWill be a letter from New York,\n\nGoodbye to all the boys at home, l'm sailing far across the foam\nTo try to make me fortune in far America,\nFor there's s gold and money plenty for the poor and gentry\nAnd when I come back again I never more will stray,<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
This well-known traditional Irish song may perhaps be derived from a Music Hall song by Felix McGlennon….<\/p>\n\n\n\n
 In late 1885 songwriter and publisher Felix McGlennon successfully won compensation from the owner of a Gravesend Music Hall for allowing an unauthorised performance of his song, Digging for lumps of gold<\/em> by an Irish comic called Pat Harvey.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Nov. 29, 1885, The Sunday Times <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, I have been unable to find evidence that this song survives in print, but an earlier report from The Era<\/em> newspaper describes Pat Harvey singing what appears to be the same song at a Lusby’s Music Hall<\/em> on the Mile End Rd in London:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Dec. 15, 1883;  <\/strong>The Era <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
This is not direct evidence, I know, but this is suggestion at least , that Pat Harvey was singing something very like the song now commonly known as Goodbye  Muirsheen Durkin<\/em>. Like Goodbye  Muirsheen Durkin<\/em>, Pat Harvey’s song, involves a character called Corny\/Carney abandoning the practice of digging for potatoes in the hope that they may dig for “lumps of gold” instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Worth looking into further … do contact me if you have evidence either way john@folksongandmusichall.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As The Dubliners<\/em> sing it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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