When they ask you what your name is

I am thinking of the morning 
When I left Old Ireland's shore; 
I can see my dear old mother 
Standing at the cabin door. 
When she kissed my cheeks she murmured,
On that still September morn, 
"'Mongst strangers you are going,
Who may treat you, boy, with scorn;
But promise me you'll'not deny 
The land where you were born."
 
"When they ask you what your name is,
Tell them it's Molloy;
Where's the blame? — there's no shame
In an Irish name, my boy.
If they ask you where you've come from,
Tell them, friends or foes,
By Killarney's lakes and fells —
The land where the Shamrock grows."

Many years I've	lived with strangers,
And have found new friends for old;
And met many cheery welcomes 
When the world seemed lone and cold.
But the one thing that I long for—.
Yes, wherever I may be,
Is to see that dear old cabin 
In the Isle across the sea,
Where I shall hear again that 
Dear-loved voice that said to  me—

Another song which demonstrates you don’t have to be Irish to write an Irish song, this one was produced by an Englishman and a Welshman, Harry Castling and Fred Godfrey .

It was a big hit for Dave Carter, who appeared in Irish, British and American Music Halls between the 1880s and 1920s. His repertoire suggests he specialised in sentimental Irish songs like this one and he was usually billed simply as “The Popular Irish Tenor”. Anyone interested in investigating this performer might visit the National Library of Ireland, which holds a copy of his personal scrapbook containing cuttings and photographs.

When they ask you what your name is was performed and recorded by several artists in the 1920s, including Stanley Kirby and Jack Payne.

The song was later collected by Ruairidh Greig from the singing of Clarence Cherry in 1972, and also may have featured in the repertoire Walter Pardon, though he doesn’t seem to have recorded it

Sources:

• VWML entry
• Kilgarrif Sing Us
• Lyrics: McGlennon’s Ireland’s Popular Song Book, p1 (no date, 1920s?)
• Sheet Music: not accessed
• Fred Godfrey Songs
• Mustrad article: repertoire of Walter Pardon

Last Updated on February 3, 2022 by John Baxter | Published: January 16, 2022