Muirsheen Durkin/ Diggin’ lumps of Gold

AKAGoodbye Muirsheen Durkin
Molly Durkin
First Published1883?

Writer/composerFelix McGlennon?RoudRN9753

Music Hall PerformersPat Harvey?
Folk performancesModern performances
The Dubliners, The Pogues, The Irish Rovers, many more..
MUIRSHEEN DURKIN from Mudcat

In the days I went a courtin', I was never tired resortin'
To the alehouse and the playhouse or many a house beside,
I told me brother Seamus l'd go off and go right famous
And before l'd return again l'd roam the world wide.

So goodbye Muirsheen Durkin, l'm sick and tired of working,
No more I'll dig the praties, no longer I'll be fooled.
For as sure as me name is Carney
I'll be off to California, where instead of diggin' praties
I'll be diggin' lumps of gold.

I've courted girls in Blarney, in Kanturk and in Killarney
In Passage and in Queenstown, that is the Cobh of Cork.
But goodbye to all this pleasure, for l'm going to take me leisure
And the next time you will hear from me
Will be a letter from New York,

Goodbye to all the boys at home, l'm sailing far across the foam
To try to make me fortune in far America,
For there's s gold and money plenty for the poor and gentry
And when I come back again I never more will stray,

This well-known traditional Irish song may perhaps be derived from a Music Hall song by Felix McGlennon….

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 by an Irish comic called Pat Harvey.

Nov. 29, 1885, The Sunday Times 

Sadly, I have been unable to find evidence that this song survives in print, but an earlier report from The Era newspaper describes Pat Harvey singing what appears to be the same song at a Lusby’s Music Hall on the Mile End Rd in London:

Dec. 15, 1883;  The Era 

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. Like Goodbye Muirsheen Durkin, 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.

Worth looking into further … do contact me if you have evidence either way john@folksongandmusichall.com.

As The Dubliners sing it:

Sources:

Last Updated on September 15, 2021 by John Baxter | Published: September 15, 2021

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