Biddy Mulligan the Pride of the Coombe

Biddy Mulligan the Pride of the Coombe is a song most famously performed by the music-hall singer and comedian Jimmy O'Dea who also took on the persona of the charismatic Moore Street stall holder. [Harte, Frank, 'Songs of Dublin', (ed.), 1978, Gilbert Dalton, Dublin and 1993, Ossian Publications, Cork. ISBN 0 946005 51 6]

History of the Song

The song was written by Seamus Kavanagh who had collaborated with Harry O'Donavan. O'Donavan was a scriptwriter who had formed a partnership with Jimmy O'Dea. He had based it on the song The Queen Of The Royal Coombe, which he had found in a 19th century Theatre Royal programme. [ [http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/11/biddy.htm WTV Zone] ] Other similarly themed songs also performed by O'Dea were 'The Charladies' Ball' and 'Daffy the Belle of the Coombe' concerning Biddy Mulligan's daughter.

There are numerous Irish pubs around the world named 'Biddy Mulligan's'.

Lyrics

Chorus:
I'm a fine widow who lives in a spot
In Dublin they call it the Coombe;
Me shops and me stalls are laid out on the street,
And me palace consists of one room.
On St. Patrick's Street corner for forty-six years,
I've stood there, I'll tell you no lie,
And shur while I stood there, there was nobody dared,
To say black was the white of my eye.

ChorusYou may travel from Clare to the County Kildare,
From Belfast right down to Macroom;
Ah! But where would you see a fine widow like me,
Biddy Mulligan, the pride of the Coombe, me boys,
Biddy Mulligan, the pride of the Coombe.

I sell apples and oranges, nuts and split peas,
Bull's eyes and sugar-sticks sweet;
I sell second-hand clothes on a Saturday night,
And the floor of me stall is the street.
I sell fish on a Friday laid out on a board,
Some mackerel and beautiful ray;
I sell herring, fresh herring, oh, herring so sweet,
That once swam in dear Dublin Bay.

At the church every Sunday I cut quite a dash,
All the ladies look on in surprise;
With me Aberdeen shawl, and me new shoes and all,
Sure I'd dazzle the light in your eyes.
Now I have a son, Mick, and he plays on the fife,
He belongs to the Longford Street Band;
It would do your heart good for to see him march out,
When the band goes to Dolly Mount Strand. [Soodlums Irish Ballad Book', Soodlums of Dublin, 1982, ISBN: 0-7119-0208-9 ]

Recordings

*Frank Harte, 'And Listen To My Song', Hummingbird
*The Dubliners, 'The Collection',
* Tom Donovan, 'Best Irish Pub Songs; Volume 3'
* Tom Donavan, '101 Songs & Ballads from Ireland', Emerald Isle, 1993
* The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, Irish Drinking Songs,
* The Jolly Beggarmen, 'Forty Irish Drinking Songs, Volume 1', Dolphin, 2002, ASIN: B000VL7M4A
* Wild Clover Band, 'Behind the Blarney', Wild Clover Band Label, 2006, ASIN: B0016JQGG6

References

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzEs1DBa4Y8&feature=related 'Biddy Mulligan' by The Dubliners on YouTube]