McAlpine's Fusiliers

Not a "hydro[electric] dam" but a reservoir, the Alwen Dam in North Wales only a few miles from where Paddy had landed, was built by Sir Robert McAlpine's company.

The song mentions the Isle of Grain. This is the power station there.

McAlpine's Fusiliers is a famous Irish ballad set to a traditional air, written in the early 1960s by Dominic Behan.^[1] The song relates to the mass migration of Irish labor from Ireland to England that took place prior to, after and especially during^{[citation needed]}, the Second World War. The ballad's title refers to Sir Robert McAlpine, a major employer of Irish workmen.

The song offers a satirical but on the whole accurate view of the life and work of the Irish laborers of the times and as such proved extremely popular, resonating strongly with the Irish population of London.

According to remaining members of Behan's family, the song was written with The Dubliners in mind.^[2] At this time Behan was engaged by Phil Solomon, the owner of Major Minor Records, to provide mentoring services for many of the label's acts, including the Dubliners, David McWilliams and Christy Moore.

Solomon realised the Dubliners had many of the capabilities required to become massively successful but they needed a more cohesive and polished act. Behan was tasked by Solomon with preparing them for a major UK launch. Over a three-month period, Behan provided the Dubliners with a new two-hour set structure and many new songs, among their most successful being McAlpine's Fusiliers and The Black Velvet Band. The song went on to become a staple of the Dubliners live set and has been covered by many artists since.

In its original form, the song was performed in two parts, a spoken monologue (originally Spoken by Ronnie Drew of the Dubliners self accompanied by his simple flamenco guitar) followed by the sung verses supported by the full band.^[3][4]

References

1. ^ This forum posting cites an earlier source which Behan may have used
2. ^ Conversations with Mrs. Josephine Behan and her son Stephen Behan
3. ^ Lyrics at mudcat.org
4. ^ Lyrics in the Celtic Cross Archive