Molly Malone

For the silent film actress, see Molly Malone (actress).

Close-up of Molly Malone statue in Grafton Street, Dublin.

"Molly Malone" (also known as "Cockles and Mussels" or "In Dublin's Fair City") is a popular song, set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin City.

The Molly Malone statue in Grafton Street was unveiled by then Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alderman Ben Briscoe during the 1988 Dublin Millennium celebrations, declaring 13 June as Molly Malone Day.

History

The song tells the fictional tale of a beautiful fishmonger who plied her trade on the streets of Dublin, but who died young, of a fever. In the late 20th century a legend grew up that there was a historical Molly, who lived in the 17th century. She is typically represented as a hawker by day and part-time prostitute by night.^[1] In contrast she has also been portrayed as one of the few chaste female street-hawkers of her day. However, there is no evidence that the song is based on a real woman, of the 17th century or at any other time. The name "Molly" originated as a familiar version of the names Mary and Margaret. While many such "Molly" Malones were born in Dublin over the centuries, no evidence connects any of them to the events in the song.^[1][2] Nevertheless, in 1988 the Dublin Millennium Commission endorsed claims concerning a Molly Malone who died on 13 June 1699, and proclaimed 13 June to be "Molly Malone day".^[1]

The song is not recorded earlier than 1883, when it was published in Cambridge, Massachusetts.^[3] It was also published by Francis Brothers and Day in London 1884 as a work written and composed by James Yorkston, of Edinburgh, with music arranged by Edmund Forman. The London edition states that it was reprinted by permission of Kohler and Son of Edinburgh, implying that the first edition was in Scotland, though no copies of it have been located.^[4] According to Siobhán Marie Kilfeather the song is from the music hall style of the period, and while one cannot wholly dismiss the possibility that it is "based on an older folk song", "neither melody nor words bear any relationship to the Irish tradition of street ballads." She describes the story of the historical Molly as "nonsense". The song is in a familiar tragi-comic mode popular in this period, probably influenced by earlier songs with a similar theme, such as Percy Montrose's "My Darling Clementine", which was written circa 1880.

A copy of Apollo's Medley, dating to around 1790, published in Doncaster and rediscovered in 2010, contains a song referring to "Sweet Molly Malone" on its page 78 - this ends with the line "Och! I'll roar and I'll groan, My sweet Molly Malone, Till I'm bone of your bone, And asleep in your bed." However, other than this name and the fact that she lives in Howth near Dublin, this song bears no other resemblance to the familiar Molly Malone.^[5] The song was later reprinted in a collection entitled The Shamrock: A Collection of Irish Songs (1831) and was published in the The Edinburgh literary journal that year with the title "Molly Malone".^[6]

Frank Harte, one of the great Dublin singers, who also sang this song, used to say: "Never judge a song by the company it keeps!"

Recordings

Artists who have recorded versions of Molly Malone include U2, Frank Harte, Sinéad O'Connor, Johnny Logan and Paul Harrington however the best known version is by The Dubliners. The song was also sung on M*A*S*H (Season 10)"That's Show Biz".

Lyrics

In Dublin's fair city,

Where the girls are so pretty,

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,

As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,

Through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"

"Alive, alive, oh,

Alive, alive, oh",

Crying "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh".

She was a fishmonger,

But sure 'twas no wonder,

For so were her father and mother before,

And they each wheeled their barrow,

Through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"

(chorus)

She died of a fever,

And no one could save her,

And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone.

Now her ghost wheels her barrow,

Through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"

(chorus)^[7]

"Molly Malone" in Apollo's Medley (1790)

By the big Hill of Howth,

That's a bit of an Oath,

That to swear by I'm loth,

To the heart of a stone,

But be poison my drink,

If I sleep snore or wink,

Once forgetting to think,

Of your lying alone,

Och it's how I'm in love,

Like a beautiful dove,

That sits cooing above,

In the boughs of a tree;

It's myself I'll soon smother,

In something or other,

Unless I can bother,

Your heart to love me,

Sweet Molly, Sweet Molly Malone,

Sweet Molly, Sweet Molly Malone

Statue

Statue in Grafton Street

Molly is commemorated in a statue designed by Jeanne Rynhart, erected to celebrate the city's first millennium in 1988. Placed at the bottom of Grafton Street in Dublin, this statue is known colloquially as "The Tart With The Cart", "The Dish With The Fish", "The Trollop With The Scallop(s)", "The Dolly With the Trolley", and "The Flirt in the Skirt". The statue portrays Molly as a busty young woman in seventeenth-century dress. Her low-cut dress and large breasts were justified on the grounds that as "women breastfed publicly in Molly's time, breasts were popped out all over the place." ^[2]

Sporting anthem

'Molly Malone' is best associated with Dublin GAA. In the 2000's the song was adopted by Leinster Rugby and it has become their Anthem.

The song is also sung by supporters of Columbus Crew, Reading, Huddersfield Town F.C., Wycombe Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers, Berwick Rangers F.C., St. Mirren F.C., Doncaster Rovers F.C., Terenure College and the Irish Rugby Team.

Parodies

Londoners adapt the song for their own needs often in a light vein, the major change being the lines:

As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,
Through Wealdstone and Harrow (pronounced Arra in this instance)

An altered first verse of the song is usually sung by supporters of Bohemian FC in Dublin. The changes being:

In Dublin's fair city,

Where the girls are so pretty,

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,

As she wheeled her wheelbarrow

Through streets broad and narrow

Crying (clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap) Bohs (pronunciation / bo-iz /)

A similar version of the Bohemian FC chant is also sung by Gillingham (Kent) Football Club supporters, replacing the last line with

singing (clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap) The Gills! (pronunciation / Jills /)

It is always sung at the lunches and dinners of London's '07 Club, which was founded in 1907 by staff of the London County Council.

See also

• Dublin statues and their nicknames
• Roud Folk Song Index 16932

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Siobhán Marie Kilfeather, Dublin: a cultural history, Oxford University Press US, 2005, p. 6.
2. ^ ^{a b} Irish Historical Mysteries: Molly Malone
3. ^ Hills, William H (1883). Students' Songs. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Moses King. pp. 55. 
4. ^ "Cockles and Mussels (Molly Malone)". Folkinfo.org (quoting book by Sean Murphy). 2002. http://www.folkinfo.org/songs/displaysong.php?songid=618. Retrieved 22 August 2007. 
5. ^ Tart with a cart? Older song shows Dublin's Molly Malone in new light The Guardian, 18 July 2010
6. ^ Review in The Edinburgh literary journal
7. ^ James Yorkston (last modified 1998). "Molly Malone lyrics". http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/irhismys/mollylyrics.htm. Retrieved 6 October 2008. 

External links

• Lyrics with chords
• An article about Molly Malone
• Molly Malone "Cockles And Mussels" diverse songs and Clip courtesy of Dan O'Donnell.
• MP3 at official site of folk-rock band "Racoons"