40. The Flower of Kilkenny

Traditional, arranged & adapted with new words and music ©Robbie O’Connell 1985 (BMI)

One of the greatest “source” singers in 1950s Ireland was Elizabeth (Bess) Cronin from the Ballyvourney area of County Cork. Field recordings of her songs were made by several renowned collectors including Alan Lomax, Jean Ritchie, Seamus Ennis, Peter Kennedy and Diane Hamilton. Many of the songs were subsequently recorded by singers like Christy Moore, Mick Moloney, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, and Phil Callery. A complete collection of Elizabeth Cronin’s songs was published by her grandson Dáibhí Ó Cróinín.

Back in the 1970s, my friend Tommy Keane, the great Waterford-born uilleann piper now living in County Galway, kindly gave me a cassette tape that contained dozens of these recordings. It had so many wonderful songs that I almost wore out the tape over the next few years. One of the songs kept re-running in my mind on a regular basis. It was by no means the best song in the collection but, for some reason, I was drawn to it and decided I had better learn it. It seemed like it was missing a verse so I added a new one to flesh it out.

Some years later, my uncle, Paddy Clancy, heard me singing it and asked what it was. He knew it sounded very familiar and then he remembered where he had heard it before. He said, “Do you know that was your great-grandfather’s favorite song. He used to sing it all the time.” Needless to say, I was astonished. How strange that, out of all those songs, that was the one that stuck with me the most. This recording is from the 2010 Clancy Legacy CD that I did with my first cousins, Aoife and Dónal Clancy.

Lyrics:

THE FLOWER OF KILKENNY

Traditional, arranged & adapted with new words and music ©Robbie O’Connell 1985 (BMI)¹

I once loved the flower of Kilkenny
And a beautiful creature was she
I loved her far better than any,
And I know that young darling loved me.

CHORUS
She's the beautiful Flower of Kilkenny
Shall I gaze on her fair face no more?
I have roamed through the world and seen many,
But there's none like my Eileen, a stór

I remember the first time I met her,
And I thought that her heart I’d pursue.
And no man could have felt any better
When she swore she would always be true.

As she left me she gave me a token,
And that was an outburst of tears.
And the words that were generally spoken,
They remained in my memory for years.

For this was the last of the token,
That she gave with a fond loving will;
And the words that were generally spoken,
They remain in my memory still.

1. PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Robbie O’Connell: Vocal, guitar
Aoife Clancy: Harmony Vocal
Dónal Clancy: Bouzouki
George Keith: Fiddle
Shannon Heaton: Whistle and flute
Erik Wendelken: Bass
Produced by Robbie O’Connell
Recorded at Mockingbird Studio, Mansfield, MA
Derek Pisano, Recording Engineer
Digitally mastered at Northeastern Digital, Southboro, MA by Toby Mountain