Mrs. McGrath
An Irish anti-war folk song about a mother and her wounded son.
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"Mrs. McGrath" is an Irish folk song set during the Peninsular War of the early 19th century. It tells the story of a woman whose son joins the British Army and returns seven years later having lost his legs to a cannonball while fighting against Napoleon, presumably at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro.
The song's general theme is opposition to war. Along with "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye," it is one of the most graphic Irish folk songs dealing with sickness and injuries caused by warfare. Irish folk song collector Colm Ó Lochlainn described "Mrs. McGrath" as "known to every true born citizen of Dublin." It was very popular among the Irish Volunteers in the years leading up to the 1916 Rising.
History
The origins of "Mrs. McGrath" are thought to trace back to the Peninsular Wars, which ran from 1807 to 1814, but the first known written version in Ireland did not appear until 1876. The song is thought to have been a favorite among soldiers during the American Civil War. According to Michael Kilgraff's 1999 book "Sing us One Of The Old Songs," Ted Snow, also known as Edward Parrot, composed the piece for the Mohawk Minestrels. An archival recording was captured in 1951 at the home of Seamus Ennis.
In 1958, Burl Ives included it on his album Songs of Ireland, released by Decca, while the Belafonte Folk Singers put out their own version on RCA under the title "The Sergeant and Mrs. McGrath." Tommy Makem recorded it for his 1961 album Songs of Tommy Makem, and Peg and Bobby Clancy performed it on their 1964 LP As We Roved Out. Peg Clancy Power also released a version on her 1962 album Down By The Glenside. The Clancy Brothers titled their rendition "My Son Ted" on the 1966 album Isn't It Grand Boys.
The Dubliners first recorded it on the 1965 EP In Person, featuring Ronnie Drew, and later adapted it with new lyrics—while keeping the original tune—for their 1968 album Drinkin' and Courtin'. That version tells of a country boy who goes to college in Dublin but fails because he wastes his time and money on "women and drink." Pete Seeger performed it live for his 1964 release "Pete Seeger in Concert: I Can See a New Day." Bruce Springsteen recorded the song for his 2006 album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, and it became a staple of the subsequent Sessions Band Tour, appearing on the 2007 live audio and video release Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin.
Springsteen made a small lyrical change, swapping the original line about the King of France for "King of America." Fiddler's Green offered a version with slightly altered lyrics on their 2009 album Sports Day at Killaloe. The Stanfields also modified the lyrics for their 2012 release Death & Taxes. German folk metal band Suidakra recorded the song as a bonus track for their 2013 album Eternal Defiance, with vocals by Tina Stabel.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Mrs. McGrath (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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