Darby O'Leary

DESCRIPTION: The singer is hired by Darby O'Leary to work at his Galbally mountains farm. The supper is sour milk, the barn "covered with rats," terrible sleeping conditions: "such woeful starvation I never yet seen ... May he or his offspring never live long"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1960 (Creighton-FolksongsFromSouthernNewBrunswick)
KEYWORDS: farming work ordeal
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar) Ireland
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Creighton-FolksongsFromSouthernNewBrunswick 110, "The Silly Old Miser" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
OLochlainn-MoreIrishStreetBallads 57, "The Galbally Farmer" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST CrSNB110 (Partial)
Roud #6978
RECORDINGS:
Tom Lenihan, "The Cranbally Farmer" (on Voice05)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(619), "The Spalpeen's Complaint of Darby O'Leary ("One evening of late as I happened to stray"), unknown, n.d.
NOTES [22 words]: Creighton-FolksongsFromSouthernNewBrunswick is a fragment; broadside Bodleian Harding B 26(619) is the basis for the description. - BS
File: CrSNB110

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