Gramachree

DESCRIPTION: The singer hears the birds singing and courting as he wanders by the banks of Banna. He thinks longingly of Molly, who once said she loved him but now hates him. He says that he will be true for as long as he lives
AUTHOR: George Ogle (1739-1814)? (source: Croker-PopularSongsOfIreland)
EARLIEST DATE: 1787 (Scots Musical Museum)
KEYWORDS: love betrayal
FOUND IN: Ireland Britain(Scotland) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Henry/Huntingdon/Herrmann-SamHenrysSongsOfThePeople H204, pp. 388-389, "Gramachree" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor-OldTimeSongsAndBalladOfIreland, p. 122, "Molly, Asthore" (1 text); pp. 158-159, "Gramachree Molly" (1 text)
Croker-PopularSongsOfIreland, pp. 133-136, "Banna's Banks" (1 text)
Hylands-Mammoth-Hibernian-Songster, p. 40, "Molly, Asthore" (1 text)
Wolf-AmericanSongSheets, #1449, p. 98, "Molly Asthore" (2 references)
ST HHH204 (Full)
Roud #4717
RECORDINGS:
Caroline Brennan, "Banna's Banks" (on ITMA/CapeShoreNL)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(770), "Gramachree Molly", J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; also Firth c.26(66), "Molly Ashtore"; 2806 c.8(179), Harding B 11(2435), Harding B 11(2400), "Molly Astore"
LOCSinging, sb30338b, "Molly Asthore", H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Nancy's Complaint in Bedlam" (tune)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Gra'-mo-chree
Mailigh Mo Store
Molly Asthore (Molly, My Treasure)
Molly Bheag O!
Grai My Chree! (Love of my Heart)
NOTES [136 words]: This is apparently sometimes credited to Samuel Lover (1797-1868). Since, however, it appeared in the Scots Musical Museum before Lover was even born, we can discount this; I suspect it is a confusion with "Widow Machree."
Sir George Ogle the Younger (c. 1740-1814) was a poet and politician born in county Wexford. He served in the Irish parliament in the 1790s, and was briefly a Tory representative to Westminster. His best-known works are considered to be "Banna's Banks" (in the Index as "The Banks of Banna") and "Molly Astore" (this piece); in this Index he is also contributed "The Hermit of Killarney." - RBW
Broadside LOCSinging sb30338b: H. De Marsan dating per Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
Last updated in version 6.1
File: HHH204

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