Land of Potatoes, Oh!, The

DESCRIPTION: "Oh, had I in the clear five hundred a year" the singer would build a cottage and garden in Ireland, not roam to other countries. Those from other lands would stay here if they came once. An Irish wife, "so nice and complete," would make him even happier.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1839 (Croker-PopularSongsOfIreland); before 1820 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 25(1066))
KEYWORDS: poverty emigration Ireland nonballad home
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
O'Conor-OldTimeSongsAndBalladOfIreland, pp. 73+160, "The Land of Potatoes, Oh!" (1 text)
Croker-PopularSongsOfIreland, pp. 57-60, "The Land of Potatoes, O!" (1 text)
Roud #V22446
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(1066), "The Land of Potatoes", J. Pitts (London), 1802-1819
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Morgan Rattler" (tune, according to Croker-PopularSongsOfIreland)
NOTES [70 words]: Croker-PopularSongsOfIreland: "[The Land of Potatoes] is ascribed to Mr. [Robert MacOwen] Owenson, the father of Lady Morgan; who is also said to have been "the author of various lyrical compositions, which were sung on the Dublin stage, and are remarkable for broad wit and genuine humour" (see also "Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan),Novelist, c1783 - 1859" at the site for George Owenson, Dalgety Church and Dalgety Bay). - BS
Last updated in version 5.0
File: OCon073

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