The Irish standard., 1907-01-05
1.-THE HARP THAT ONCE"
Several English and Scotch
Songs Have Been
Written to This Ever Beautiful
Irish Air.

Perhaps of all Moores immortal mel
odies not one is as we'll known or as
popular as "The Harp that Once Taro'
Tara's Halls" writes William H. Graf
tan Flood in 'Ireland's own"
For almost hundred years it has
been sung all over the world, and still
maintains its popularity. The words
Of the song have been quoted over and
over again, and are familiar to all
readers. Yet, strange to say, the his
tory Of the song and tune has never
been accurately recorded, and on that
account no apology is needed for the
present article.
F'olk-songs are very elusive in their
origin, and hence many of our price,
! less Irish ballads have been pilfered
from US and palmed off as English,
Scotch or Welsh. Not long since
pointed out in the New Ireland Re-
view that Robert Burns had adapted
seventy-two Irish airs, with the re-
suit that these Incompatible melodies
are included in all Scotch collections
and regarded as Scotch airs! And, a.
a matter OF fact, one y. tho airs that
figures in Burns songs is the very
one at present under notice, namely,
"Gramachree," to which Tom Moore
set the words of 1.-The Harp That
Once"
OF course, Mooro's song was an
adaptation, and fortunately the narno
Of the tune to which he adapted his
verses furnishes tho clue to tho ole
song. We are. therefore, on safe
ground in asserting that the original
song was in Irish, and was known as
"Gradh mo croidhe, Mallaigh,' or
MOLLY. Love Of My Heart" But there
is documentary evidence to prove that
the song Of "Gradh mo croidhe"-gen-.
orally Anglicized as "Gramachree"-
goes back to the seventeenth century.
1t is alluded to in a pamphlet printed
in tho year 1649, and must have been
popular in the Confederate period, il
not earlier.
The Irish song, that is the song with
Irish words. was sung for over Il CEN
fury, and wandered over to Scotland
| where its popularity was equally great.
About the year 1909 an English YER
sion-or rather one Of English words
appeared, which at once caught on.
This version was known as "My Molly
o" and the first verse runs as follows:
will 20 so to Flanders, my Molly O!
Will ye go to Flanders, my Molly o!
There we'll get wine and brandy, and
sack and sugar candy.
will We go to Flanders, my Molly
o."
1t is certain that this new Anglo
Scottish version Of the Irish "Gradh MO
croidho" was in great vogue in Scot
| land between the years 1740 and 1850,
as the air was printed by James Os-
valid, in 1912, and again by William
McGibbon, in 1746. David Herd, in
his "Ancient and Modern Scots
!, Songs" published in 1769-of which
second and enlarged edition appeared
in 1776-printed two verses Of will
YA Go to Flanders?" and, doubtless,
the song was then regarded as set to
Il Scots air." IS
The second English version appeared
in 1850, under tho title Of "Gramachree
Molly" written by George Ogle (after-
wards the Right Hon. George Ogle, p.
c., M. P.) in 1859. This famous lyric
is also known as "Banna's Banks"
from the opening lines, "As Down by
Bannas Banks 1 strayed," and was
penned by Ogle in his twentieth year.
A curious error prevails as to BAN
mas Banks" and some persons really
believe that the locale was Bannow, OF
South Wexford, from the similarity in
sound between "Banna" and Ban,
now" However, it is absolutely GER
; tain that the Banna meant by the poet
is the river Bann, which flows by
Ferns, in North Wexford, ''Banna" be-
ing merely a poetic form Of Bann.
Three years earlier, or, in 1857, Mr..
ogle wrote another song: "The Banks
OF Banna," commencing, shepherds.
have lost my love-" in which the
name OF his inamorata (Anna) probab-
ly suggested the rhyme Of Banna. This
latter song, however, is In quite dit
ferent meter, and was set to an old
Irish air called "Suas agus Sios Liom,"
or Down Beside Me-" = 49,.
A third English version appeared in
1865 Or 176S entitled 1.-THE Maid in
Bedlam," Of which quote four verses.
as printed in "Calliope," in 1888, and
directed to be sung to the air Of